Friday, July 17, 2009

One More Reason We Need Hate Crimes Legislation


Up there in Queens, New York, two men face felony hate crime charges after they allegedly assaulted a transgender female.

Carmella Etienne told police the two assailants chased her down the street while throwing rocks, screaming homophobic slurs and threatening to kill her. This latest incident comes a month after Leslie Mora, another transgender female, was beaten by men while she walked home in Jackson Heights, and as as the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund prosecutes a case for Lateisha Green, a transgender woman murdered in Syracuse.

Etienne told police her two alleged attackers, Nathanial Mims and Rasheed Thomas yelled “don’t ever walk that block anymore or we will slash your throat.” When she told her attackers that she would call the police, the defendants said “the police don’t care about you, they won't do anything to us,” according to Queens DA Richard Brown.

Mims and Thomas, police said, then continued the harassment and threw empty beer bottles at Etienne, one of which struck her leg causing a three-inch laceration.

“I didn’t know you could get locked up for calling somebody names,” Rasheed Thomas said during questioning, according to police. “I called her a bunch of names. I called her a faggot, but she didn’t see me throw anything.”

Walking down a street can get you killed, and we're still waiting for hate crimes legislation?

2 comments:

  1. Bob,

    Its crazy to think that people can be so mean.

    I hope they do time, but I bet they will get their hands slapped and sent on their ways. Sad isn't?

    I just got done posting an article to my site Hateful Comments I have had hundred's of them.

    Allen
    p.s. is that a Bangel cat you have?

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is why this should be our biggest priority in the LGBT movement.

    ReplyDelete

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