Rest in Peace, Edmond St. Clair and All Victims of Violence

The name Edmond St. Claire and the names of other victims of murder should never be forgotten. We talk about change but what steps toward creating substantial and impactful measures to bring an end to youth violence are being taken?
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His name was Edmond St. Clair. Nationally, he is known as a faceless statistic of youth violence within the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. In reality, he is more than a murder victim; he stood as a friend to me. We met as students in high school and I immediately recognized that he was destined to do great things. It is truly a rarity to meet a person who has the power to impact the lives of others at such a young age, but, St. Claire was different. He was a University of Maryland Eastern Shore student, gifted academic, musician, and future doctor.

St. Claire's organic chemistry professor, Victoria Volkis, believes he stood out as one the few students that truly understood the science of medicine. Volkis spoke highly of her former student, "Anytime you see the 'A' grade student, you really remember. I could see him as a student with a good potential."

When one thinks of St. Claire's 21 short years on this Earth, you think of the influence he had on his community through academia and music. Anyone who came in contact with St. Claire can attest to his ability to put a smile on your face and inspire others through his art. Last month, the music stopped as word of his violent death tragically struck the community. He was cruelly stabbed at his university's homecoming celebration during a minor argument. As my community mourned his death, those closest to him came together to remember this brilliant biology student's beautiful legacy.

A close friend of St. Claire, college sophomore Bertha Anu Kandulna, believes his death-invoked conversations about senseless youth violence. Kandulna believes:

"Edmond had to be one of those many who died at the hands of violence. With violence comes more violence; it's an unending cycle. I pray for the other young men and woman, as well as their families who we're victims of such a tragic act and hope that one day all these violent acts will end."

St. Claire is one of many students from my high school and region to die at the hands of violence. Since August, five students within the Prince George's County school system have been murdered. These deaths have sparked discussions regarding a means to address youth violence both nationally and locally. Our nation is engulfed in a battle to create feasible solutions to reducing instances of gang violence, mass shootings, and college campus violence. These conversations generally stop as the news reports of these murders begin to fade from public memory. The name Edmond St. Claire and the names of other victims of murder should never be forgotten. We talk about change but what steps toward creating substantial and impactful measures to bring an end to youth violence are being taken?

I desire to see a generation that no longer has to bury our children at the hands of senseless crimes. Though there is no simple solution to this problem, we must one in order to see a drop in the number stories like that of St. Claire. In sum, rest in peace to St. Claire and countless others whose stories are never told.

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