This is a sad day for the Council and the District of Columbia. The first time I truly saw how Councilmember Trayon White served his community was at a vigil after a shooting on Martin Luther King Avenue ten or more years ago. He spoke with his neighbors with empathy and strength, calling for change from outside of his community but also from within. He connected with his neighbors in a way that resonated. More recently, we overlapped at an event, and I asked him how he bore up attending so many funerals and meeting with so many families broken with pain after the loss of a loved one. He responded that he was tired - spiritually tired - but he showed up just the same. I say these things because at the center of all this is a person who has earned the love and respect of many in his community. There is a human being with strengths and weaknesses. A person who, like all of us, should not be defined by one act.…
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