Over the summer, two young women with promising futures were struck down by senseless violence. The news reports of their deaths, and subsequent responses, were demonstrably different.
The tragedy of these two young ladies’ death has been treated as separate and unrelated. The cases have never even been discussed together until now.
Destinee Clemons, 17, was sitting on her front porch in University City with family members on a warm June evening. By the time the flurry of bullets from a passing car ceased, Destinee and her sister lay bleeding. Destinee’s mother watched her die in defenseless horror.
I’m sure Destinee’s name was intentional. Her family had great hopes for her; she had great plans for her life. She had just graduated from high school and was honored to give the graduation speech. Her teachers spoke highly of her aspirations. She had a part-time job and was poised to attend Harris-Stowe State University.
Megan Boken, 23, a 2011 graduate of St. Louis University, was fatally shot during a botched robbery in the Central West End while talking on the phone to her mother. Megan was a star volleyball player at SLU and was in town to play an alumni volleyball game. Friends described her as being full of life.
What Destinee and Megan have in common is that their bright futures were snuffed out by wanton violence. Their families share the unspeakable grief of losing a loved one before their young lives ever got a chance to lift off.
What makes their cases different is that Meghan’s community stood up collectively in its demand for justice and the right to personal security. Destinee’s community is almost numb to the news of gun violence and her name was added to a long list of victims.
Megan’s story received national attention and the reward for arrests quickly rose to over $30,000. It was no surprise that arrests were made in the case a few days after the shooting. Suspects in Destinee’s murder were finally made over this past weekend.
What St. Louis refuses to grapple with is that all life is valuable, regardless of race or class; that black and white families have a shared interest in safe and secure communities; and that misguided youth are worth our investment.
In a city known for its racial segregation and tensions, St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay always seems to miss an opportunity to bring citizens together to seek genuine understanding of one another. Instead, he claimed that nothing “irritates” him more than the “thugs out there” victimizing people, a view that further entrenches the stereotypes of black people and adds to the de-valuing of all black people’s lives. Yet, if you ask the mayor what his plan is for the young, black males in the city, you’ll quickly find out that he has none.
Megan, Desiree and the young men alleged to have killed them were all born with a clean slate. They should have been destined for long and meaningful lives, but something went terribly wrong along the way. When our society plays the game of “who gets the resources and support,” then we must own the distressing outcomes.
Destinee advised her graduating class to “never give up” on themselves. I would challenge adults to never give up on youth – whether they are raised north or south of Delmar Boulevard.
