Acquanette Lindsay | 2021 National Crime Victims' Service Awards Tribute Video

ACQUANETTE LINDSAY: If there's anything that can interrupt your life, it's being a victim of a crime. 

I was 7 years old and watched a horrific crime happen to my mom, while they held a gun to my baby sister's head. My mother is taken to the hospital, and she is not the same. We end up put up for adoption. I didn't understand this. 

As I grew up, I made it my personal mission to go and find my brothers and sisters, find my mother and father, and learn about law. I found this position, and I thought it was ideal for me. I could help people understand their rights, exercise their rights if they chose to, and then support them, not just through the criminal process, but helping them become whole again. 

Right now, I have 94 active cases and somewhere around 2,600 victims. We had a gang-related case. They've attempted to stop this gang a couple times before, and people were murdered. So people were terrified when they get a subpoena. I had 2 weeks to get 15 families relocated for their safety. We did it. 

Thank you guys so much for making yourselves available... 

As a Victim Witness Specialist, there's no possible way to meet the DOJ mission, specifically the mission of the Victim Witness Program, without relying on community partners. We need the victim to be secure and as stable as possible. That's the best thing for the case, that's the best thing for the individual, it's the best thing for the community.

If victims call back and let me know that they’re doing well, I love that. I love it when they call and say, "Miss Lindsay, I just wanted to say I'm grateful and thank you." So that's the real award.