Two incredibly awful stories recently about young Latina transwomen and their run-ins with the U.S. criminal "justice" system:

Via Jessica Hoffmann:

Victoria Arellano/Arrelano (the spelling of her name varies from story to story), a trans woman with AIDS who died in a California immigration facility for men in July after being denied medication and otherwise improperly treated, was one of three immigrants to die in federal custody in a month, according to the Washington Post.

And from Amnesty International (via AngryBrownButch):

My name is Mariah Lopez. I am a young, transgender person of color. I also am an activist who does street-based outreach in the West Village, where I also socialize.

Let me tell you how the police often respond to this.

With verbal abuse.

Sexual harassment.

Unwarranted arrests.

Withholding food, water and medication in detention.

Humiliating and inappropriate strip searches.

Physical assaults.

This is what I have endured at the hands of police and corrections officers - and not just once. What occurs is a systemic abuse of power, one that is seemingly inflicted on whim. For my friends and me, it seems that something as inconsequential as an officer's mood can dictate whether we spend time in jail.

Read her whole statement. It's gut-wrenching.

I don't mean to diminish the injustices suffered by these two women by lumping their stories together. Rather, I think it's important to recognize that what's going on here is systemic. For each story like Mariah Lopez's or Victoria Arellano's that bubbles up through the alternative media or queer/feminist blogosphere, there are countless more that don't even make the radar. Jessica Hoffmann (who has been tirelessly pushing for more coverage of Arellano's story) summed it up nicely: "Immigrants' rights struggles and trans struggles and health-care struggles and feminist struggles and HIV/AIDS struggles--and all other struggles for justice--are interconnected. If we believe in justice, these struggles are ours." (Which is also why I apologize for not posting on either of these stories sooner.)

AI has an online action alert calling for an NYPD investigation into the abuses suffered by Mariah Lopez while in custody. I'll post updates on Victoria Arellano's case as I get them.

3 Comments

August 17, 2007 3:01 PM

[0+]  Sailorman said:

Thanks for the link. I wonder what's happening to Lopez now? She mentioned getting picked up a lot and being charged; she mentioned usually pleading guilty. I'm curious as to whether AI is providing her with legal help (does AI even do that?) and whether this publicity has helped her current experiences.

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August 17, 2007 4:47 PM

[0+]  DallasSuz said:

This doesn't just happen to transwomen of color.

It happens to transwomen of all colors, particulary if they are young throw away transkids, who do survival sex work.
I wrote this back in the late 90s. After I met someone dying from AIDS due to abuse in prison. After seeing the transkids who were disowned on the streets of Hollywood.

http://www.gendercentre.org.au/35article2.htm

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August 20, 2007 11:13 PM

[0+]  helen boyd said:

Thanks for this, Ann.

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