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.”
Johnson was killed just hours before she was supposed to get on a bus to return to her mother in Wisconsin. Johnson struggled with unemployment, a crack addiction and frequent arrests for prostitution and was hoping to get her life back together, according to her attorney Murray Wells, who intends continue Johnson’s lawsuit against the Memphis Polic Departmemt in spite of his client’s death. “She was sort of this unwilling champion to speak up for a cause,” says attorney Wells. “She really did a good job and I don’t want that to ever get forgotten”, Wells told Memphis Eyewitness News.
Police currently have no suspects, but report that three young men were seen walking away from the crime scene.
Gary Ballis
The police have no suspects?! The police ARE the suspects.
Tom
That is horrible. Not a good way to start my day. Tennesee is the birthplace for the Klan, so the list of suspects is probably quite long.
Darth Paul
@Gary Ballis: You’ve got that right. This is disgusting.
Lost
Ms. Johnson, your fight is not over. This is just the beginning. Justice will prevail.
R.I.P.
Vince
fredo777
This news makes me terribly sad.
seitan-on-a-stick
Will the National Corporate Media ignore another trans death? We probably know the answer to that one. We need separate trans protections in Federal law to that of Gay rights. We must write to editors and contact news programs to cover this awful tragic murder at the hands of those who are “supposed” to protect us. We know better and we are fed up. Any organized protests in Memphis?
michael
what ever happened to the trans death of the one who fell from a window after being arrested with eddie murphy . sad
Bill Perdue
This reeks of another police murder.
We should demand that the FBI mount a full court investigation, whether the cops like it or not.
The very GLBT-friendly Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights can be asked to intervene via http://www.ohchr.org/
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Rest in Peace, sister.
rae
@seitan-on-a-stick: hell, the msm wouldn’t pay attention if was a hetero/bio black woman, let alone a trans one.
michael
Makes me ashamed that I was born in that God forsaken state. Not only is it the birthplace of the Klan but Memphis is also where Dr,
King’s life was taken. The first time I ever went to Memphis I was on the east side of the city. I kept saying to myself that something about this place is strange, it finally hit me, here was a city that I believe is predominately black and there is not a black person in sight. Its one of the most segregated places you have ever seen in your life. Remember, Tennessee voted years ago to ban gay marriage. There is only two good things that ever came out of that state, Al Gore and Dolly.
kyle
He beat her all because she would not respond to the word “fag.” Shame on him and everyone involved that did not help her. Now she is dead for not keeping quiet. I hope justice will be served. Hate is sooo ugly!
Tammie
I try to stay positive, I keep telling myself that everyone is basically good…I guess I am
wrong. The catholic and evangelistic churches seem
like they almost condone the hatred against us at times. Which in turn, at least I believe, tells these idiots that it is OK to assault and murder us. Sure, they would deny it, but its the truth, they tell the public that we are not equals, we are sick, and against God. We are not worthy of marriage, even though we love our mates just as much and even more than they do in some cases.
Will our government ever stand up and do whats right? I know they cannot fully protect us, lack of action, to not pass legislation also condones the violence.
It makes one wonder when will racism, hate for our LGBT community and the hate for others end, I guess the answer is, “never”. All one has to do is look at the map from last week’s election and you can see who voted against Obama.
We must never let our voices be extinguished!
mattsmith
This could happen in any city in the world. I think it’s hard to single out Memphis. Portions of Memphis are quite progressive. The city is represented by a very liberal jewish congressman who has a 100% rating from the HRC. He also proposed trans protections at the state level when he was in the state senate. He just won re-election with over 80% of the vote. As sad as this is the local police have agreed to training from local LGBT groups. One small positive out of this sad situation.
Lonnie
We need to stand up for ourselves and each other. The homophobes and their police forces will not protect us, so we need to protect each other.
Sasha
I read about Duanna’s murder in the New York Times online, near the top of the page.. so at least one mass media source is acknowledging this atrocity.
It’s a tragedy that Duanna experienced so much pain and violence, and that she ultimately became another victim of ignorance and intolerance. Especially so close to the Transgender Day of Remembrance (Nov 20).
Why is it, though, that ‘sensitivity training’ is only ever introduced after atrocities have occurred? Let’s remember our trans/genderqueer friends, family, neighbors, lovers, and keep them alive and healthy.
lyssa
Another casualty of the Gay Agenda. rights for rich white fags and everobody else can get what Duanna got.
Does anybody here remember how passionately all too many gays said that trans must wait because gay ony rights are so much more important?
How could I forget…
Zoe Brain
A study in contrasts on this, the International Transgender Day of Remembrance. Where we remember our dead.
Resolution of the Australian Federal Senate, Friday 13th November 2008
The Senate notes that:
(i) Thursday, 20 November 2008, marks the 10th
International Transgender Day of Remembrance,
and
(ii) this day of action was established as a reminder of those who have been killed as a result of antigendered hatred or prejudice.
Dallas, Texas U.S.A.
The Dallas /Ft. Worth Transgender Day of Remembrance observance will be hosted by Out & Equal DFW Affiliate (O&E-DFW), Gender Advocacy and Education Resource (GEAR), the Resource Center of Dallas (RC Dallas), and sponsored by the SMU Women’s Center for Gender and Pride Initiatives . We will gather at the Hughes-Trigg Student Center on the SMU Campus on Thursday, 20-Nov-2008 at 6:30 with the observance starting at 7:00. Take the University Blvd exit off Hwy 75 / Central Expy, and turn west onto University Blvd towards the SMU campus. Follow Signs to parking and the gathering point. Contact Beth Richard ([email protected]) for more information.
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Fort Worth, Texas U.S.A.
Will be holding a Transgender Day of Remembrance on Thursday, November 20th at 7:00 PM at the Agape Metropolitan Community Church, 4615 California Pkwy, Fort Worth, Tx 76119. The service is sponsored by Agape Metropolitan Community Church, Sexuality Education Center, and Trinity Metropolitan Community Church. For more information please call 817-535-5002
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Member Orientation – Learn about HRC
Come and learn what HRC is doing both locally and nationally to secure our equal rights. This is a fun, laid-back evening where you can meet other Federal Club members, the local leadership and find out how to get more involved. Great for new members as well as seasoned veterans who want to know more!
Start Date/Time: 11/20/2008 6:30:00 PM
End Date/Time 11/20/2008 8:00:00 PM
Dallas/Ft Worth Federal Club
http://www.dfwfederalclub.org/Events/tabid/83/Default.aspx
November 20 events
The Austin branch of the HRC has a similar “fun, laid-back evening” that conflicts with Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremonies there too.
meyani
@Gary Ballis:
THE MEMPHIS POLICE MURDERED HER!!!!!!
THERE SHOULD DEFINATELY BE A FBI INVESTIGATION OR A RIOT!!!!
BURN THAT CITY TO THE MF GROUND!!!!!
FUK THE POLICE!!! YOU COWARD BASTARDS!!!! IM FROM MEMPHIS BUT LIVE IN OHIO IM A WOMAN WHO ISNT GAY, BI, OR ANYTHING…. BUT THIS BOILS MY BLOOD!!!!! I SAW HER ON T.V BEFORE I LEFT MEMEPHIS- WHEN SHE REPORTED THE BASTARDS FOR ASSAULTING HER!!!!
BURN MEMPHIS DOWN!!!! STARTING WITH 201!!!!
Bobbie Jo Justice
looks like a murder by the memphis police department to me.
and if I had been there the night she was beaten by the officer, well, there’d be a few less cops on this planet after that