Arrest Made In Brittany Kidd-Stergis Murder Case

While the month of June was a deadly one for trans women of color in the States, we did have some progress made toward justice being served for one of our fallen sisters.

22 year old Brittany Nicole Kidd-Stergis was found shot to death in her car in Cleveland on December 6 a day after 52 year old girl like us Betty Janet Skinner was found murdered in her apartment in an assisted living complex.

On June 5 Cleveland police announced the arrest and the filing of aggravated murder charges against 19 year old Delshawn D. Carroll.   Carroll was already in the Cuyahoga County jail on drug trafficking charges stemming from an April 21 arrest.

There unfortunately hasn't been an arrest made in the Skinner case, but you know I'll be tracking that case and the Kidd-Stergis one until justice has been served.   

Evon Young Finally Gets Justice

I've been keeping track of the Evon Young case and the five people, Victor Stewart, Ashanti Mcalister, Billy R. Griffin, Ron Joseph Allen, and Devin L. Seaberry who were arrested and charged with the murder of the 22 year old transmasculine rapper.   

It took a while for the five people accused of his murder and their cases to work their way through the justice system in Wisconsin, but it has finally happened.  

It won't bring 'Yung LT' back, but justice has been served in this case.  And now, here's the final judicial scorecard and update of what happened to all the people involved.

23 year old Devin Seaberry pled guilty to a lesser charge of second degree reckless homicide on July 2 in return for his testimony against Griffin, Mcalister and Allen.   Seaberry was sentenced to eight years in prison and seven years of extended supervision..

27 year old Victor Stewart pled guilty June 5 to second degree reckless homicide in exchange for his testimony against Griffin, and was sentenced to 16 years in prison and seven years of extended supervision.
     
19 year old Ashanti Mcalister was found guilty of first degree intentional homicide on June 27, and was sentenced on September 12 to life imprisonment.   He'll be eligible for parole in 2066.  

38 year old Ron Allen was found guilty of one count of first degree intentional homicide and sentenced April 14 to life imprisonment without the eligibility of extended supervision. 

26 year old Billy Griffin, whose first trial ended in a hung jury on June 17, was arraigned on first degree intentional homicide charges,  Just before Griffin's retrial was set to start, he plead guilty February 17 to amended charges and was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison and an additional six years and two months of extended supervision.

Deoni Jones Update-Postponed Trial Set To Start October 6

It has been over two years since girl like us Deoni Jones was killed back in February 2, 2012 as she sat at a bus stop in NE Washington DC.  Her alleged killer Gary Niles Montgomery was arrested on February 10 and charged with first degree murder.

But the wheels of justice have moved at a glacial pace since that February 2012 day to the frustration of Jones' family.   That frustration over the fact it has been two years since Deoni was killed with no resolution of the case spilled out during another mental competency hearing on February 8 to determine if Montgomery was fit to stand trial.   

Montgomery was initially found competent to stand trial in March 2012, but the case was not allowed to proceed due to the failure of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia to obtain an indictment until November 2012.   Montgomery switched defense lawyers, further delaying the court proceedings set to begin July 10, 2013 as the new attorney aggressively contested the results of the March 2012 competency hearing.   The 30 day mental competency observation didn't take place until October, and Judge Robert Morin after receiving the report in November 2013 found Montgomery not fit to stand trial.

Another mental competency observation was set for January 2014 with the hearing set for February 8, pushing the tentative trial date back to April 14, 2014.   

Jones’s father Alvin Bethea, stood up and interrupted the February hearing to express his discontent with the prosecution.  "There has been a great deal of disrespect and lack of sympathy and empathy,” said Mr. Bethea of the prosecutors’ treatment of him and his wife, “We are suffering more than enough.”

Montgomery was found competent to stand trial, with the scheduled date of the trial set for October 6. 

Let's hope and pray for the sake of Deoni's family, friends and all who loved her this date finally sticks and the far too long delayed trial of Gary Niles Montgomery finally happens.

  

Kendall Hampton Murder Case Update-Dukes Indicted

Here's the latest news I've been able to find on Kendall Hampton, the 26 year old transwoman who was shot and killed in the Cincinnati metro area suburb of Walnut Hills, OH in August 2012 who was subsequently misgendered by the local media.


19 year old Eugene Carlos Dukes was arrested in September 2012 and charged with Hampton's murder.   But the wheels of justice have been moving at a glacial pace in this case since Duke's indictment by the Hamilton County grand jury.   

The family observed the one year anniversary of Hampton's slaying with a memorial service on August 18 with justice still not being served in this case.

According to a WCPO-TV report Dukes appeared in court September 4, 2013 and I haven't found any additional stories or information indicating a trial date has been set in this case, has happened or there has been a conviction.

So I'll keep monitoring it and ask my sources in the Cincinnati metro area to pass along any information they discover.  

Tracey Lynn Garner Pumping Case Update

When I last checked in on the case of Mississippi silicone pumper Tracey Lynn Garner, she was now facing two charges of depraved heart murder for the March 2012 deaths of 37 year old Karima Gordon of Atlanta and the January 2010 death of 23 year old Marilyn Hale of Selma, AL due to silicone butt injections that went horribly wrong..

40 year old Natasha Stewart, an adult entertainer known as 'Pebblez Da Model' went on trial in Jackson, MS January 27 for her part in the death of Karima Gordon.  

She had accepted $200 to refer Gordon to Garner for the silicone pumping procedure and falsely claimed Garner was a nurse.   Stewart herself had been injected 20 times in the last seven years to create the signature pumped 48 inch derriere she possesses courtesy of Garner.

Stewart had been charged with "depraved-heart" murder, which is defined as one committed with a callous disregard for human life.   Depraved heart murder carries a sentence of life imprisonment, but the jury convicted her on January 31 of the lesser charge of culpable negligent manslaughter.

Stewart was facing 20 years, but was sentenced on February 14 by Judge Bill Gowan to 15 years with 8 years suspended on the manslaughter charge and 5 years on the charge of conspiracy with both sentences to run concurrently.    Translation:  She'll be locked up for 7 years and has 8 years suspended.  

As for Garner, her trial was supposed to start after two resets on March 17, but it looks like it has been reset again since I have yet to find any news stories concerning a trial or conviction.

If I discover any new information concerning the Garner case, I'll pass that information along.

B. Scott Loses BET Lawsuit

I saw this coming back in August when I took a lot of criticism for questioning the timing of B.Scott's 'I'm transgender' declaration.

As you recall, that declaration happened just as a multimillion dollar discrimination lawsuit was filed against BET by Scott for forcing her to change into masculine clothing and later dropping her from the telecast during last July's BET Awards show.

A suit that B. Scott has lost.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Yvette M Palazuelos ruled Thursday that BET had the right to force Scott to change to more masculine attire.

Will have to chat with my attorney friends to see if the troubling vibe I got from Thursday's ruling is something to be concerned about as a trans human rights advocate. 

But as you probably guessed, B.Scott and her attorney are disappointed in the outcome and will appeal it.

It disheartens me that the message sent today wasn’t a message of acceptance, but rather it’s acceptable to discriminate against transgender individuals on the basis of their gender identity and expression  – and that such discriminatory acts are protected under the first amendment.

As my attorney and I seek to appeal the judge’s decision on the motion to strike in the California Court of Appeal, we’re continuing to fight for the rights of the LGBTQ community and to remind the world that it’s ok to be who you are.

I believe the fact B.Scott only made the trans declaration AFTER the July 2013 BET incident and had a long documented history of writings, video blogs and statements denying trans status may have possibly played a role into yesterday's decision by Judge Palazuelos.  

As I said in last August's post, the saga continues. 

Monica Jones Guilty Of Walking While Black Trans In Arizona

Have another reason to not like Arizona despite some of the cool people who call it home.

Been keeping an eye on the ongoing case of ASU student Monica Jones, who was accosted on the street while walking in her Phoenix neighborhood during a sting operation and charged with 'manifestation of intent to prostitute' the very night after she spoke at a May 2013 rally denouncing Project ROSE.  .

Project ROSE is a program created with 15 partner organizations including the Phoenix Police Department with the goal of avoiding filing charges against adults engaged in prostitution, providing an opportunity for medical and social services and assistance in helping them exit the life of prostitution if they choose.  

In practice, the program and its profiled prostitution sweeps target trans, SGL and low income women far too often and has a 30% success rate, the same rate as a woman who goes before a judge and hasn't gone through the unjust Catholic Charities supported program.  

Jones believes she was unfairly targeted for arrest because of her outspoken criticism of Project ROSE.   A Change.org petition was created urging the Phoenix city prosecutor to drop the charges against her..    

The ACLU of Arizona joined Jones’ lawyer in contesting the constitutionality of the manifestation statute. Dan Pochoda of the ACLU explained in his arguments, “The statute eviscerates first amendment rights.”

In a packed Phoenix municipal courtroom this morning filled with supporters wearing “I Stand With Monica Jones: Stop Profiling Trans Women of Color”shirts, Judge Hercules Dellas found the 29 year old Ms. Jones guilty based solely on the statements of the police officer who targeted her. 

Gee why am I not surprised?   Jones' trial is also being monitored by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders as an example of discriminatory policing and retaliation on activists organizing for human rights.

She is appealing the ruling because she faces time in the men's jails, and Maricopa County has a less than stellar human rights record in their penal system.  

Ms. Jones stated, “I am saddened by the injustice that took place at my trial this morning, but we are not giving up the fight. It’s time that we end the stigma and the criminalization of sex work, the profiling of trans women of color, and the racist policing system that harms so many of us.”

Hope she has better luck with her appeal.

Pick When Stand Your Ground Won't Work

It's time to play TransGriot Final Jeopardy

Here is your TransGriot Final Jeopardy clue.  .  

The situation in which the ALEC pimped Kill A Black Person With Impunity Stand Your Ground Law will NOT work to keep the shooter out of jail.

Remember your answer must be in the form of a question




Time's up, so what was your answer?.

Today Is The Anniversary Of Trayvon Martin's Murder

And I didn't want this particular anniversary to get buried under today's avalanche of breaking good news. 

While we have every right to be happy about the news that Texas' unjust same sex marriage ban was struck down by federal Judge Orlando Garcia and Gov. Jan Brewer doing the right thing and vetoing the unjust  SB 1062, I still have spent most of the day saddened by pondering that today is the infamous day one year ago that Trayvon Martin was murdered by George Zimmerman and the ALEC sponsored Stand Your Ground Law and a Florida jury llet his racist azz walk.

Justice still has not been served in that case, and we won't rest until it happens.   We also can't rest until those odious Kill a Black Person With Impunity Stand Your Ground  laws that give white people a license to shoot and kill non-white folks and not go to jail for it die. 

And if you think I'm being harsh or over the top about that previous statement, the mounting evidence is that the Stand Your Ground doesn't work for people of color.    Marissa Alexander was aggressively prosecuted by Angela Corey and sentenced to 25 years just for firing a warning shot into the ceiling of her home to warn an abusive ex-husband to back the hell up away from her and her kids.  

Michael Giles is two years into a 25 year sentence he received for Standing His Ground that like Alexander's is also being appealed..  

In the year since Trayvon was murdered, three other unarmed young African-Americans, Jordan Davis, Renisha McBride, and Jonathan Ferrell have died at the hands of white people holding guns.

Ferrell's killer was wearing a Charlotte police uniform.

So my joy over the two other breaking major news stories of today is tempered  by the sadness I feel when I i think about Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin mourning the loss of their child, and being joined in that sorrow by the parents of Jordan Davis and Jonathan Ferrell.

The struggle continues.
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Texas Gay Marriage Ban Struck Down

This is a day I thought I wouldn't see in my lifetime when the Republican majority passed that unjust Todd Staples' penned constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage in 2005.   

While that travesty was going on, it was being denounced by Rep. Senfronia Thomson (D-Houston) in a thunderous floor speech in which she called out the haters and told it like it T-I-S is.  

But there is joy in the Lone Star state about Judge Garcia's ruling as the GOP oppressors are doing their usual grumbling, oblivious to the fact they are on the wrong side of history and the US Constitution.

I awoke to the news that federal Judge Orlando Garcia (Clinton appointee) has declared the gay marriage ban unconstitutional.   

Judge Garcia wrote in his opinion striking down the unjust law: "Without a rational relation to a legitimate governmental purpose, state-imposed inequality can find no refuge in our United States Constitution," Garcia wrote. "These Texas laws deny plaintiffs access to the institution of marriage and its numerous rights, privileges, and responsibilities for the sole reason that Plaintiffs wish to be married to a person of the same sex."

It is still being enforced pending an appeal that Attorney General and Texas GOP gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott is swiftly filing. 

Judge Garcia said that the couples who filed this suit are likely to win their case and the Texas ban should be lifted, but he would not enforce his ruling until ruling are rendered on two other cases pending before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals,   

Mark Phariss and Victor Holmes filed their federal civil rights lawsuit saying Texas’ ban unconstitutionally denied them the fundamental right to marry because of their sexual orientation. Cleopatra De Leon and Nicole Dimetman filed a lawsuit saying Texas officials were violating their rights by not recognizing their marriage conducted in a state where gay marriage is legal.

Attorneys for the state tried to argue Texas voters had imposed the ban through a referendum and that Texas officials were within their rights to defend marriage traditions.   

Bigotry and discrimination is not 'marriage traditions', and bigotry and hatred are not values.  

Another Texas gay couple has filed a separate lawsuit in federal court in Austin in which they are arguing that the Texas same gender marriage ban is unconstitutional because it discriminates against them based on their gender.  That case is scheduled for a hearing later this year.

Texas is in the conservative leaning and New Orleans based 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, and Judge Garcia will give the state time to file their appeal and be on the wrong side of history and human rights again .

The cool thing people, is we have a chance to punish both Abbott and Staples at the polls.  Staples, the author of it, is a candidate for the GOP nomination for Lt. Governor and predictably blasted the decision as 'judicial activism'.   Abbott tried to steer a down the middle path in his comments. 

"This is an issue on which there are good, well-meaning people on both sides," Abbott said in a statement. "The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled over and over again that States have the authority to define and regulate marriage.".

Well, is it possible that we will actually see same sex couples getting married in the Lone Star State? I sure hope so.  But we still have a long way to go and more legal wrangling to come before same sex couples can say I do in Texas.

It's past time that happened and so happy for my Texas SGL peeps concerning this positive news.

Nikki Wins Trans Marriage Appeal Case!

I've been asking the question ever since she made the trip to Corpus Christi in September if Nikki Araguz Loyd would become the third transperson internationally to get a favorable trans marriage ruling, and fittingly we got our answer just before Valentine's Day.

Texas 13th Court of Appeals Chief Justice Rogelio Valdez  today issued a landmark opinion that reversed Judge Randy Clapp's (R) odious 2011 ruling invalidating Nikki's marriage to her late husband Thomas Araguz III.

Clapp ruled that Araguz was born male and Texas’ 2005 marriage amendment doesn’t recognize her marriage to a man, thus invalidating her 2008 marriage to Araguz.

Araguz was a volunteer firefighter in Wharton, TX killed in the line of duty in 2010 and Nikki Araguz was denied his death benefits as a result of that ruling that Clapp cited the 1999 Littleton v. Prange case as his rationale for.   

During the Texas Legislature's 2009 session, it passed a law adding documentation proving gender surgery to the acceptable list of documents people can present to get a Texas marriage license.   That statute is what Nikki's legal team based their appeal on.

So what's the bottom line?  In addition to this being huge news for the Texas trans community, it also goes back to Judge Clapp's court.    

Houston attorney Kent Rutter, the lead attorney for the appeal, said Thursday’s ruling marked the first time that a court in Texas recognized that trans people have the right to marry. “What the decision today says is Texas law now recognizes that an individual who has had a sex change is eligible to marry a person of the opposite sex,” he said. “I think it’s a significant victory for trans people in Texas.”

Nikki echoed the same sentiment in a euphoric phone conversation I had with her in the wake of the ruling that it was a significant win for the community.  "The ruling not only strikes a what I and my legal team hope is a fatal blow to Littleton v Prange, we hope it results in Texas recognizing the transitioned gender identity of trans people in the Lone Star State."

It's even more delicious that this ruling taking a bite out of the odious Littleton v Prange case happened the day before Valentine's Day.

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Jewlyes Gutierrez Case Update

It's not the result we'd like to see in the Gutierrez care (drop the charges, Dan Cabral) but in her recent February 6 juvenile court hearing Jewlyes Gutierrez was ordered by Judge Thomas Maddock to participate in a restorative justice mediation hearing with the girls who started this mess in the first place. 

I still find it problematic that Jewlyes was the only once charged with battery when the other three girls bullied her for months, instigated the fight and were getting their shots in on Jewlyes who was defending herself. 

The other element that bothers me is that no one except this blogger has has really asked the hard things that make you go hmm questions about how much influence the obviously transphobic detective investigating this case had to do with that outcome.

The mediated restorative justice sessions will take place, with Jewlyes returning to Maddock's court May 1 to report on the progress and a possible dropping of the battery charge. 

“I am relieved to know that Jewlyes will now have the chance to find peace and safety outside of the criminal justice system," said Transgender Law Center Executive Director Masen Davis.  "Youth belong in schools not jails. All students, including transgender students, should be able to go to school feeling safe and supported. At Transgender Law Center we have heard time and time again from transgender youth, especially youth of color, who are being excluded from being able to participate fully in school due to concerns about safety.”

While I eho the sentiments of Masen, I'd be more relieved if the charges had been dropped,

Islan Nettles Rally And The Lingering Questions After It

Something else that was happening while I was busy hosting 4000 of our TBLG family and allies in H-town last week was a January 30 New York rally demanding action on the Islan Nettles case.

When we last checked in on the case the Manhattan DA dropped misdemeanor assault charges against Paris Wilson, the person who was pulled off of Nettles by the police. because the speedy trial prosecution clock had run out and to ostensibly pursue more serious charges in this case. 

Well, the New York trans community isn't staying silent about this, they want justice for Islan like all of us do.  There was a December 20 meeting of New York City trans leaders headed by Laverne Cox and Brooke Cerda Guzman and various organizations facilitated by the New York Anti-Violence Project with the Manhattan DA.. 

Over 100 people including Janet Mock showed up for a January 30 rally at One Police Plaza organized by the Trans Women of Color Collective of New York (TWOCC) to keep the public pressure on NYPD and the Manhattan DA's office, keep the case in the public eye, and prod them into speedier action to solve the Nettles case. 

“Having survived a violent assault, I know what a struggle it can be to get justice in NY. Not one of my attackers was charged - and I was almost treated by the police as though I deserved to be assaulted,” says Madison St. Claire, Co-Chair of Membership for TWOCC. “Now, the same thing is happening in the Islan Nettles case - and that sends the wrong message: that trans women of color are disposable - that our lives don’t matter.” says St Claire. “Today, we send our own message NYPD and the DA’s office: TRANS LIVES MATTER!”

TWOCC activists have pointed out some troubling issues and things that make you go hmm concerns surrounding the Nettles case.  TWOCC has accused the NYPD and the Manhattan District Attorney's office of negligence and mishandling of this investigation that is leading to fear in the NY transfeminine community that a perpetrator of violence against us will get away with it.

It was revealed by TWOCC that no DNA evidence was collected from Paris Wilson at the scene of the crime, nor were witnesses rigorously questioned. Nor has it been satisfactorily explained why Simone Wilson, the suspect’s mother, was never held accountable or charged for hindering prosecution or falsifying evidence when she persuaded a friend of her son to make a false confession which was later recanted.

And perhaps in a statement that strains credibility, the DA’s office is claiming that all 10 surveillance cameras in the vicinity of the beating that lead to Islan Nettles’ death on that August 17 night were broken.

There have also been questions raised by transpeople in the NY area and nationally about what exactly is the Rev Al Sharpton's and the National Action Network's stance concerning the Nettles case and trans human rights in general.  

NAN held a December 7 panel discussion moderated by Dominique Sharpton entitled 'My Brothers Keeper' at NAN's Harlem headquarters that included trans panelists Sean Coleman, Arisce Wanzer and Kimberly Howard.  But the forum has not quieted the trans community asking this legitimate question in light of the fact the vicious attack on Islan occurred mere blocks from NAN's Harlem headquarters.

So will keep you TransGriot readers posted on the latest developments in the Nettles case as I receive them.

Oneal Morris Goes To Jail

Oneal Morris, who was convicted in Miami-Dade County for practicing medicine without a license in pursuit of her lucrative silicone pumping efforts, turned herself in on January 7 to begin serving the 336 day jail term she was sentenced to back in October via a plea deal.

The initial plea deal was denied because Judge Ellen Sue Venzera thought it was too light considering what Morris was being charged with 

She'll be incarcerated with the cisgender boys because Miami-Dade Corrections doesn't place you in their facilities based on your gender presentation.  With time off for good behavior Morris is scheduled to be released in October.

But the 32 year old Morris is not out of the legal woods yet.   She is facing more serious manslaughter charges in Broward County because of the March 2012 death of Shatarka Nuby, one of her longtime cisfeminine clients from what coroners labeled as "massive systemic silicone migration.".

So stay tuned to this TransGriot channel for further updates on the Morris case and what transpires in the upcoming one in Broward County.   

Michael McBride Going To Jail For DC Attack

The New Year for transpeople is definitely getting started on the right foot.   CeCe is freed from unjust incarceration, and now comes word from Washington DC that the waste of DNA who brutally attacked one of our POC transsisters is about to spend time in jail for it.

Michael McBride back on October 25 had already pled guilty to a charge of aggravated assault while armed in the heinous June 21 attack in SE DC on one of our transsisters that left her hospitalized after being stabbed up to 40 times.  She suffered significant blood loss and if it hadn't been for timely medial intervention would have died as a result of it.  

On Friday January 10 the 23 year old McBride faced the judicial music in the Honorable Judge Patricia A Broderick's courtroom.   He was sentenced to ten years in jail and once he gets out, another five years of supervised release and mental health services.

Is the sentence enough?   That's debatable.  But hopfully what is does do is send the message in the Distrcit and elsewhere that it's no longer open season on trans women.   I hope it also sends the message that if you attack us, you will get extensive jail time for it and not a slap on the wrist.
    

CeCe Is Free!

In case you haven't heard the news yet, after 19 months of unjust incarceration, as scheduled,  CeCe McDonald was released at approximately 8:30 AM CST from the Minnesota Correctional Facility-St Cloud.

And how apropos and cool that this is happening for her just two days short of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's 85th birthday?

She was met by a small group of supporters including Laverne Cox, who is currently along with Jac Gares producing a documentary about CeCe's story. 

Here's video from Jac Gares' YouTube account of CeCe's release

CeCe McDonald's Getting Out Today!

Assuming there are no complications and everything goes smoothly, today is the day that we've been waiting for ever since the news broke after Christmas that our unjustly incarcerated sister CeCe McDonald will be released from jail.

I say unjustly incarcerated because she was sentenced to 41 months in jail for defending herself against a transphobic hate attack instigated by Molly Shannon Flaherty and neo-Nazi sympathizer Jonathan Schmitz that he unfortunately died during it.

But she was the only one charged until the mounting outrage over it, protests and a Change.org petition that drew over 18,000 signatures probably led Minnesota authorities to finally arrest and charge Flaherty for her part in instigating it.  She only served 180 days, Cece has spent 19 months imprisoned for basically defending herself..  

Whiteness and white supremacy strikes again.  Gee thanks again Hennepin County DA Michael O. Freeman for reinforcing that message.

When she finally does get out, I know our first instincts as a community will be to envelop CeCe in love and wrap our collective arms around her.   We'll get our opportunity to do that later.   But in these first few days post release, give her a few days of privacy to hang out with her family, enjoy her freedom, just chill and honor whatever requests she makes of us for now..

When she's ready to do so, we'll probably see CeCe pop up at a few events of her time and choosing.

This was the note dated January 7 that the CeCe McDonald Support Committee sent out after the word broke that she was getting out today.

***

Dear CeCe McDonald supporters,

The rumors are true: CeCe is scheduled to be released from prison in January. She will wait and write a public statement about her release after she gets out of prison, because she wants to tell you all in her own words and own time. She would like to spend her first days out in privacy, with people she feels close to. Again, information about her release will be shared when CeCe feels it is the right time to do so. In the meantime, she and her support committee ask everyone to be patient.

We are excited to throw her a party soon after her release. As soon as the venue and date are confirmed, we will announce! This party is a chance for everyone who has been supporting CeCe to come out and celebrate her release with her.

Many of you are eager to send contributions of money or materials, to aid in her transition home. Keep an eye on the Facebook page for specific ‘asks’ in the future. Right now, because of the incredible support of her community here in Minneapolis and around the world, she will be safe, comfortable, and cared for when she rejoins us. Please consider sending a donation to other incarcerated people or abolition movements. (Check out the Rainbow Defense Fund).

CeCe has one more request: after her release, she’d like to make a scrapbook documenting the worldwide support she’s received. If you’ve organized an event, held a sign at a rally, or created art inspired by CeCe, please send it to mpls4cece at gmail dot com.

Thanks everyone for supporting CeCe, and for supporting her now in the way she most needs: with your patience.
~ CeCe Support Committee

***

We'll also be looking forward to the release of the documentary that Laverne Cox  and Jac Gares are working on entitled FREE CeCe! 

Finally, we can say the words CeCe is free.   And it will be nice to see what the next chapter of her life brings.

TransGriot Update:  It's official.  At approximately 8:30 AM CST,  CeCe McDonald was released from the Minnesota Correctional Facility – St. Cloud according to an official at the prison.

Change.org Petition For Jewlyes

I posted about the jacked up situation trans teen  Jewlyes Gutierrez  finds herself in in terms of being charged with one count of battery by the Contra Costa county assistant DA Dan Cabral for defending herself against three girls who were bullying her.

He's claiming it's 'out of his hands', but we'll see about that.   Just as they charged Jewlyes, they can drop them as well.

This petition to get them to drop the charges has over 23,000 signatures at this writing, so let's see if we can get more.   International trans peeps, you are welcome to sign his one as well.

Here's the link to it.

Bullied Trans Teen Girl Being Charged For Defending Herself

When 16 year old Jewelyes Gutierrez got fed up after being bullied by three girls for being trans and defended herself, the last thing she was expecting after the November 15 fight at Hercules HS was to be charged by the Contra Costa County DA for it.

But that's exactly what has happened in this case.  Gutierrez is being charged with a single count of misdemeanor battery for defending herself against three cis female attackers who had been bullying her. 

Wanna guess what happened to the bullies?  Nada.

What the hell was Contra Costa County DA Mark Peterson and assistant DA Dan Cabral thinking?  One of the girls takes spit laden gum out of her mouth, threw it in Jewelyes' face, and Jewelyes is the one getting charged? 

You've got to be kidding me.

"When I initially received this case, I was shocked that the district attorney's office decided to charge Jewelyes," said Kaylie Simon, Jewelyes' public defender. 

"I don't understand quite why the District Attorney's office would prosecute someone who's already been a victim of bullying. I think it's a further victimization of somebody who's been a target of homophobia and transphobia."  

So do I.    DA's Peterson and Cabral need to drop the charges they leveled at Jewelyes and let the school handle it, which it already did with suspensions to all the girls involved.

Charles Ramsey, the President of the West Contra Costa School Board, says this should have been a teachable moment and not "something that should rise the level of where it has to go to the District Attorney's office for prosecution."

So do the right thing Contra Costa DA's office.  Drop the charges.

TransGriot Update: Here's a petition asking the Contra Costa DA to do precisely that.

Statement From The CeCe Support Committee

TransGriot Note:  If everything stays on track, CeCe McDonald is scheduled to be released next Monday.  

Here's a statement from the CeCe Support Committee.

Dear CeCe McDonald supporters,

The rumors are true: CeCe is scheduled to be released from prison in January. She will wait and write a public statement about her release after she gets out of prison, because she wants to tell you all in her own words and own time. She would like to spend her first days out in privacy, with people she feels close to. Again, information about her release will be shared when CeCe feels it is the right time to do so. In the meantime, she and her support committee ask everyone to be patient.

We are excited to throw her a party, the weekend after her release. As soon as the venue and date are confirmed, we will announce! This party is a chance for everyone who has been supporting CeCe to come out and celebrate her release with her.

Many of you are eager to send contributions of money or materials, to aid in her transition home. Keep an eye on the FreeCece Mcdonald Facebook page for specific 'asks' in the future. Right now, because of the incredible support of her community here in Minneapolis and around the world, she will be safe, comfortable, and cared for when she rejoins us. Please consider sending a donation to other incarcerated people or abolition movements. (Check out the Rainbow Defense Fund http://rainbowdefensefund.wordpress.com/).

Thanks everyone for supporting CeCe, and for supporting her now in the way she most needs: with your patience.

~ CeCe Support Committee