USA First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff

Dear First Lady Gwen Walz,
I am an ambassador for the Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall. I lost my son, Devin, at the age of
19 to fentanyl poisoning. Devin and the young man he was with the night he died, went on
Snapchat and purchased a pill advertised as Percocet. Devin had been suffering from blackout
migraines and a cracked molar prior to his death. With the start of the COVID lockdown his
appointments were cancelled. The young man, Devin was with knew he needed medical
attention. Instead of calling 911 or calling out to us, he locked Devin in his room, told Devin’s
younger brother, Caden, Devin was sleeping, and left. We had never heard of illicit fentanyl.
Everything learned came after the fact.
Devin was handsome and very smart. He graduated from Hastings High School, Class of 2019.
Devin had plans of going to California to pursue his education in the music industry. He had a
passion for writing, producing, and creating his own music. He loved playing video games with
his little brother, Caden. Devin went out of his way to make everyone smile and laugh. I miss
his jokes and laughter. Devin worked for Factory Motor Parts and loved his job. He carpooled to
work with his dad every day opening the door to what are now priceless conversations. Khloe,
Devin’s niece, was born on May 2, 2021. Devin would’ve been an amazing uncle and it breaks
my heart knowing Khloe will never meet or know Devin. There was never a family function
where he and his cousins weren’t tossing the football back and forth.
In 2021, an average of nearly four Minnesotans died each day from a drug overdose or fentanyl
poisoning, with the total annual number of drug deaths increasing 29% from 2020. Minnesota
currently loses 1,354 lives a year to this epidemic, and I am committed to ending these losses
and honoring my son and the other children’s lives and memory.
I know you are an advocate for education at all levels and specifically have worked tirelessly in
bringing education to those incarcerated in the prison system. I’m hopeful as a mother to two
adult children you will understand the urgency I and countless other mothers in Minnesota feel
towards ending this epidemic and educating our children about the dangers of fentanyl.
Would you assist us in finding a permanent location for a Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall within
our Capitol? We have created two memorial walls; one with photos and one with names. I am
including Devin’s frame, below. These digital walls and albums update automatically. We would
also like the photos displayed in hard copy format. The wall of names can be projected on a
wall so parents can touch their loved one’s name. We would like our loved ones to be treated
like victims. They were all victims of Purdue Pharma, an American cartel, the Chinese criminal
networks and the Mexican Cartels. We are using the word “drugism” for the prejudice toward
drug users. Minnesota moms would love to meet with you and work together to prevent
fentanyl overdoses and poisonings from happening.
Sincerely,
Bridgette Norring, Devin J. Norring’s Mama Forever 19
Hastings, MN
561