Justice For Dandara!

You may recall the vicious February 15 beating and murder last year of 42 year old Brazilian trans woman Dandara dos Santos by several wastes of DNA men that was captured on video. 

2017 also happened to be the deadliest year on record for TBLGQ murders in Brazil.

Dandara was taken out of her home in Fortaleza, stripped, beaten, kicked, stoned and mocked by the killers as she pleaded for her life.  She had transphobic and homophobic slurs hurled at her before she was thrown into a wheelbarrow and carted off. to be shot to death.

The brutal videotaped murder sent shockwaves around the world and outraged the Brazilian and global trans community.  The video also lead to the identification and arrest of the mob of  men  who killed her. .

Justice was finally served in that case as five of the eight participants in this heinous crime received a combined 83 years in jail .

Francisco Jose Monteiro de Oliveira, Jr. who shot dos Santos, was given 21 years in prison.   Jean Victor Silva Oliveira, who attacked her with a wooden board, received a 16 year prison sentence.

Rafael Alves da Silva Paiva, who was filed repeatedly kicking Dandara, was also sentenced to 16 years in jail along with Francisco Gabriel dos Reis.   Isaias da Silva Camurca was sentenced to 14 years and 6 months for his part in the attack on our trans sister, beating her with flip flops.

Jean Oliveira and Paivi are appealing their sentences on the basis of their actions weren't decisive in causing Dandara's death.

Incredibly all of the men tried make the claim that while they attacked her, they weren't responsible for her death. 

It was a claim that prosecutor Marcus Renan Palacio dismissed by saying to them, "No one killed Dandara?   Was it lightning that fell on her head?  Was it a stone from a building?

Francisco Oliveira after being sentenced tried to apologize to Dandara's relatives, claiming that he'd committed the crime because he was deluded and he'd learned he has to have love in his heart.

You were right about the deluded part.   But the date you needed to have love in your heart was on February 15, 2017, not when your azz is about to do 21 years in prison from murdering another human being.

Number 8- Rest In Power and Peace Sasha Wall

Thanks to TransGriot reader Greg Green, he has made me aware of another trans sister we've lost to anti trans violence and it's  my sad duty to report that to you. 

The latest murder of a trans person happened in Chesterfield County, SC, just across the state line from Charlotte, NC.

Her name is 29 year old Sasha Wall.  She was originally from Charlotte, NC  but was living in Pageland, SC, 40 miles SE of Charlotte. 

Wall was found at 8 AM EDT Sunday in her running car slumped over the steering wheel.  She had been shot several times, with one gunshot wound in her neck.. 

And as you probably guessed, Sasha was misgendered in the article and in the on air broadcast by the police.

A passing motorist discovered what happened at the intersections of Sandy Plains Road and Highway 145 north of Chesterfield and near the North-Carolina-South Carolina state line and called 911

According to Chesterfield County Sheriff Jay Brooks, Sasha's black Toyota Corolla was parked on the side of the road with the engine running for nearly two hours.



A small caliber bullet was recovered from the driver's side door, and Brooks told WSOC-TV that whoever shot Sasha was either sitting in the passenger seat or was standing outside the car with the door opened.

The Chesterfield County Sheriff's Department at this time doesn't have a person of interest or a suspect in this case

Sasha is now the eighth trans person killed in 2018, and the fifth Black trans person murdered this year.   And once again, the pattern continues of an under 30 trans woman being murdered.

Rest in power and peace sis.   We will say your name and won't rest until justice is served in this case,

Number 7- Rest In Power and Peace Amia Tyrae

Been a few weeks since I wrote my last post chronicling a 2018 death of one of our trans sisters.
Unfortunately that break is over.

TransGriot reader jade Lenore has informed of another trans sister who has been violently taken from us in Baton Rouge, LA. 

Her name is Amia Tyrae Berryman, and she was 28 years old.   Her body was found at 1:15 AM in the Shades Motel on Airline Highway with gunshot injuries.  She died at the murder scene, and the  East Baton Rouge Parish coroner will be conducting an autopsy tomorrow 

And as you probably guessed, local media stating WBRZ-TV 2 misgendered her.   

As of this writing we have no information about any suspects or persons of interest in this crime

She is the seventh trans woman killed in 2018 and the fourth Black trans woman this year.  And yes, she's under age 30.

If I'm made aware of any memorial vigils, I will pass on that information to you.

Rest in power and peace, Amia.  We won't rest until justice is served in your case 

Justice For Kenne McFadden Rally and March Tuesday

Kenne McFadden was murdered while we were fighting to kill the unjust SB 6 bill.   Her body was found on April 9 by a barge operator on San Antonio's famed River Walk.

Her lifeless body was found floating in the San Antonio River near East Commerce and St Mary's Streets and was the 12th murder of a trans person in 2017.   The alleged killer, 20 year old Mark Daniel Lewis was arrested for McFadden's murder while he was in the Bexar County jail for another crime and indicted by a grand jury in November on manslaughter.

Lewis pushed McFadden, who was intoxicated at the time and a non swimmer, into the San Antonio River and refused to help her as she drowned.

The Bexar County DA Nico LaHood, for some unknown reason reason decided to present this evidence during a probation hearing for Lewis in an attempt to revoke his probation for failing to register as a sex offender.

On March 8, State District Judge Joey Contreras (R) a Gov Greg Abbott appointee to the 187th Criminal District Court ruled that Lewis pushing her into the river didn't rise to the level of criminal conduct.

Unfortunately, the probation hearing became a defacto trial, and once the judge made his ruling, Lewis couldn't be tried for her murder because of double jeopardy laws.

Fortunately for us in the Lone Star State, this is an election year, so Judge Contreras and DA LaHood have to face the voters.

FYI gentlemen, trans people and our allies vote     Judge Contreras is in a GOP runoff for his seat that will take place on May 22.   LaHood has already been punished at the polls.  He went down to defeat in the March 6 Democratic primary after just one controversial term in office.. 

In addition to LaHood having a contentious relationship with the San Antonio press corps, he'd made controversial anti-Islamic comments, stating the loud and wrong claim that vaccines cause autism, and threatened to destroy an attorney's career.

The result in this botched case has incensed the San Antonio trans community, and they are organizing a Justice for Kenne rally and protest on Tuesday.   The groups involved in coordinating the protest are the Trans Education Network of Texas (TENT), the San Antonio Gender Association (SAGA) and the Pride Center San Antonio.

There will be a press conference in front of Bexar County DA Nico LaHood's office at noon Tuesday, wirth the rally and march taking place at Crockett Park starting at 6PM 

And yes, I've been asked to speak at that rally, so see you Alamo City peeps Tuesday.

Number 6 -Rest In Power and Peace Phylicia Mitchell

Hard on the heels of hearing the news that the body found stuffed in a trash can in rural Santa Fe County was our missing trans sister, was news out of Cleveland, OH that we have now lost our sixth person of the year to anti-trans violence.

46 year old Phylicia Mitchell was found shot in front of her home in the West Side Edgewater neighborhood on West 112th Street near Detroit Avenue at approximately 6 PM on Friday. She was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center where she was pronounced dead according to Cleveland.com and CPD spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia

The case is under investigation, and Cleveland Police are looking for any information that will help them solve this case and bring to justice the person or persons who murdered her. 

Mitchell becomes the sixth trans person killed in 2018 and the third African American one this year.  She is also the oldest person so far to be killed this year since the pattern is usually trans women under age 40.

As of yet no information as to whether there will be a memorial service or vigil, and when I receive that information I will pass it along.   I'll also keep an eye on this case until justice is served for her, her longtime partner and all who loved her..



Rest in power and peace, Phylicia.

Number 5- Rest In Power Zakaria Fry

When a person goes missing, once you pass ten days that the person was last seen alive or heard from, the likelihood that the missing person in question is still alive drops with each passing day.

So when 28 year old Zakaria Fry went missing along with 70 year old Eugene Carrell Ray back on January 18 in Albuquerque, NM., while we held out hope that both might still be alive, the missing person odds told us there was a high probability she might not be.

Fry had moved to Albuquerque from Indiana several years ago according to her sister Brittany Willis, and was renting a room from Ray.    Rat was a prominent attorney in the area, and Ray's family told APD that they feared that he could have been involved in a violent situation.  He was last seen alive on January 18, and his home was found in disarray along with some suspicious items. 

Fry was reported missing a few days later.  She was last heard from on that same January 18 date, with a friend receiving a text from her.

Yesterday the Albuquerque Police Depart confirmed that the two bodies found by rancher Fidel Montoya in the small town of Stanley, NM on February 19 have been positively identified as Eugene Ray and our trans sister Zakaria Fry. 

Fry's body was found by Montoya crammed in a trash can on the edge of his property 45 miles from Albuquerque   Ray's was found in a different location on a dirt road two miles away.

A person of interest was recently spotted driving Ray's car and APD is looking for him.

This is still an open investigation according to APD Public Information Officer Simon Drobik.  They still don't know why they were killed, and haven't released any information as to how they died.

APD is asking anyone with information that could potentially help solve this case to call Crime Stoppers at 505-843-STOP (7867)

Fry is the 5th trans person we have lost in 2018, and we hope that the person or persons who committed this heinous crime are caught and expeditiously brought to justice.   

Rest in power and peace, Z.   

Number 4- Rest in Power and Peace Celine Walker

Not long after I learned about the murder  of Tonya Harvey in Buffalo, because of the misgendering of her by law enforcement and Jacksonville, FL media, I'm just now discovering thanks to reader Kayla Gore about the murder of the fourth trans person we have lost to anti-trans violence in 2018 and the second we have lost this week in 36 year old Celine Walker.

Walker, who was from Brandon, FL , was found shot to death in a room at the Extended Stay America on Skinner Lake Drive near St John Town Center.   The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office was called to the location after Walker's body was found at 8 PM EST Sunday.

The reason the media has misgendered her is because it started with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, who is claiming they have a policy that does not refer to victims as transgender. 

Well Jacksonville Sheriff's Department, y'all need to deal with the reality that trans people exists, because it was not only disrespectful to refer to Celine as a man, not stating from the outset that a transgender female was murdered (see how easy that was Jacksonville Sheriff's Office) has delayed your investigation

Many of us in the trans community who know her don't know, don't want to know or don't care to know a trans person's dead name.  If you tell us what your name is, we respect that. 

And her Black trans life mattered

Police and JSD investigators did canvass the hotel and the area talking to find out if they heard or saw anything that will help bring Celine's killer to justice.  If you have any information about this case, you are urged to call Crimestopper  at 866-845-TIPS (8477)

As of yet no word about a memorial service for Celine, but when I find out I'll pass that info to you as soon as I receive it.

Rest in power and peace, Celine.  Everyone who loved you will not rest until the person who killed you is brought to justice.

Number 3- Rest In Power and Peace Tonya Harvey

We have now had the third trans person murdered in 2018, and we go to Buffalo, NY to talk about the latest trans person we have lost far too soon.

Thanks to TransGriot reader Marissa Webber, I was informed that 35 year old Tonya Harvey was fatally shot Tuesday evening just before 5:30 PM EST in the 100 block of Shepard Street near Pullman Place. 

And as you probably guessed, the Buffalo News misgendered her before correcting the story.

Webber said about her friend, "She transitioned in high school before there was the level of support currently in society and in the media today." "Tonya knew in her heart who she was. She was confident enough and loved herself enough to be who she was regardless of the hate she would receive in the world and by her peers in school," Webber continued.  

Harvey, who was also known as Kita to her friends, died at the scene.  She was not only the first confirmed murder in the city of Buffalo for 2018. she is unfortunately the first confirmed African American trans woman killed this year.

And in the ongoing pattern that continues to concern and infuriate me when it comes to these trans murders, she was under age 40.

Police have not released any further details as of yet concerning this case, but a spokeswoman for the Erie County District Attorney's office stated that the Harvey case is being investigated as a possible hate crime. 

As of yet there are no suspects, but if you have any information concerning this case you are urged to call either the Buffalo Police Department or Buffalo Crimestoppers at 716- 867-6161

As of this writing, no news about a memorial service. The Pride Center of Western New York also stated they would be working with community partners to help the community and all who loved Tonya grieve.

As soon as I receive that information I'll pass that along as expeditiously as possible.

Rest in power and peace, Tonya.   Your trans family and all who loved will will not rest until the person who killed you is captured and justice is expeditiously served.

Trans Pioneer Dainna Cicotello Has Passed Away

One of the joys of my visit to Denver for the 2015 Creating Change Conference and a few months later at Fantasia Fair was spending some quality time with Dainna Cicotello and her daughter Laurie.

She celebrated her milestone 70th birthday back in September, but  I was shocked and saddened to hear from Laurie that Dainna was seriously ill to the point that she was being put in hospic care.

I was just informed that Dainna passed away this afternoon at the Denver Hospice.

Dainna served our country in the US Navy for over a decade, transitioned in 1985 and served our community and the people in the Denver area in terms of doing panels, trainings and consulting work.   She also taught those classes at several trans themed conferences such as ICTLEP (International Conference of Transgender Law and Employment Policy) IFGE (International Foundations for Gender Education) , Colorado Gold Rush, Southern Comfort, the Texas T Party and Fantasia Fair

She's also done radio and television interviews as part of that education effort

Dainna was also part of the working group in the early 90's that sought to create a modern definition for transgender that would satisfy the trans stakeholder constituent groups at the time

Here's a 2011 TransFM interview Ethan St Pierre did with Dainna.

I het her during the 1999 Southern Comfort conference, and met Laurie a year later at the IFGE one being held in Washington DC.  She was one of my activist mentors I have much love and respect for, and one of the people her work made a better world for was me.

She is going to be missed by me, Laurie, our community  and all the people who loved her, and as soon as I get the word of a memorial service or other arrangements, I'll pass it on.

Rest in power and peace Dainna

Arrest Made In Viccky Gutierrez Case

That was fast. 

On January 11 at 8'00 PM PST a joint  LAPD-FBI Fugitive Task Force arrested 29 year old Kevyn Ramirez for the murder of Viccky Gutierrez. 

Her body has yet to be positively identified by the LA County Coroner as of this writing.

Investigators obtained a search warrant, found evidence linking him to the crime scene and arrested Ramirez after admitting to investigators he killed Gutierrez after as dispute.

The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney for filing consideration and Ramirez is being held on a $2  million bail .

It is also still an active case, and LAPD investigators are still seeking information that will not only lead to a positive identification of what is believed to be Viccky's body, but also establish a motive for her murder.

If you have that info please call West Bureau Homicide at (213) 382-9470

Number 1- Rest In Power, Christa

We are just six days into this New Year, and I now have the sad duty of announcing to you the murder of our first US trans person of 2018

I was notified by my friend Jahaira DeAlto that our first trans murder of 2018 has happened in the western Massachusetts town of North Adams yesterday

Our fallen sister is 42 year old Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien.

According to a report in the Berkshire Eagle, and reporter Haven Orecchio-Egresitz, she was found dead Friday after North Adams police responded to a 9:20 PM EST call to investigate a homicide at 107 Veazie Street.   Investigators arrived at the Veazie Street address 25 minutes later and remained at the scene throughout the evening according to the report.

It is the first homicide that has been committed in the town of North Adams since September 2013.  As to the cause of Christa's death, an autopsy will be performed Sunday in Holyoke, MA by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to answer that question.

The perpetrator of this crime is alleged to be Christa's 47 year old husband Mark Steele-Knudslien, who walked into the Adams police station at 9:09 PM EST to admit he killed his wife.  They subsequently notified North Adams police to check out the home.

Steele-Knudslien will be arraigned on a murder charge Monday morning in Northern Berkshire District Court and is being held without bail.  He was held overnight by the Adams Police Department before being taken to the Berkshire County Jail and House of Correction today.

On her Facebook page are several wedding photos of the couple dated April 15, 2017

North Adams Police are also tight lipped about how and when Christa, who was active in the area trans community, produced the Miss Trans New England and other pageants and was well loved and known by many in the New England and national trans community, was killed. 

My contacts in the area are working on getting me that additional information ASAP and I will update this post as I receive it.

This is still a developing story, and as of yet, no word concerning if or when a memorial service will happen.   As soon as the details are passed on to me for a memorial service are confirmed  I'll let everyone know.

Rest in power and peace Christa!   Everyone who loved you will not rest until justice is served in this case. 

How TransGriot Will Be Counting Trans Murders In 2018

When the clock struck midnight to start 2018, it also closed out my count of anti-trans murders at 24 persons

Others were higher for other reasons like counting from the previous TDOR to the next one, or starting their count on October 1, or including one person twice as I saw on one list.  One list even counted the police involved shootings of Kiwi Herring and Sean Hake and wanted to start an argument with me as to why I DIDN'T include either in my count.

Short answer is unless the cops involved were indicted for murder, you can't legitimately count them as such.

The inconsistency in the trans murder counts last year didn't sit well with me because I'm a 'just the facts' person, and there are times when I need to know for media interview or lobbying purposes exactly how many people were lost due to anti-trans violence in the current year.

That's why when you see the inevitable lists of US trans deaths or posts about them on TransGriot this year, my count on TransGriot of those deaths will run from January 1-December 31, 2018   

Not November 20, 2017-November 20, 2018 in the traditional TDOR way.  Or October 1, 2017-November 20, 2018 as one so-called 'official' list does it . 

TransGriot will count the trans deaths that occur from January 1-December 31 of the same year.  I''ll continue to use the Remembering our Dead standards.  Suicides will not be counted, and once again. no police involved shootings unless the police officer in question is charged with murder.

Accuracy and consistency in how we count the deaths of our trans siblings matters now more than ever, especially with a hostile anti-trans federal administration in place.

That's why when I start recording the number of deaths in 2018, it will be people who were actually killed in 2018.

Number 24- Rest In Power Brandi Seals

Still haven't hit Christmas Day yet and my sisters are still dying due to anti-trans violence. The latest trans person to die in 2017 not only is in my home state, but my hometown of Houston

26 year old Brandi Seals was found dead in front of a SE Houston home under construction at Brandon and Red Bud Streets in the Sunnyside neighborhood early Wednesday morning at approximately 6:00 AM.   One person reported hearing six gunshots before Brandi's body was discovered.

As you probably guessed, FOX 26's John Donnelly  horribly botched the reporting in this story.  The initial reporting was so horrible he neglected to get Brandi's age, or say in the story where her body was found. 

A mere blogger found that out doing the basic 101 level reporting Donnelly failed to do.

But Donnelly sure had no trouble misgendering Brandi or shadily injecting prostitution into it .

I also had a serious problem with the HPD detective Fil Waters referring to Brandi on air as 'a man dressed in women's clothes'   Brandi is not a 'he' or a 'man dressed in women's clothes', she is a transgender woman.

Brandi is the 24th trans person killed in the US in 2017 . She was also the 18th Black trans person (17 trans feminine) killed in 2017 and the fourth trans person in Texas this year. 

And once again in a patter that continues to infuriate and disgust me, she was under age 30.

As of yet, speaking of HPD they have no leads in finding Brandi's killer, so if you do have any information that will lead to the expeditious arrest, prosecution and incarceration of her killer, you can call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477)

Two vigils are being planned.   One is being organized by Dee Dee Watters at  the Sunnyside location where Brandi died starting at 7 PM tonight.   Another will take place at City Hall at 5 PM Friday 

Rest in Power and peace Brandi.   We will not rest until the person who killed you is apprehended, prosecuted and is rotting away in a TDC jail cell. 

Rest In Power Bishop S.F. Makalani-MaHee

'I have to tell you as an African-American transgender man of faith that it is crucially important that the dignity of every citizen  not only be provided for, but affirmed."
-Bishop S.F. Makalani-MaHee , 2014    

I first met Bishop S.F Makalani MaHee when I was tapped to deliver the keynote speech for the TransSaints Conference in Charlotte, NC in 2012.  We were connected on Facebook, and he, like myself was a contributor to the Bilerico Project.   I kept up with him as one of the amazing people speaking up for the trans community of South Florida and being a transgender man of faith .

I was shocked to hear that Bishop had suffered a heart attack on November 2 and after a valiant struggle to recover, passed away on November 20 at the age of 45.

Bishop Makalani-MaHee born in New York, and was the founder of Black Gay Pride South Florida in addition to his day job of being the Transgender Programs Coordinator for the Florida Department of Health in Broward County. 

In addition to becoming the youngest commissioned pastor at Unity Fellowship Church, he was a strong voice for the empowerment of the South Florida transgender community and a strong critic of proposed policies and unjust laws that would harm it

.

A memorial service is being held for Bishop Makalani-MaHee later today starting at 4 PM EST at the Sunshine Cathedral, located at 1480 SW Ninth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

But there is no denying the fact that we have lost one of our community's powerful soldiers for human rights, and he will be missed not only by all who loved him, but his trans family in South Florida and around the country.   

 

Number 23- Rest In Power Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson

Any hopes I had that we would not lose any more trans people in 2017 to anti-trans violence were dashed when I received word of the latest person to be taken away from us too soon.

This time the murder happened in Oklahoma City, OK  and it is 31 year old Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson.

She was found dead in a motel room at the Oxford Inn at 5301 N. Lincoln Blvd in northeast OKC at approximately 2:30 AM CST Monday.

As you probably guessed, the initial news reports used her deadname.

Brooklyn's family put out a statement after hearing the news of her death.

"We are heartbroken.  Brooklyn BreYanna was an amazing daughter, sister and friend with a giving and loving heart.   We pray that those who committed this heinous crime will be identified and Brooklyn will receive justice." .

Brooklyn's family has also created a GoFundMe page to help assist with raising fund to cover the cost of her burial.

The murder investigation is in its early phase, and the OKlahoma City PD has no suspects or a motive at this time.   Those persons with any information concerning this case are urged to call OKC PD's Homicide Tip Line at 405-297-1200 

Stevenson is the 23rd  trans person killed in 2017, the 18th African-American one and the 17th Black trans feminine one.   And more irritating to me is that she was under age 35.

Rest in Power and Peace, Brooklyn!   Will keep track of this case until justice is served and the perpetrators of it are doing time.   If there are any upcoming memorial services or community vigils for her, will pass that information along as I get it.

2017 Remembering Our Dead

The 22 people we've lost in 2017 to anti-trans violence and hate, and I pray we don't lose anyone else between now and the rest of the year.

In the US in 2017 we have lost 17 African-American trans people (16 trans feminine, 1 trans masculine), 2 Latinas, 1 Native American, 2 white trans people .

 And it's worse on the rest of the planet.    #StopKillingUs  #TransLivesMatter   

What would all of these people have accomplished for our community and society at large if they hadn't been violently taken away from us? 

***



Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow, 28, Sioux Falls, SD


Mesha Caldwell, 41, Canton, MS


Jojo Striker, 23  Toledo, OH

Jaquarrius Holland, 18   Monroe, LA

Keke Collier, 24, Chicago, IL


Chyna Gibson, 31, New Orleans, LA


Ciara McElveen, 26, New Orleans, LA

Alphonza Watson, 38, Baltimore, MD

Chay Reed, 28, Miami, FL

Brenda Bostick, 59, New York, NY

Sherrell Faulkner, 46, Charlotte, NC


Kenne McFadden, 27, San Antonio, TX


Josie Berrios, 28, Ithaca, NY


Ava Le'Ray Barrin, 17, Athens, GA

Ebony Morgan, 28, Lynchburg, VA

Tee Tee Dangerfield, 32, College Park, GA 



Gwynnevere River Song, 26, Waxahachie, TX












Kashmire Redd, 28, Gates, NY



Derricka Banner,  28, Charlotte,  NC


Ally Steinfeld, 17  Cabool, MO


  
Stephanie  Montez, 47,  Robstown, TX


Candace Towns, 30  Macon, GA