Duanna Johnson / Queerty

Mike Huckabee Says It's Not Civil Rights Until 'Skull's Cracked'

Just days after a 22 year-old Syracuse woman was murdered because she was gay, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee asserted on The View today that gay civil rights should not be taken seriously because "[b]lacks were stoned, hung, and dragged for their constitutional right to ’sit at the table.’ Whites — gay or not — already had a seat at that table.”

Where to begin? A police report out today says 22 year-old Moses "Teish" Cannon was shot outside a party in Syracuse, NY last Friday because she was a lesbian.

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Nov 19, 2008 · Link · 83 Responses

Duanna Johnson Murdered "Execution-Style" in Memphis

The body of transgender woman Duanna Johnson, 40 was found yesterday afternoon in North Memphis, TN. The Memphis Flyer reports:

Johnson was the victim of a Memphis police brutality case this summer when a video of former officer Bridges McRae beating her in a jail holding area was released to the media.

The video led to the eventual firing of McRae and Officer James Swain. It also led to the formation of a Stop Police Brutality Memphis, a coalition of human rights activists who lobbied the city council for more sensitivity training for Memphis Police officers.

A statement from the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center: "Duanna bravely confronted the Memphis Police Department officers who brutalized her while she was in police custody. At great personal cost, Duanna was the public face of our community's campaign against racism, homophobia, and transphobia. There was no justice for Duanna Johnson in life. The Mid-South Peace & Justice Center calls for justice in the investigation and prosecution of Duanna's murder."

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Nov 11, 2008 · Link · 17 Responses

» Second Going…

A second cop has been fired for his role in the assault on trans prostitute Duanna Johnson: "A Memphis Police Officer is off of the job after an alleged beating of a transgender person, that was caught on camera. Memphis Police have confirmed that Officer Bridges McRae was fired following an administrative hearing about the incident." [ABC 24]

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» Duanna Update

Remember Duanna Johnson, the trans prostitute beat down by police in Memphis? Well, since the video tape emerged, Johnson says she's received a "tremendous" number of phone calls from trans folk people who claim cops beat them, too. Official records indicate a total of forty reported incidents, but Johnson and others suspect there's more where that came from. Meanwhile, Johnson informed police officials that she's filing a civil lawsuit, but will settle for a cool $1.3 million. [Bilerico and WREG]

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Memphis Cops Beat Trans Woman

February 12th turned out to be a terrible night for Duanna Johnson.

The first bummer came when the transgendered Memphis resident got nabbed for prostitution.

Then, as if that's not bad enough, she ended up getting assaulted by a police officer.

Actually, not even assaulted - straight up beat down:

The officer hit Johnson several times with the handcuffs wrapped around his knuckles. In the video, you can see the flash of the metal. The tape shows another officer holding Johnson's shoulders as she tries to protect herself.
…
Then he maced her. On the tape, other people in the room are seen turning away and fanning their hands because of the smell.

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Jun 18, 2008 · Link · 20 Responses