Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Teonna Brown To Be Sentenced For Maryland McBeatdown

19 year old Teonna Monae Brown will face Judge John Turnbull II today and learn her legal fate after she and a juvenile executed a horrific April 18 beatdown of transwoman Chrissy Lee Polis in a Rosedale, MD McDonalds.

The videotaped attack went viral on YouTube and has served as a rallying point for local Maryland and national trans activists to talk about anti-trans violence.  It also exposed how much race is in play as one of the dynamics in the trans community.

The case gave African American trans activists an opportunity to point out to our people that the disrespecting of transpeople and trans human rights needed to cease and desist and how much visceral hatred, discrimination and violence transpeople of all ethnic backgrounds are subjected to..

Brown was charged on May 16 and plead guilty in Baltimore County Circuit Court on August 4 to one count of first-degree assault and one hate crime count.  The juvenile in the attack was sentenced June 1 and is already serving time in a youth facility

Prosecutors are seeking a ten year sentence for Brown with five years suspended.

As I said in a earlier post, I hope Judge Turnbull adds to the juvenile and Brown's sentence the requirement that once she completes her jail time, both are sentenced to do a specified number of hours with a Baltimore area group that does community service working on behalf of transpeople and be required to attend a local Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony as well..    

But I hope the bigger message that is sent is hat society will no longer tolerate attacks of any kind on transpeople

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