I am listening to Kayley Whalen speaking recently at Skepticon 7 on the subject of transgender murders. I am shocked to hear about the case of Erika Keels (a trans-gender prostitute) murdered in 2007. Why was it ever tolerable that there are people in society that are so contemptible that they do not deserve justice? Why would you tolerate a police force that decides who will and will not receive justice?
“Erika Keels, a 20-year-old black transwoman, was murdered on March 22, 2007, at the corner of Broad and Thompson in North Philadelphia, in a hit-and-run assault. Witnesses saw a man eject Ms. Keels from his car and intentionally run her over four times, killing her and leaving the scene. The medical examiner’s report states that Erika was run over not just once but multiple times, supporting these eyewitness accounts. The driver, Roland Button, was later apprehended, but has yet to face any charges; indeed, he is still driving, his license has not been suspended, and his car has not even been taken for evidence. The Philadelphia police have refused to conduct an investigation of Erika’s death and have closed the case.”
http://kenyonfarrow.com/2007/06/26/j...r-erika-keels/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moaWq75As7k
These might be “sweep it under the carpet” issues for many people here but I think there is a problem if a society is bound only by a thin veneer of politeness and social conventions. If the core is rotten – not Erika Keels, the bigotry that says it’s okay for the police to act that way – you have to examine it thoughtfully and not just paper over the cracks with more good manners and pious language.
Some progress is being made:
http://philadelphianeighborhoods.com...ans-community/
“With the introduction of the Philadelphia Police Department’s Directive 152 in December and the gradual implementation of it, the plan was to alleviate that mistrust and prevent the officers from directly or indirectly causing offense and frustration in the transgender community.”
“Erika Keels, a 20-year-old black transwoman, was murdered on March 22, 2007, at the corner of Broad and Thompson in North Philadelphia, in a hit-and-run assault. Witnesses saw a man eject Ms. Keels from his car and intentionally run her over four times, killing her and leaving the scene. The medical examiner’s report states that Erika was run over not just once but multiple times, supporting these eyewitness accounts. The driver, Roland Button, was later apprehended, but has yet to face any charges; indeed, he is still driving, his license has not been suspended, and his car has not even been taken for evidence. The Philadelphia police have refused to conduct an investigation of Erika’s death and have closed the case.”
http://kenyonfarrow.com/2007/06/26/j...r-erika-keels/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moaWq75As7k
These might be “sweep it under the carpet” issues for many people here but I think there is a problem if a society is bound only by a thin veneer of politeness and social conventions. If the core is rotten – not Erika Keels, the bigotry that says it’s okay for the police to act that way – you have to examine it thoughtfully and not just paper over the cracks with more good manners and pious language.
Some progress is being made:
http://philadelphianeighborhoods.com...ans-community/
“With the introduction of the Philadelphia Police Department’s Directive 152 in December and the gradual implementation of it, the plan was to alleviate that mistrust and prevent the officers from directly or indirectly causing offense and frustration in the transgender community.”
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