Victoria Carmen White Update

There's a welcome update in the Victoria Carmen White saga    According to CNN  two suspects have been identified and police are searching for them. 

Victoria's murder is also being investigated as a bias crime. 


The Maplewood, NJ police are looking for 25year old Marquise L. Foster, of North Plainfield and 23 year old Alrashim N. Chambers, of Newark, NJ.  

To help expedite their capture, Garden State Equality is offering a $2000 reward for informtion that leads to one or both of these wastes of DNA being apprehended.

We also have more details as to the events leading up to White's September 12 death.   

Assocring to Essex County Prosecutior's Office spokesperson Katherine Carter, suspects Foster and Chambers met White at an Irvington, NJ nightclub,  then returned with her and two other people to the Maplewood, NJ apartment "to continue partying."    An altercation occurred and White was killed."

Foster, of North Plainfield, is described as about 5-feet, 6-inches tall and weighing 130 pounds; Chambers, of Newark, is 5-feet, 10-inches and approximately 165 pounds.

Okay Jersey peeps, if you see these guys, give the Essex County or Maplewood po-po's a call.   There's $2000 dollars in it for you and the gratitude of the friends, family and all who loved Victoria Carmen White.

And once these peeps are caught, Victoria will be one step closer to receiving justice.
   

10th Anniversary of Amanda Milan Murder

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the viciously brutal killing of transwoman Amanda Milan at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York on June 20, 2000.

It's been ten years since that night that then 20 year old Dwayne McCuller used a knife borrowed from then 26 year old Eugene Celestine to slash the throat and jugular vein of Amanda Milan.

The New York trans community was outraged, especially after the murder wasn't prosecuted as a hate crime. McCuller pled guilty and was sentenced in November 2002 to 17.5 years to life in prison for Amanda's murder.

An emotional and well attended memorial service was held July 23 in which her friend, the late Octavia St. Laurent used her eulogy of Amanda to rip into the media, the ignorant, sexist, and the African-American community.

"Amanda was a transsexual. She was killed because she was a transsexual. Her neck was slashed and her story went unreported because she was Black and a transsexual." .

"The Black community is the worst," she said. "They who have suffered from prejudice in this country have treated us worse than any other people.

"White people have rights, Black people have rights. Gay people have rights. Animals have rights. Transgenders have no rights."

"People refer to us as `it,' `thing' and `that.' They call us he/she. They say, 'What was that?' Being gay is O.K. They are on TV. How many will have to die before they recognize we are not expendable? We are transgenders."

Octavia's question asked during that July 2000 memorial service sadly has gone unanswered. Black transpeople ten years later continue to be murdered for who they are. Unlike Amanda's killer who is still rotting in jail, many of those people brutally taken from us have yet to see their killers be brought to justice.

Black transpeople are still waiting for our government to recognize them as human beings deserving of civil rights protection.

Octavia stated during that memorial service eulogy, "Death will not be the last word for Amanda Milan."

She's absolutely right in that regard. As long as TransGriot and other trans themed blogs that cover African American transpeople are around, we will make certain that something positive comes out of it and Amanda's death never fades from our collective memory.

PR Trans Latina Woman Found Stabbed To Death In Home

If you thought I was being over the top about trans Latinas and transsistahs taking the brunt of the anti-transgender violence, here's another person to add to this distressingly lengthening list of trans people we're going to memorialize for the 2010 TDOR.

31 year old hairstylist Ashley Santiago was found stabbed to death 14 times inside her home in Corozal, just 25 miles outside the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan. Her 2009 Toyota Corolla was missing from the driveway.

Authorities have yet to determine whether Santiago’s killer (or killers) murdered her because of her gender identity or expression, but I'd be willing to bet that 14 stab wounds is a major clue that it was.

Puerto Rico has a hate crimes statute on its legal books passed in 2002 that includes sexual orientation and gender identity. However, the statute is rarely used.

Gee, I wonder why? Is it because of the heavy Catholic influence in Puerto Rico?

If her killers are caught and brought to justice, it's about time Puerto Rican prosecutors, that you consider separating your religious prejudices from doing your jobs and using the hate crimes statute if it applies in the Santiago case.

In the meantime, while we're waiting for justice to be done in this case, the Santiago family and the trans community will mourn the loss of another one of our beautiful transsisters.