Repost: Drop the Charges Against CeCe McDonald

[ladyofleithian]

(Warning for triggering content below regarding transphobia. Please turn back if this bothers you)

Originally posted by zeitgeistic at Repost: Drop the Charges Against CeCe McDonald

-activism- filter
I came across this today and I was really appalled by it. It has SO FEW signatures. If you are at all moved by this, please take a moment to click a few buttons for CeCe McDonald, who's facing some truly heinous and despicable things in her life right now...and murder charges on top of it.


FREE CECE: We're Looking at You, Michael Freeman: Drop the Charges Against CeCe McDonald
Last summer, CeCe McDonald, a young African American transgender woman, was violently attacked in the heart of South Minneapolis. As she and several friends, also African American and queer or allied, were walking to the grocery store, a group of white adults standing outside of a bar started shouting racist and transphobic insults at them, calling the youth "f*****s," "n*****s," and "chicks with dicks".

Tragically, the violence did not stop there- one of the white adults slashed CeCe across the face with a broken bottle, cutting all the way through her cheek, and another of the attackers was fatally stabbed.

Amazingly, in the aftermath of this racist and transphobic attack, the only person facing charges is CeCe McDonald- the victim. Michael Freeman, the Hennepin County Attorney, has charged CeCe with two counts of second degree murder. Because of these charges, she has been unable to recover from the attack and prevented from continuing her studies at the Minneapolis Community Technical College. Considering that County Attorney Michael Freeman has dropped charges in similar situations this year and that he has advocated strongly for programs to keep kids in school, arguing "We all know that when kids miss school they don't learn," why is Michael Freeman ruthlessly going after this young student?

We refuse to allow racism and transphobia, on Minnapolis streets or in Minneapolis courts. We support CeCe. We are waiting for County Attorney Michael Freeman to honor his committment, in his words "to serve all of our citizens with understanding, dignity, and respect" by dropping the charges against CeCe McDonald.

Michael Freeman: Minneapolis says, FREE CECE.

Sign the Petition

Comments

[sarisynn.livejournal.com]

Wait... what? These people attacked her, killed one of her friends, slashed her face... ENTIRELY UNPROVOKED, but SHE'S facing charges? WHAT? How is that even... I can't believe we live in a universe where something that even makes the slightest bit of sense.

Fucking signed.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

This, so much.

[theonlymeyouget.livejournal.com]

I don't know the details of the case so I could be talking out my ass, but one of the attackers was fatally stabbed with WHAT?

Did CeCe carry a weapon? Does she have priors?

I'm not trying to play devil's advocate, there just may be more to the case than "Everyone is beating up on the trans woman who got attacked, for no reason".

[Not saying the attack on her was in any way justified, of course. No matter what she did or may have done in the past, she didn't deserve to be jumped.]

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

That's a good question. Maybe one of the attackers stabbed one of their own just to make it look like it was her fault -- the article doesn't make it clear. That or self-defense. I'm thinking self-defense is most likely.

[theonlymeyouget.livejournal.com]

Could be, but if she was carrying a weapon before the attack, they can make a case for premeditation, or at least deadly force.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Yeah, good point. :/ *thinking*

[theonlymeyouget.livejournal.com]

Again, I'm not saying her attackers were in the right. Anyone who's not hurting another person should be allowed to walk out of a store, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.

But, if she'd pepper sprayed her attackers, that's self defense. If she even shot one AND had a concealed carry permit, THAT'S self defense. If she'd found or improvised a weapon on the scene, that's also self defense, as are any injuries, mortal or otherwise, inflicted on her attackers to protect herself.

HOWEVER, if she was running around with a weapon as a matter of course, that's... not quite.

She probably won't get a murder charge, but you can BET she's going to get at least first degree manslaughter and/or a weapons charge and/or assault with intent to injure/with a deadly weapon.

And to stop someone fatally? That almost has to mean she was carrying a knife. Very few other things, including things found or created at the scene of a fight, would kill a grown man.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Don't worry; I didn't get that impression. *hugs*

In all honesty, I just hope everything gets cleared up in the end. For lack of a better phrase.

[forcewatcher.livejournal.com]

This is exactly what I was thinking when I read this. I always have to know both sides and all of the circumstances involved. Jumping to conclusions based on a partial scenario never plays out well.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Good idea. :)

I doubt she should be charged with defending herself, but...well, maybe it's poor wording in the article, but why the knife? What happened?

Still, I think that the attackers should have been arrested too, because really, they were the ones who attacked her/harrassed her. Maybe later we'll get more details later -- I'll definitely search it out.

[forcewatcher.livejournal.com]

*nods* There's no question the entire lot of them should have been taken in and held for questioning. That's the part that makes my inner vigilante go nuts. But that's also why it's so easy to point and cry foul. There was injustice. It's just not what this article makes it out to be. Journalists always complicate things like this.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Ah. Okay. So something's kind of...missing, you mean? I can picture that.

[forcewatcher.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think so. Something's almost always missing. For every journalist crusading for truth and justice, there's 20 more looking for the sensationalist angle. Times really haven't changed much on that front. I imagine if you keep following this, more details will come out long after the story has died in the public eye.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Yeah. *Sighs* Unfortunately. Now, granted, I doubt the people at change.org are that way (I see them as social crusaders who also tend to get into Well-Intentioned Extremist territory at times), but...they're out there. :/

[forcewatcher.livejournal.com]

Well, even with crusaders, sometimes their heart overrides their head, so they see what they think they need to see instead of the whole picture. Passion tempered by wisdom, that's the key. Learning that myself the hard way. ;)

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Good advice no matter what the circumstances, I say. :)

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

What the flying FUCK

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Right?!

[freecece mcdonald (from livejournal.com)]

!!FIGHT RACISM & TRANSPHOBIA BY THE CLICK OF A MOUSE!! Please post far & wide, invite all yr contacts, send it out on yr listserves, post it to yr blogs, tweet it, fax it out to folks. Let's fill this petition to drop the charges against CeCe with thousands of signatures!

http://www.change.org/petitions/free-cece-were-looking-at-you-michael-freeman-drop-the-charges-against-cece-mcdonald

[firehearts132.livejournal.com]

Holy crap, those are hate crimes! D: I feel sorry for her.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

This. Seriously.

[firehearts132.livejournal.com]

And now I've signed the petition. Have you? I'm going to also repost this soon so the word gets spread out.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

I've already done it. :)


And good idea! :D

[firehearts132.livejournal.com]

That's good. :)