Continental promo
||  News  ||
 
June 19, 2008

Alleged Police Abuse of Transgender Woman Being Investigated

The Human Rights Campaign on Wednesday called for a criminal investigation into the case of police brutality against a transgender woman in Memphis. 

A newly released video shows a police officer brutalizing Duanna Johnson while she was being held in the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center. Johnson is a transgender woman and had been arrested on a charge of prostitution.

“This type of profound violence is the exact thing that police officers are supposed to protect people from,” said HRC president Joe Solmonese in a press release. “HRC is calling for a full criminal investigation and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.”

Surveillance video of the incident shows an unidentified officer hitting Johnson several times with handcuffs wrapped around his knuckles, as another officer holds Johnson's shoulders as she tries to protect herself.  

After being struck repeatedly, Johnson rose to protect herself and was maced in response.  

Johnson claims the officers reportedly called her a “faggot” and “he-she,” according to an interview she gave to Memphis's WMC TV.

Video of the attack can be viewed at www.wmctv.com/global/story.asp?s=8515744.
The Memphis police department has reportedly fired the officer who held Johnson down while she was being struck, and put the officer who actually threw the punches on nonenforcement status pending an administrative hearing.

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: Deborah
    Date posted: 2008-06-21 1:41 PM
    Hometown: Southern California

    Comment:

    I was surprised and shocked by the video when it came out. I wasn't surprised or shocked by the content, just the fact that it got out at all. The NBC affiliate that originally aired it had a slow news night. Want to know how I know this? Because the beating occurred last February. The probationary officer who held the prisoner was fired. The officer who battered the prisoner with a deadly weapon is on paid leave. Those who stood around and did nothing before, during, and after in violation of their legal duty to act didn't even get chewed out. The nurse who refused to treat the prisoner still has her license, her job, and her freedom, all of which she should lose. Were the prisoner simply a different race, religion, or even sexuality, this would have aired months ago, and everyone involved would be standing trial. But being transgendered means we can be hunted, abused, and killed in the Good Ol' USA.


  • Name: Lindy
    Date posted: 2008-06-19 11:21 PM
    Hometown: New Jersey

    Comment:

    It's a real shame when someone disregards another human being as being lesser than they are. Strip away all our appearances and we all are equal. We are all the same, regardless of our differences and nobody...NOBODY...reserves the right to say different. As to Johnny Cakes comment, this is exactly the type of a weak person getting off on someone else's pain.... Who's the freak of nature now?


  • Name: Summer
    Date posted: 2008-06-19 12:23 PM
    Hometown: Tampa FL

    Comment:

    While this is not surprising, it is horrific none-the-less. At some point in time, people have to step in. It does not matter who the person is, what the person is, etc. We are all granted certain rights, and those rights should be honored for ALL citizens, not just the one's who feel as "you" do. I am personally outraged by this type of activity, and the ignorance associated. In the year of 2008, not ALL people are created equal... Isn't this an infringement upon the founding of this country? YES! It is! It's called Civil Rights, Human Rights, and ILLEGAL! Each officer taking place (Swaim, McRae) should be fired, and charged with Assault With A Deadly Weapon, as they would charge you if you did the same. Each of the witnesses should be charged with Negligence, as this was a law enforcement facility.


  • Name: Debra J. Martin
    Date posted: 2008-06-19 10:53 AM
    Hometown: Vancouver, Washington

    Comment:

    I cannot help having a feminine personality and a male body. We dress in the persona of what we are within. This is not a lifestyle we chose dressing in feminine attire. I wonder what freakish trait you have Johnny Cakes. Usually the one who yells freak is a freak. No one, I repeat no one, in a U.S. jail should be beaten, unless they are resisting or putting the officers in harm`s way. It is a shame that some idiots gave the Memphis Police a black eye. Don`t forget those who just stood around and did not stop this crime. Obviously, there will be a need to train the police on transgender issues. Portland, Oregon and my hometown of Vancouver, Washington have sexual minority roundtables, which has monthly discussions between the police and the gay/lesbian, bisexual and trans commuity. I think Memphis needs such an outreach.


  • Name: Leann
    Date posted: 2008-06-19 9:46 AM
    Hometown: Cleveland

    Comment:

    Dear Johnny Cakes, Are you some kind of nazi? Grow up.


  • Name: Richard Lawson
    Date posted: 2008-06-19 9:44 AM
    Hometown: Massuchets

    Comment:

    It is unbelievable that the police forces can display such incredible ignorance and Transphobia This undersmines US citizens Miranda Rights. The Offices involved if the allegation is proven should be sacked and compensation offered.


  • Name: Johnny Cakes
    Date posted: 2008-06-19 9:03 AM
    Hometown: Albany, NY

    Comment:

    Ha ha! Beat that freak of nature!


Back to top

Submit a comment for this story:

*Type your comment here (Required, 1000 characters max. HTML formatting and hyperlinks are NOT permitted.):

*Name (Required): 

*Hometown (Required): 

*E-mail address: (Required, but will not be displayed)

Is this comment for publication? 
Yes   No

Daytime phone number: (Required for print publication only and will not be displayed)

Please enter the words you see in the box, in order and separated by a space. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this service.

  

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above. 

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives
  • View From the Hill: The End of DADT?
    Defense Secretary Robert Gates revealed that lawyers are exploring ways to ease enforcement of the military's gay ban, but cautioned that the law doesn't leave much wiggle room. He need look no further than DOD history for a lesson in altering the policy.
  • Hot Sheet: Week of July 5
    When you get back from that big 4th of July barbecue, unwind with Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno and your favorite B-movie-mocking, basic cable robots.
  • Hungry Like the Wolf
    A master of viola, ukulele, piano, and harp, Patrick Wolf is a music prodigy -- one who, the night before this interview, spit on a cop and got himself arrested.
  • Soapside: Advocate's Guide to Daytime
    Forbes March talks about playing gay, Otalia fans outraged, update on One Life to Live’s Patricia Maurceri’s firing over gay plot point, Phillip Chancellor III big reveal, and Erica Kane goes to Africa.
  • The Faces of Federal Prop. 8
    With the federal challenge to Prop. 8 moving full speed ahead, Advocate.com sits down with the two couples named as plaintiffs in the suit.
  • Mommy, the Gays Are Coming
    After a year of advancements and celebration for gay and lesbian Colombians, the community takes to the streets of Bogota for the country's biggest pride ever.
  • The Pride of Antwerp
    Advocate.com hits the gay-friendly streets of Antwerp with openly gay police commissioner Serge Muyters.
  • Excerpt: Mean Little Deaf Queer
    In an excerpt from her humorous and harrowing new memoir, Mean Little Deaf Queer, Terry Galloway recalls her early childhood, describing feelings of ugliness, confusion about gender, and being one of the boys.
  • Top Political Blogs
    From Joe.My.God to The Daily Beast, Advocate.com spotlights a few of the best blogs that cover politics, inside and way outside the Beltway.
  • The Diva of French Television
    A hot young screenwriter who has made gay OK for millions of French viewers, Nicolas Mercier sips champagne, dons a feathered hat, and says he wants to see Colin Farrell and Jude Law go at it.