Empty Shoes At Central Library Represent Lives That Ended Too Soon

Stephanie Rader’s son Joe McSweeney, 30, was murdered four years ago. He left behind a fiancée and a son. Rader says on the night of Joe’s death, the first thing his family saw when they returned home was a pair of Joe’s size 12 work shoes.

"With the mud still on them, sitting by the door," she said. "Those shoes were a very painful reminder that Joe would never wear them again."

Behind Rader Tuesday morning in the Central Library atrium sat 135 pairs of shoes. Each pair a reminder of a life taken by criminal homicide in 2014 in the City of Indianapolis.

Sunday marked the beginning of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week — an annual commemoration of violent crime victims that also aims to promote services available to those victims and their families. The Victims of Homicide Memorial unveiling marked the first of several Indy events as part of the week's observance. 

Michael Hurst is the executive director of Legacy House, a local counseling center that offers services to violent crime victims and their families. He says he wants those who see the exhibit to leave with an understanding that each pair of shoes represents a person with a story that ended prematurely.

“One hundred thirty-five isn’t just 135 homicides. It’s 135 people who were dramatically impacted by an act of violence,” he said. "“There was a little boy that came through last night when we were setting this up…and he said, ‘That’s a lot of shoes!’ And then he thought for a minute and said, ‘That’s a lot of people.’ That’s what I want people to take away.”

The Victims of Homicide Memorial will remain at Central Library through Wednesday evening. Below is a full list of this week's events: 

Tues. April, 21 - Wed., April 22

Victims of Homicide Memorial
The Indianapolis Public Library--Central Library Atrium

Wed., April 22 - 6:30 - 8 p.m.

Sexual Assault Forum
The Indianapolis Public Library--Central Library Auditorium

Thurs., April 23 - 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

11th Annual ROCC-a-Thon
Monument Circle (South Quadrant)

Sat., April 25 - 11 a.m.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes
Wood Plaza Foundtain, IUPUI, 815 W. New York St.