Black Trans Woman Attacked in Canada
Police Dispute Shooting Victim’s Hate Crime Claim:
The victim of a shooting in Halifax says she was targeted because she’s transgendered, but police doubt it was a hate crime.
Chris Cochrane, an entertainer who goes by the name Elle Noir, is recovering from a gunshot wound to her right arm.
She said her attackers yelled homophobic slurs as she was hit with gunfire at her Fairview apartment early Tuesday. She said she believes they intended to kill her.
“They were yelling, ‘Tranny faggot, open the door, let us in, let us in,’ which leads me to believe they knew who I was. I’m in a second-floor apartment. You know, you have to have a security key to get into the building.
“Obviously it was 100 per cent hatred.”
Halifax Regional Police had not interviewed Cochrane as of noon Wednesday. But after speaking with witnesses, investigators doubt her claim that the shooting was a hate crime, said a police spokesman.
“We believe this particular unit at least — while not saying this particular victim — was targeted specifically,” said Const. Brian Palmeter.
“Certainly we don’t believe this was a hate crime based on the information that we have so far … There may have been other reasons at play why this might have occurred.”‘
Really, now.
I really don’t have the cognitive bandwidth to add a lot of commentary to this. I am extremely displeased and disappointed with how the police are handling this situation.
Right, Halifax police. Because yelling “tranny faggot” at a trans woman while trying to fucking MURDER her is not a hate crime.
*fumes*
GallingGalla
15 Jun 11 at 2:19 pm
It is so obviously a hate crime, I’m sorry for the victim and other victims that are put through such violence. I’m hoping the police change their statements, so the victim can pursue justice (for all of us).
I’m also feeling a little bit put off by the availability of guns in North America -
allyneeds
15 Jun 11 at 4:12 pm
I guess for it to be a hate crime they have to yell ‘I hate you’ as they attack you.
There is no justice for trans men and women. We are reviled and detested in every city.
Why do I even bother to keep going? Seems like I am just going to end up a statistic on a page and a name read out aloud on a cold November day durring the trans day of remembrance in front of a crowd listening to a nearly endless litany of names being read off.
argh
Cynthia
15 Jun 11 at 4:30 pm
And Harper thinks that C-389 was not necessary. Yeah, right.
Jessica
15 Jun 11 at 5:45 pm
Something not mentioned in the article is how CBC news has interviewed her, but according to a Halifax resident who posted this story to a certain LJ group the police have yet to interview Elle.
C-389 is desperately needed, not that I need to tell any of you people here.
I am really, really hoping that they might decide to go through with a hate crime charge anyways, wasn’t there a case in the US States in… New York maybe, a place with gay-specific but no trans-specific hate crime legislation, where the prosecution was able to get a hate crime conviction based on homophobia?
And also… the article keeps referencing how unsafe her building is, as if that were some type of choice or if she’s automatically unsavory by association or if, hey, these people who tried to kill Elle were just randomly picking out an apartment to yell slurs & shoot guns into. Makes me sick.
Jacko
15 Jun 11 at 8:11 pm
Do we know if she lived under the CC name given in the article, or if that was the article giving her assigned name in order to delegitimize her gender?
Also, is there anything shaming the police for doubting her? A petition or something?
TalieC
15 Jun 11 at 8:51 pm
Disappointed, yes, but not surprised. We’re not explicitly included in hate crimes legislation yet, so if nothing else, that would be an issue. But any time there’s a possibility of a hate crime being committed, the authorities’ response tends to be to stick their fingers in their ears and hide. Denial is always easier than admitting to having a hate crime statistic on the books.
Mercedes
15 Jun 11 at 9:35 pm
In order for it to be a ‘hate crime’ it doesn’t mean a person has to be screaming ‘I hate you’. A hate crime is a crime against a group of people based on an existed prejudice such as gender, sexuality, or race… So the question is – Was she targeted because she was transgendered and the answer appears to be yes.
Ally Needs
16 Jun 11 at 2:40 pm
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