Journal Entries for Felicia H. Conti
Time-Sensitive - Jailed trans woman needs our support – NYC
July 16th, 2006 8:57 pm MDT
Time-Sensitive - Jailed trans woman needs our support – NYCDear friends,I am writing to ask for support in the criminal case against acommunity member. As many of you know, Mariah Lopez, a trans womanof color, and activist in the community is currently in Rikers whereshe is experiencing a miserable time. In addition, she suffered fromsevere police brutality.Mariah really needs our support in this difficult time. Heres what you can do to help:1.. Pack the Court !! community support is essential during court appearances both for Mariah's moral and also for the judge to see how important this case is !**** On MONDAY July 17 at 10:00 - MANHATTAN CRIMINAL COURT 100 CENTRE STREET - section of the court is tba (contact me directly if you plan to go) &***** ON TUESDAY JULY 18 at 10:00 - MANHATTAN CRIMINAL COURT 100 CENTRE STREET - section of the court is tba (contact me directly if you plan to go)***** SAVE THE DATE : AUGUST 4 - is Mariah's last court day – more info soon!2.. Visit Mariah in Rikers! (call SRLP to get more info)3.. Call and Write Letters to Mariah ! (Call us for the address)4.. Fundraise to get Mariah OUT !***** you don't have to be an organization to organize donations ! An individual can take charge in raising bail money to make sure that Mariah does not have to suffer in jail any longer than she already has.Show Mariah that she really can rely on her community! IF you are interested in taking on this task call me directly to talk details !Thanks Everyone for your ongoing support !Please forward this to anyone you think might be interested !Pooja GehiStaff AttorneySylvia Rivera Law Project322 8th Ave. 3rd FloorNew York , NY 10001212-337-8550 ext 116 pooja@srlp.org Here is Mariah's story: STONEWALLEDPOLICE ABUSE AND MISCONDUCT AGAINST LESBIAN, GAY,BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PEOPLE IN THE U.S. Statement of Mariah LopezTransgender Activist, Survivor of Police Abuse and MisconductMy 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.I have been arrested a number of times in the West Village – including as recently as three months ago – always for solicitation, or loitering with intent to solicit. Most of the time I plead “guilty.” When you’re young, aren’t told your full legal options, have no bail money and face abuse, what do you do? You plead “guilty,” just to get everything over with as quickly as possible. Sometimes that’s not fast enough.Here’s an example. In April of last year, I was walking in the West Village with friends. Several undercover detectives approached us and told me to leave the vicinity immediately or I would be subject to arrest and prosecution. I refused to comply, as I had the right to be there. Less than two hours later I was arrested and charged with “loitering with the intent” of prostitution. At the 6th precinct, I was verbally abused and forced to disclose my “real” gender, though my ID clearly states that I am female. I requested that officers refer to me with female pronouns, which is my legal right under the New York City Human Rights Law. They continued to abuse, harass and degrade me, referring to me as “it,” “he/she” and calling me by male names rather than my own.Later I was arraigned; I pled “guilty” and was sentenced to ten days (of which I served seven). Upon intake at Rikers Island, I was told that I couldn’t get alternative housing based on my gender identity, which would have provided safety from other inmates (all of whom were male). I had to undergo an embarrassing and degrading strip search and was badgered about the size of my genitalia and for having breasts. Next a nurse examined me in an open, clinic-based setting with no regard for patient confidentiality, where she surmised out loud that I must be HIV positive or have AIDS. I was placed in a cell for several hours with no food, water or access to a bathroom. I brought this to the attention of the corrections officer; in exchange, the officer assaulted me, leaving me with severe bruising and abrasions. His justification? Claiming that I was being disruptive, all because I demanded my basic rights.I was then transferred into a dorm with other inmates, which led to a week of physical and emotional abuse, as well as sexual harassment, at the hands of inmates and corrections officers alike. The inmates ordered me not to use the open showers when they did; to avoid trouble and for privacy reasons I requested to shower early in the morning or late at night. Corrections officers denied this request. They also refused to intervene when the inmates repeatedly threw hard objects at me – even after an object slammed into my face while I was reporting the incident. Finally a more responsible area captain took note of my bruises, and I was moved to alternative housing – just one day before my release, too late to offer relief from what I had been through. According to her, this housing had been available all along.I am here today because no human being deserves this treatment. I am here today because what happens in New York is replicated in Los Angeles and cities and towns across this country. I am here today because one more LGBT person suffering police abuse is one person too many. I know for many it is easier to give in than to struggle. I’ve been there. Sometimes you feel so disenfranchised, so damaged by constant rejection, abuse and scorn, that you don’t realize there is power behind your voice -- or that you are worth the fight. But I am evidence of that power, and we are all worth the fight. Others have voices as big as mine, as loud as mine and as effective as mine. Change can happen, sometimes with less effort than people realize. The launch of this report will help, especially if we join forces to insist upon a society where police protect all human beings. We cannot rest until that time comes. Thank you.
Attorney Needed to Help Transgendered
April 30th, 2006 12:02 am MDT
Saturday, April 29, 2006 ATTORNEY NEEDED: TRANSGENDERED ACTIVIST SEEKS PRO-BONO LEGAL COUNCIL Dear Sisters, This evening, I had a personal conversation with Maria Louise Roman. She was a sweet and lovely person who expressed a lot of gratitude in our advocacy and having spread the word about how she has been victimized by Club Space and the Miami Police Department. She is a woman and has had gender reassignment surgery. At this point, she is traveling around the country trying to make a living. You can see her latest project at http://trantasia.tv/ Ms. Roman indicated she failed to show up for her court arraignment in Miami and they now have a warrant for her arrest. She stated she did not show up because she cannot afford to retain legal council and she is afraid that if she were to go to court, she would be thrown back in jail and subjected to the same sub-human and humiliating treatment that she was given the first time around. She does feel a sense of obligation to the transgender community to follow through with a formal complaint against the police department to help prevent future attacks on transgendered people. What Maria really needs at this point is the assistance of an attorney who is willing to provide legal services to her on a pro-bono basis so that she can document the incident through a formal complaint and have legal support in her court case. She and I are going to speak again next week and I will be happy to forward any offers to assist her legally. She has limited access to her e-mail but does retrieve it sometimes. Her e-mail is Mariathemost@aol.com You can e-mail me at felicia589@hotmail.com Lotsa Love. Felicia -------------- Additionally, the following is a modification of a letter drafted by Michele Angelique that can be sent to the Miami Police Department Chief of Police as further advocacy for Maria. ATTENTION: CHIEF JOHN TIMONEY, CHIEF OF THE MIAMI POLICE DEPARTMENT. MIAMI POLICE DEPARTMENTS INTERNAL AFFAIRS DIVISION 1313 NW 36 STREET, 5TH FLOOR, MIAMI, FL 33142. ChiefofPolice@miami-police.org 305-835-2000 RE: MIAMI-DADE POLICE - WRONGFUL INCARCERATION, HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, AND ASSULT AGAINST TRANSGENDERED WOMAN MARIA LOUISE ROMAN, MARCH 10, 2006 Dear Chief Timony, We are writing to express grave concern over the treatment by your police department of Maria Louise Roman on the night of March 10th, 2006. The victim reports what took place while in your police custody: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/03/151130.php Ms. Roman was attacked by a male patron in a Miami nightclub. She turned to your police department for assistance, and instead was wrongfully incarcerated, while the attacker was not even arrested. While in your custody, Ms. Roman was subjected to verbal, physical and sexual abuse, by both male inmates and police alike. Bear in mind, Ms. Roman committed NO CRIME, and was later released without charges laid. The treatment of Ms. Roman at the hands of your police department was criminal, and the report of this misconduct is now circulating world-wide. To confirm that the Miami-Dade police department does not encourage nor condone police brutality against transgendered people, we insist that you make a formal statement. Stonewalled: Police abuse and misconduct against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the US reports on the persistent and widespread problem of police abuse and misconduct against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the US. We strongly encourage you to sign the enclosed pledge affirming your commitment to combat discrimination and violence against LGBT people. Your signing this pledge is a first step in addressing the human rights concerns Amnesty International raises in their report. We also encourage you to visit the Amnesty International website (www.amnestyusa.org/outfront ) to read the report and review the recommendations highlighted for police departments. After signing the pledge, please return it to the Amnesty International address listed at the bottom of the page. It is extremely important that law enforcement authorities send a clear message affirming that the human rights of ALL people will be respected and protected, regardless of a persons real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. For this recent crime against Maria Roman, the Miami-Dade police department is now in the world spotlight as exemplifying a hateful, bigoted law-enforcement agency. It is therefore vital that you take immediate action to adopt Amnestys pledge in confirmation that the MDPD does not sanction hate-crimes against transgendered women. Respectfully,
