Last week, we learned of the murder of Josie Berrios. She was a proud trans woman of color and, at just 28 years old, she became the 13th transgender person of color murdered this year. We also learned that the police officer who killed Philando Castile, a Black man whose murder during a traffic stop was captured on camera, will not be held accountable. And at a Pride event in Columbus, Ohio the next day, Black trans and queer activists were violently arrested for protesting these injustices and the silence of the LGBTQ community.
We are devastated. We are furious. And we are certain this will happen again.
At a time when hate has become the dominant mode in our culture, and when death has become expected in our community, we must work especially hard to name violence when it happens. The first piece of stopping violence is to make sure it doesn’t go unseen and unaccounted for – even if our court system will not hold those responsible accountable. That’s why Transgender Law Center is part of Communities Against Hate, a collaboration dedicated to documenting the spread of hate violence across the country.
You can be part of this effort to stop violence, including violence committed by police officers and the state. If you experience OR witness an act of hate, please fill out the Communities Against Hate survey to help us name and track hate violence targeting our communities.
On many days, including today, it feels like we may never get justice for our communities. But we can monitor, call out, and do our best to hold this country accountable when injustice is committed.