FOX 21 News, KQDS-DT

SUPERIOR - Two cities, separated by one bridge, marched together in the fight against domestic violence in the Twin Ports.

"It's symbolizing. It's showing that we have joint efforts. We want to work together. We are a community on both sides of the bridge," said Officer Bonnie Beste, of the Superior Police Department.

The Douglas County Domestic Violence Coordinated Response Team, community members, and service organizations from Duluth and Superior each marched their way across the Bong Bridge, meeting in the middle to take a stand on an issue that affects more than four million Americans every year.

"It is a big problem, domestic abuse. It affects our children, it affects our families, and it has fingers that reach out throughout our community," said Beste.

In Minnesota, 34 people died from domestic violence in 2011 and 40 in Wisconsin.

Twin ports community members remembered those lives lost and took steps forward in the hopes of affecting future change.

"My vision really is to see a generation of children who don't know violence, children who haven't been exposed to violence for whom violence isn't even an option," said Linda Riddle, Executive Director of Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs in Duluth.

Superior Mayor Bruce Hagen and Duluth Mayor Don Ness, proclaimed October "Domestic Violence Awareness Month" encouraging people to stand up for those who cannot always stand alone.

Ness said, "We need to both address the problem at its source and hopefully to eliminate that type of violence, but also giving assistance to those that really need it."

"It can't be left up to individual people. There are people that at times we need to help. We need to stand up for and give them assistance and we all need to do that as a community," said Beste.