Family members of domestic violence victims are calling for justice and accountability. 

Activists joined the families of Mariah Samuels and Allison Lussier in front of the Hennepin County Government Center Thursday afternoon. 

They say Minneapolis police and others didn't do enough to keep their loved ones safe. 

"Her cries for safety were ignored. Her life should have been protected and now she's gone," said Salina Owens, Samuels' sister. 

Two families with similar goals: to get justice for Lussier and Samuels, women who were victims of domestic abuse. 

"If you think it's not real, I want you to go and look at all the records of all the Black and brown people who die on a daily basis due to these things," said Simone Hunter, Samuels' sister. 

Lussier's family says she made several calls to Minneapolis police to report domestic abuse by her ex-partner. The medical examiner says she suffered a brain injury prior to her death, but couldn't determine what caused the injury. Her family believes it came at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, and they believe police could have done more. 

"We saw the gaps in the system and the issues with Minneapolis police and their failings," said Jana Williams, Lussier's aunt. "If they can't protect the citizens of Minneapolis, who can?"

Samuels' family is asking a similar question. The dog groomer and mother of two was killed in September. Her family said she had made several calls to police, and minutes before she was shot, she posted a video on Facebook of her ex-boyfriend hitting her. 

In response to the death of Samuels, the office of public safety says Chief Brian O'Hara is ordering a thorough review of her case.

The statement added that O'Hara has directed Minneapolis police officers be retrained on domestic violence response by the end of the year. And he's also directed that domestic violence and order for protection protocol be updated to require officers to ask the victim if they feel safe and to take affirmative action based on their response.

"They are trained. They have the basic domestic abuse training. The basic de-escalation training. They are just simply not doing it," said Avonne Winston, Samuels' cousin. 

David Eugene Wright has been charged in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree murder and illegal gun possession in Samuels' death.

The Twin Cities Coalition for Justice was with the group Thursday, and among their demands, they asked that domestic violence cases become a priority for police. 

Domestic Violence Resources: For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.