‘Stop Youth Violence’: Montrealers march to remember teenager killed in stabbing
Posted March 5, 2022 4:47 pm.
Last Updated March 7, 2022 3:03 pm.
It’s the last place Lynne-Marie Baudouy would have wanted to be.
But the grieving mother was compelled to take part in a march Saturday to oppose youth violence in Montreal after her son Lucas Gaudet was stabbed near a Pointe-Claire high school during an altercation last month.
Gaudet, 16, died of his injuries two days later. A 16-year-old was charged with second-degree murder in his death.
“I wish it wasn’t happening. I wish I didn’t have to do this,” said Baudouy. “I wish I could just be at home with my legs up on a Saturday and taking it easy. But I can’t, not knowing that there’s so much violence going on, that something needs to be done and we need to raise awareness for our youth.”
Gaudet became the second teenager killed in Montreal this year after 17-year-old Amir Benayad was shot to death while walking in the Plateau in January.
“I’m striving for change for all of the other youth also,” said Baudouy. “They deserve to go to school feeling safe and they don’t deserve to be scared to go to school. It’s not normal.”
READ MORE:
- John Rennie student Lucas Gaudet remembered by family, friends, and the West Island community
- Montreal teen charged with second-degree murder in stabbing death of Lucas Gaudet
The City of Montreal and SPVM held a three-day forum last month with different institutions, community organizations, and youth representative to combat armed violence – especially among the young.
Gaudet and Benayad joined three other teens who were killed in the previous 12 months.
Meriem Boundaoui, 15, was shot and killed in St-Leonard in February 2021 as she sat in a car chatting with her friends. Jannai Dopwell-Bailey, 16, was stabbed outside his Côte-des-Neiges high school in October 2021. And Thomas Trudel, 16, was fatally shot in St-Michel the following month.
“It’s just so very sad that this just continues going on and it’s just like, it’s the same story over and over again,” said Paul Dellarocchetta, one of the marchers on Saturday. “It has to stop. Something drastic has to happen for this to stop.”
Saturday’s march, organized by 21-year-old Tyler Gallaher-Ryan, was called “Not Again.”
Gallaher-Ryan wanted to raise awareness of teen violence in Montreal and organized the event after speaking to Gaudet’s mother. He also wants to raise funding for after-school programs and more programs for teens in crisis.
Gaudet’s friends react to his death
Several of Gaudet’s friends came out to the march and spoke fondly of the boy who was remembered as a great kid, polite, always thinking of others, and a natural hockey player. His friends all wanted to due their part to help end violence against the city’s youth.
“We want to do this protest, just raise awareness to stop youth violence because this shouldn’t be happening and shouldn’t be needing to lose kids’ lives at this age. It’s not right.”
—Aden Landry
“I live in a society right now that I can’t even feel safe going to school, going to do anything. I don’t even just feel safe letting my friends go out. How is that OK? It should not be OK.”
—Samuel Mariampiallai
“It’s sad. It’s hard for me to think about, but I thought t it was important to come out here today to try to prevent further situations like this in the future so that nobody else does have to experience this type of situation.”
—Jasiyah Cromwell-Henry
