GoddessTeaze
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Joined: 10/14/2006
From: The Netherlands
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Christina Sforza and Mariah Lopez are transgender women who allege they were abused by New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers because of their gender. They have alleged serious human rights violations, which would be in breach of international human rights standards, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the United Nations Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials. Amnesty International has called on the NYPD to conduct immediate and impartial investigations into the allegations, and to hold accountable any officers found responsible for abuses. The NYPD have replied, but have so far given only general information about how the NYPD deals with complaints, rather than responding to the specific concerns raised about the cases of Mariah Lopez and Christina Sforza. Christina Sforza, a transgender woman, alleges she was attacked in a New York restaurant on 10 July 2006 by a man wielding a lead pipe, for spending too long in the women:"rquotes rest room which a restaurant employee had given her permission to use. The man reportedly shouted abuse that was heard by other staff and customers, who allegedly egged him on, shouting "kill the fag"
. Christina Sforza says that when New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers arrived they refused to allow the emergency medical services to examine her injuries, and arrested her, not her attacker. The police reportedly handcuffed her behind her back, kicked her and pushed her into their car. She says that after pleading for treatment for her injuries, she was taken to hospital, where she had
x-rays before being taken to the police station, where she was charged with assault and harassment, and where she alleges police officers verbally abused her and mocked her injuries. Christina Sforza is a diabetic on insulin, and says that she asked the
police repeatedly for her medication while she was in custody, but never received it. She has alleged that she tried six times to file a criminal complaint with the police against the man who beat her in the restaurant, but police officers prevented from
doing so. On one occasion she said she waited six hours at the police station before being told to come back the following day; on another occasion, she said she left the police station after being threatened with arrest by a police officer for '93
attempting to make a false report'94.
Christina Sforza was only eventually able to file a criminal complaint after Christine Quinn, the New York City Council Speaker, intervened after hearing about her difficulties from Amnesty International and other concerned organisations. All charges against Christina Sforza were eventually dropped. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Advisor at the New York City District Attorney :rquote s Office (the local prosecutor) has said she may open an investigation into the case, but no progress on this investigation has been reported. Mariah Lopez, a transgender Latina woman, was arrested by NYPD officers on 17 June 2006. She alleges that while she was in police custody male officers carried out repeated humiliating and unnecessary strip searches, forced her into detention cells with male inmates and subjected her to verbal and physical abuse. She says that when she refused to go into the men:rquote s cell because she thought it would be dangerous, police officers handcuffed her, tied her legs together and dragged her into the cell. Once she was in the cell the officers allegedly beat her, hit her in the back of the head, pushed her face against the floor and kicked her in the groin.On 18 June Ms Lopez was taken to hospital for treatment for her injuries. She alleges that the officer who came to escort her verbally abused her, mocked her injuries and hit her in the head, causing her to fall on her face. While she was on the floor, the officer allegedly kicked her all over
and hit her in the head with a metal rubbish bin. Mariah Lopez was charged with "loitering with intent to solicit" and '93assaulting police officers", to which she pled guilty, she says, in order to get out of jail, where she felt she was at serious risk of attack. She was released on 1 August 2006.
Amnesty International has called repeatedly for the allegations of police abuses to be investigated, but no investigation is known to have begun. These abuses include the use by police officers of sexually explicit and abusive language and threats as well as physical violence. The report documented a pattern of repeated and unnecessary searches of transgender individuals in police custody. Amnesty International:"rquotes research also revealed that transgender women were often placed in cells with male inmates, exposing them to heightened risk of sexual violence. A key finding was that police officers often fail to investigate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people adequately"
©Amnesty International
My question is...
Is this the world We want to live in???
I'll write a letter to the NY police, and
the American Embassy to complain,
what are you going to do?
B safe
GoddezzT`
_____________________________
~* The only disability in life is a bad attitude. ~Scott Hamilton*~
~*Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart. ~Kahlil Gibran*~
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