Questioning Transphobia

My gender is rage

Duanna Johnson Murdered

with 28 comments

Duanna Johnson was

Story here:

Memphis police identified the body of transgender woman Duanna Johnson lying in the street near Hollywood and Staten Avenue early this morning.

Police believe Johnson was shot some time before midnight on Sunday. No suspects are in custody at this time.

Johnson was the victim of a Memphis police brutality case this summer when a video of former officer Bridges McRae beating her in a jail holding area was released to the media.

The video led to the eventual firing of McRae and Officer James Swain. It also led to the formation of a Stop Police Brutality Memphis, a coalition of human rights activists who lobbied the city council for more sensitivity training for Memphis Police officers.

A statement from the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center: “Duanna bravely confronted the Memphis Police Department officers who brutalized her while she was in police custody. At great personal cost, Duanna was the public face of our community’s campaign against racism, homophobia, and transphobia. There was no justice for Duanna Johnson in life. The Mid-South Peace & Justice Center calls for justice in the investigation and prosecution of Duanna’s murder.”

For more on Johnson’s beating, read the Flyer story. –Bianca Phillips

I hope the MPD investigates Duanna’s murder with all the attention and effort needed to get the justice Duanna deserves.

Written by Lisa Harney

November 10, 2008 at 2:38 pm

Posted in police brutality, racism, transmisogyny, transphobia, violence against women

« White LGBT People: Just cut the racist crap, ok?
Friends reject police’s take on transgender woman’s death »

28 Responses

Subscribe to comments with RSS.

  1. F**k :-(

    Zoe O'Connell

    November 10, 2008 at 3:09 pm

  2. To those who campaign against trans and other queer people having equal rights, to those organisations that turn a blind eye to the oppression of trans people, to those who leave us behind or include us at the start and then trade us for concessions later on, are you pleased with yourselves now? Do you sleep easily at night?

    Another of our sisters lies brutalised and slain. When does it stop?

    Sarah Brown

    November 10, 2008 at 3:47 pm

  3. I can’t help but think that the Memphis police had a hand in this. Duanna publicly fought against them, and they were oh so embarrassed and inconvenienced by two of their own getting fired — which is NOT justice, they should have been charged with assault and jailed — so perhaps she had to pay the price.

    GallingGalla

    November 10, 2008 at 4:52 pm

  4. Whoa, WHAT? I posted on her story back when the original brutality happened . . . and I’m with GallingGalla that I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find out police were involved. Thanks for the heads up. Jesus, this is just so fucked.

    Cara

    November 10, 2008 at 4:54 pm

  5. I believe that the police officers who beat her should absolutely be at the top of the suspect list.

    Lisa Harney

    November 10, 2008 at 4:58 pm

  6. fuck this shit

    sarah

    November 10, 2008 at 10:31 pm

  7. I thought the same re: the police being involved somehow. God. Don’t know what to say.

    debicrow

    November 11, 2008 at 1:10 am

  8. [...] 11, 2008 in Trans*matters, Transphobia, anger, hate Please see Questioning Transphobia for info about the recent murder of Duanna Johnson, a woman who was a previous victim of police [...]

    Duanna Johnson Murder « Don’t stray from the path…

    November 11, 2008 at 1:26 am

  9. [...] Johnson shot dead November 11, 2008 Via Lisa (also myeyewitnessnews.com) I hear that Duanna Johnson was shot to death on Sunday [...]

    Duanna Johnson shot dead « bird of paradox

    November 11, 2008 at 1:38 am

  10. [...] Now, Duanna is dead. She was shot, and her body was found lying in the street. Just left there. [...]

    Duanna Johnson Murdered : The Curvature

    November 11, 2008 at 6:00 am

  11. [...] November, 2008 · No Comments Via Questioning Transphobia and TransGriot. Duanna Johnson, a transwoman of colour from Memphis, who had earlier this year been [...]

    Another transwoman of colour murdered « Better burn that dress, sister.

    November 11, 2008 at 7:41 am

  12. Duanna Johnson, Presente.

    polerin

    November 11, 2008 at 8:27 am

  13. @GallingGalla I am so with you in this. I do believe that somehow the Memphis police have blood on their hands today, and I don’t believe that they will find her killer. They will just wait for it to all blow over and move on.

    I just want to state that it broke my heart to hear what a rough time she was having before she died. When I originally posted on this story one of the things that gave me such hope was that she fighting back by suing. I remember watching her on the news and say out loud damn right.

    The other thing I want to point out is that black community has been silent on this once again. Here we have a dead trans woman that we know was suing the police and that camera whore Al Sharpton and the rest cannot be bothered to speak out.

    Duanna was black damn it. This is every bit a civil rights struggle as it is a struggle against trans hate, and violence against women. Wake the FUCK UP! Speak up! Resist! Silence convicts us all.

    Renee

    November 11, 2008 at 9:27 pm

  14. [...] a prayer for you, for the others i will never have the opportunity of knowing, and for the friends who mourn your death today we will not forget. we will speak your [...]

    for duanna johnson « cripchick’s weblog

    November 11, 2008 at 9:39 pm

  15. [...] angry that Duanna Johnson was murdered. I’m angry that the police who brutalized and beat her earlier in the year may never face charges. I’m angry that the person(s) who murdered her may never be brought to [...]

    I’m angry. « Uppity Brown Woman

    November 12, 2008 at 2:41 pm

  16. The usual “well she shouldn’t have been soliciting, and why are transpeople going to bars anyway, don’t they know they are in danger?!” bs has started.

    Meh.

    polerin

    November 12, 2008 at 3:01 pm

  17. [...] Now, Duanna is dead. She was shot, and her body was found lying in the street. Just left there. [...]

    Duanna Johnson Murdered, Please Help | A Slant Truth

    November 13, 2008 at 7:20 pm

  18. [...] past Sunday, Duanna Johnson was found murdered on the streets of Memphis. I didn’t hear about this until today, when I read a post on my friend Dean’s blog. [...]

    Can the LGBT community spare some outrage for Duanna Johnson? at AngryBrownButch

    November 13, 2008 at 9:44 pm

  19. [...] bothering to track down her killer.  And now, I’m reading in my feed-reader and I read this: Duanna Johnson’s family needs donations for [...]

    And Now the Fords are Involved « Tiny Cat Pants

    November 14, 2008 at 6:20 am

  21. [...] Last Sunday, Duanna Johnson, a transgender woman was found murdered in Memphis. Back in February she was brutally beaten by a Memphis police officer for refusing to respond to his transphobic taunting. [...]

    Black Looks

    November 14, 2008 at 10:39 am

  22. [...] past Sunday, Duanna Johnson was found murdered on the streets of Memphis. I didn’t hear about this until today, when I read a post on my friend Dean’s blog. When I read [...]

    - of join the impact. « the state

    November 14, 2008 at 12:43 pm

  23. Wow-I’d have to suspect the police in this one.

    @ Renee-As for the Rev. Al Sharpton, NAACP or even Jesse J. showing up you’d have to be a black man for them to give shit.

    They don’t give a crap about black women let alone transgendered black folks.

    Google the Dunbar Village rape case. It is absolute madness the stance the NAACP and Rev Al have taken.

    Ren

    November 14, 2008 at 2:21 pm

  24. [...] Found through Feministe and Fetch Me My Axe, a collection is underway for funeral expenses for Duanna Johnson, a transgendered African-American woman found murdered earlier this week in Memphis.  Ms. Johnson [...]

    A temporary reprieve from snarkiness « Deadly Stealth Frogs

    November 14, 2008 at 2:24 pm

  25. [...] knows was being beaten to death from what seems like a hate crime. With tears in my eyes I read of Duanna Johnson’s death and then see talk show radio hosts trying to leave comments on my blog saying they’re [...]

    an open letter « cripchick’s weblog

    November 14, 2008 at 10:52 pm

  26. I wrote this in Duanna’s memory, which can be freely read out at any transgender remembrance services.

    Duanna Rest in Peace

    Duanna

    Duanna was beaten,
    By cops they say.
    Now she’s in heaven,
    And at peace we pray.

    She was warm and kind,
    A mixed up girl.
    With a life so bad,
    We watched it unfurl.

    The media storm,
    Was no good for her.
    Nasty stories and videos,
    On the internet I can confirm.

    Now shot by a person,
    Or persons unknown.
    The suspicions of who,
    Have certainly grown.

    Killed for being,
    Transsexual and black.
    I hope the police and legal system,
    Get the murderers and never slack.

    Soon she’ll lie,
    In her grave.
    But not forgotten,
    For the love she gave.

    Copyright by Miss Stephanie Elizabeth Anne Butterfield

    steph1963

    November 15, 2008 at 1:41 am

  27. [...] from Memphis, TN, who was brutally beaten by a Memphis cop in February 2008 and who was recently murdered: A Google News search for “Duanna Johnson” yields 50 results, many syndicated and therefore [...]

    back in attack « rising phoenix

    November 15, 2008 at 7:52 am

  28. [...] past Sunday, Duanna Johnson was found murdered on the streets of Memphis. I didn’t hear about this until today, when I read a post on my friend Dean’s blog. When I read [...]

    Can the LGBT community spare some outrage for Duanna Johnson? at Racialicious - the intersection of race and pop culture

    November 17, 2008 at 6:19 am


Leave a Reply