Family and friends of a murdered mother of five celebrated her life under sunny skies Saturday at Durham's Solite Park.
Nicole Bullock, 29, was found dead at a Durham hotel last weekend.
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"She was a loving, wonderful person. As you can see, she was well loved," Bullock's sister, Lakisha Polite said.
Bullock's brother, Antwan Adams, remembered Bullock as "just a pure, genuine, fun person."
He said he was not surprised to see a large turnout in her memory. "Everyone who knew Nicole knew Nicole was a fun, loving, joyous person," he said.
Young mother's murder brings calls for action on domestic violence
Police have charged Rodney Crawford with Bullock's murder. Crawford has a history of domestic violence charges and, at the time of her death, Bullock had a restraining order against him.
"Nicole took all of the steps to protect herself. This is an issue that she had been experiencing since 2021," Adams said.
Polite said she believes the system failed Bullock and her children.
"They didn't protect her. I feel like they didn't protect the boys either, because now they have to grow up without a mom," she said. "As long as I live, we're going to take care of those boys."
A friend, Fred Jones, said he had already seen that happen.
"When I met this family, I saw a family at first, but now I see a village that's going to help take care of those boys as well as the families together. And it's heartwarming to know that," he said.
Polite and Adams used the occasion to point out the deadly dangers that domestic violence wreaked on their family.
Polite urged other women to break the cycle of violence that has devastated her family.
"To all the women out there that's going through the things that Nicole's going through ... You got to get out. You got to do something. Don't be afraid. Tell somebody, please," she begged.
Polite said she and her sisters, including Bullock, lost their mother to domestic violence when they were very young.
"It's like history repeated itself. Our mom was murdered," she said.
Adams urged a re-evaluation of laws that did not put Crawford behind bars.
"Nicole was one of those people who took matters and tried to get help. She reported it. She reported to the police," Adams said. "I honestly feel like with the barriers and the challenges that she was let down. I hope that this is a call to action. I hope that this is a lesson for us not to shame victims."
A GoFundMe was created to help with funeral expenses and to help Bullock's five sons.