DC Officer Kenneth Furr Indicted For Shooting At Transwomen

DC police officer Kenneth Furr has been indicted for the August 26 off-duty incident in which he discharged his service weapon at a transwoman who refused his inebriated advances at a northwest DC CVS store. 

There was a report that a possible plea bargain was in the works, but looks like those negotiations broke down.

Furr was charged with nine counts that include intent to kill while armed, six counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of solicitation. 

However, I did not appreciate the Washington Post's characterization of the shooting victims in their article about this indictment as trans prostitutes. 

But back to the story.  Furr is facing 30 years in prison if he is convicted and is scheduled to appear in court Friday before Judge Ann O’Regan Keary. 

Justice For CeCe McDonald

There has been a story developing in Minneapolis concerning a young African-American transwoman who is being held in jail and facing second degree murder charges for defending herself against a hate attack.  

23 year old college student Chrishaun 'CeCe' McDonald and her friends (all African-American BTW) were minding their own business on the night of June 5, 2011 walking to a grocery store in South Minneapolis.   As they passed the patio of the Schooner Tavern white adults on that patio started yelling transphobic and racist slurs at CeCe and her friends.


After CeCe made it clear they weren't tolerating the hate speech coming from the white club patrons, a fight ensued after one of the white women uttered a derogatory slur at the African-American youths as she smashed her drinking glass in McDonald's face, lacerating her cheek.

Unfortunately, one of the attackers, 47 year old Dean Schmitz (who had a swastika tattoo on his body) was fatally stabbed in the fight, but the only person who was arrested when the Minneapolis po-po's arrived on the scene was CeCe.  She was denied medical treatment for her injuries, was interrogated for hours, placed in solitary confinement on top of that and forced to sign a confession that she later recanted..  

CeCe was charged with two counts of second degree murder with her bail being set at $500,000.   A petition was started that so far has garnered 9,500 signature imploring Hennepin County District Attorney Michael Freeman (D) to exercise the power he has to drop these charges just as he has done in three other self defense cases similar to Chrishaun's that involve white cis people.  

So why isn't Freeman or the assistant DA doing so in this case especially when CeCe and her friends were defending themselves against white supremacists?   Another question I'd like to ponder is has anyone talked to Congressman Keith Ellison (D) about this case?   Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D)?  Sen. Al Franken (D)?  The NAACP?   

The more national firepower on this the better.   And yes, here's the addresses and phone numbers so you can (politely please) be agents for Chrishaun's liberation

To tell Michael Freeman you support dropping the charges against CeCe:

call: 612-348-5561
email: citizeninfo@co.hennepin.mn.us
fax: 612-348-2042

In November McDonald wrote to supportcece.wordpress.com):

“To deal with racism and transphobia directly and upfront is very hard to deal with. Even hearing the words being said left me in total confusion and shock. And to be attacked in my own community by individuals who felt it was their duty to yell hate speech at not only me, but my family who was with me, and attack me for their own satisfaction of making someone else’s life miserable.

“I felt that I’ve worked very hard from where I started, to where I’m at now in my life, just to have it all taken away from me. It’s hard enough for gays and trans people to find stability in this society, and I’ve worked too hard to let anyone just take it from me. We have to stand up against those who put us down and try to oppress us.”

Yes, we do.  We also must do what we can to get DA Freeman to drop this case before it goes to trial on April 30.

National Black Justice Coalition Stands With Community to Condemn Recent Anti-LGBT Attacks

TransGriot Note:  Press release from the National Black Justice Coalition

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – FEBRUARY 9, 2012 – Our community is now at a crossroads. Our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth are calling out to us. This is the moment we make it unequivocally clear that we are here, we are listening and we are ready to take action. In light of the recent anti-LGBT attacks and murders of our Black youth, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), a civil rights organization dedicated to empowering Black LGBT people, is standing with community members to demand that this pattern of violence against our own end now.

 

Earlier this week, a video of Brandon White, a Black gay man in Atlanta, being brutally beaten went viral. The 30-second clip shows a group of men suspected to be members of the gang Pittsburgh Jack City kicking and punching the unsuspecting young man as they repeatedly call him anti-gay slurs.

 

Just last Thursday a Black transgender woman, Deoni Jones, was fatally stabbed in Washington, D.C. According to a press release from the D.C. Transgender Coalition (DCTC), an altercation between the victim and her attacker broke out at the bus stop, which resulted in the victim being stabbed in the face. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) suspect and is looking for a Black male, 30 to 40 years old.

 

Last month, new details emerged in the hazing death of gay Florida A&M University student Robert Champion, Jr. Friends have said they believe his orientation may have been a factor in the severity of the brutal beating that killed him. And those are just three of the incidents we know about. Many more attacks, assaults, and incidents of harassment go unreported.

 

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs has found that violence against LGBT people is up 23 percent, with people of color and transgender women as the most likely targets. Of the victims murdered in 2010, 70 percent were people of color, and 44 percent were transgender women.

 

“Enough is enough,” says Sharon Lettman-Hicks, NBJC executive director. “Our children are dying and they’re taking each other’s lives. Simply because it’s anti-LGBT violence doesn’t change the fact that it’s Black-on-Black crime. We need to act now.”

 

Black LGBT people are at the intersection of laws like the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which were passed to protect people like Brandon, Deoni and Robert. But federal law enforcement alone will not address the systematic and societal realities around violence in our community.

 

This tragic string of attacks is a clarion call that more deliberate action within the Black community is needed now more than ever.  Anti-gay violence is not only a civil rights issue; it is a Black issue. It is a Black issue because violence against gay and transgender individuals is disproportionately affecting our Black youth. The civil rights community can no longer stand on the sidelines while our LGBT sons and daughters continue to suffer in silence.

Deoni Jones Vigil Today In DC

For those of you in the DC metro area, if you're wondering whether the funeral service has happened for Deoni Jones, the DC Trans Coalition issued an invitation Monday to join “community members, family, and friends at the bus stop at East Capitol and Sycamore Streets NE at 5:30 PM EST Tuesday, February 7, for a candlelight vigil in memory of Deoni Jones.

Her funeral service is planned for Saturday. According to Ashleys Mortuary Services and Latney Funeral Home:

JaParker Deoni Jones will lie en-state at the: Holy Christian Missionary Baptist Church on Saturday February 11th, 2012. Viewing time begins at 12:30 pm, with Funeral Services to follow beginning at 2:00 pm.

We ask that all visitors and friends please arrive early as early as 12:00 noon in order to receive seating and parking. We expect a very large crowd and Dignitaries from the city council, Metropolitan Police Department and other organizations. Interment will be private.

Baltimore Police Looking For Perp Who Sexually Assaulted A Transteen

The Baltimore Police are looking for a waste of DNA who sexually assaulted a 16 year old trans teen.   If you can identify this perp and get him off the streets please  

May be triggering for some people

Kansas City Transwoman Killed On Christmas Eve

Well, one of the first names we'll read for the 2012 Transgender Day of Remembrance has been determined and her death happened on all nights, Christmas Eve.

I'll slam the transphobic reporting of KCTV 5 'reporters' DeAnn Smith and Nima Shaffe later.   First the details rewritten to follow the AP Stylebook rules for reporting on transgender people  

31 year old Dee Dee Pearson was allegedly shot and killed by 26 year old Kenyan E. Jones inside an apartment in the 1000 block of East 43rd Street and died after the scene.  

Police were dispatched to the address at 11:24 PM CST and Jones told police that he paid to have sexual relation with Ms. Pearson earlier in the evening and presumed she was a cis female.  

When he learned that she was a transwoman, he became angry and killed Pearson according to the court records with a 9 mm handgun and was identified by witness as the man seen in the immediate area.

Witness.Catherine Tronnes heard the gunshots. "We heard a single gunshot, then a pause," she recalled. "Then we heard probably five or six more. We were sitting in the living room and suddenly heard it go off.".

A memorial has sprung up for Pearson in the doorway to the apartment where authorities say Kenyan Jones shot her. The memorial includes flowers and cards. One framed note says, "You will always be alive to me."

Jones is being charged with second degree murder and armed criminal action.   Jackson County prosecutors are seeking a $250.000 cash only bond

Add Another Name To the TDOR 2011 List

I posted about 19 year old transteen Shelley Hilliard, who had been missing since the early hours of October 23 .  The Detroit Police were asking for any information to help solve the crime.

According to a Detroit News report, the Wayne County Medical Examiner's office received her torso later on October 23, and it was positively identified by her mother Lyniece Nelson earlier today.  

Nelson said she had no idea who might have perpetrated this crime..

"She was loved by a lot of people, a lot of friends a lot of family," Nelson said to the Detroit News. "She just brought joy to everyone that she came in contact with. She was always there for her family."

But somebody on the west side of Detroit does, Ms Nelson.  That somebody needs to call the Detroit Police on the anonymous tip line so that the wastes of DNA who did this are brought to justice because then next person they could kill will be someone you love. .

Another one of my young transsisters gone before she even had a chance to live her life.  I'm so fracking tired of this crap.  Sadly this also means we'll have one more candle to light and one more name to read at the international TDOR events on November 20

Anyone with information is asked to call Detroit Police at 313-596-2200 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-SPEAKUP.