Hate Crime in Philly
June 18, 2007
Philadelphia is apparently not the city of brotherly love when it comes to transgender people.
Members of the transgendered community staged a short march through the streets of Philadelphia on Thursday, protesting what they claim is discrimination and poor police action in the Erika Keels case.Witnesses to the accident that claimed the life of the transgendered woman say she was thrown out of a vehicle in North Philadelphia and deliberately run over. The driver fled the scene but was later identified by investigators.He has not been arrested, and members of the transgendered community, including Savannah Hornback, are outraged:“I want them to recognize that transpeople are trans and that we are human beings and that we deserve respect and the same justice as anyone who is not trans deserves.”Demonstrators marched from Franklin Square at 6th and Race to police headquarters at 8th and Race. A gay community liaison to police commissioner Sylvester Johnson says the reason the driver has not been arrested is that witnesses to the incident are afraid to come forward, further weakening the case.
You can sign a petition demanding that police seek justice in this murder here.
Much love: Queerty


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