Brown Sentenced For McBeatdown

Teonna Brown faced the legal music earlier today in Baltimore County Circuit Court for the April hate attack of transwoman Chrissy Lee Polis in a Rosedale, MD McDonald's. 

Judge John Turnbull II sentenced her to 10 years in jail with five years of the sentence suspended, plus two years of probation when she gets out.  The 14 year old juvenile is in a facility and could be there until she is 21.

Polis did not appear in court today, but her victim impact statement was read during the proceedings.

In it, she said, "While being beaten, I felt like I was going to die that day. I was kicked in the chest, crotch and head. Chunks of my hair were pulled out. They were all over me, and I couldn't get them to stop."


Polis said she felt her identity was taken away."My private life has been exposed to the world. I lost my job. I can't go anywhere without the fear of getting hurt again. I want to go into a hole and hide. I do not forgive them for what they did to me," Polis said.

Vicky Thoms who tried to break up the attack and was hit as well said in a WBAL-TV interview, "I never dreamed I would see anything like that in my life -- never. It's like you were watching someone being murdered almost."

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Yeah, it was that ugly and it's a miracle that Polis wasn't killed.

Justice was served.   But I also would have liked for Judge Turnbull to have added a requirement that Brown and the juvenile do community service with an organization that works with transpeople.  I would have also sentenced them to attend the Baltimore area TDOR to further drive home the point that unbridled hatred of trans people sometimes leads to their deaths.

Well, Brown and the 14 year old juvenile will have plenty of time to contemplate that question.