Transgender 'Occupy Wall Street' Protester Segregated, Humiliated by NYPD

[Queercommie Girl]

Transgender 'Occupy Wall Street' Protester Segregated, Humiliated by NYPD During Arrest, Detention

Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/2011/10/tra...#ixzz1Zwc2DgMF

[Kitty_Paine]

I'd like to read more, but my Anti-Virus has a heart attack everytime I try and open the link. Is there a way you can post the actual article...?

Sorry, I'm not brave enough to ignore the Anti-Virus warning... I've seen too many lost to nasty Viruses...

[Queercommie Girl]

Transgender 'Occupy Wall Street' Protester Segregated, Humiliated by NYPD During Arrest, Detention

Justin Adkins, a transgender activist and Assistant Director of the Multicultural Center at Williams College, was arrested as part of the "Occupy Wall Street" protest on October 1 at the Brooklyn Bridge.

In a statement released to the public (read it below), Adkins details his mistreatment by the NYPD because of the fact that he is a transgender man. Adkins said he identified himself as transgender from the moment he was arrested. That, however, did not prevent a humiliating sequence of events from occurring which included a disrespectful genital pat down, being segregated from others arrested at the protest and being placed in a cell with violent criminals, being chained to the wall of the only working restroom in the jail for 8 hours. Being denied three requests for food while others at the protest were fed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and water.

Writes Adkins:

At one point the woman (another protester) I had spoken with earlier was brought into use the toilet. When she entered the room she looked shocked and asked why I was attached to the railing. I told her again that it was the "transgender special". She clearly understood that I was being discriminated against because of my transgender status. She asked the female officer in the room why I couldn't be given my own cell and the officer said "you don't know why he is locked up here” the woman said that she did know and that I should at least be given my own cell if they were not going to house me with the male protestors I was originally arrested with.

Throughout the night it became clear that they wanted my fellow protestors to think that I did something criminally wrong. That I had done something different from them. That I was not just a peaceful protestor exercising my rights on that bridge. That I deserved to be handcuffed to a railing in the side of the precinct with violent criminals. Everyone seemed to wonder why I had been separated. When other officers chatted amongst themselves about why I was separated, one officer suspected aloud that I was a "ringleader". The woman officer stood a few times outside the glass wall with the door open as male officers asked about me. It appeared that she told them that I was transgender as they gawked, giggled and stared at me.

Adkins says he hopes that his story will shine some light on the lack of protocol regarding transgender people by the NYPD: "No one should experience the blatant discrimination and embarrassment that I did."

[Ele'ill]

I just want to point out that there was discussion on the internet here (locally) indicating and suggesting that a 'transgendered encampment' would want liaisons with the general encampment.

This is not a radical movement, yet. From my personal experience listening to the people involved- they're damned interested in learning about everything. Certainly this has to do with my location but it's promising.

[Kitty_Paine]

Thanks!

I have to say as much as this disturbs me to read about, I am not at all surprised by this happening. I can't believe things like this go unchecked. Has this been investigated at all? Because this is a solid case of unusual and cruel punishment with at least one witness.

It's sad how most people react to people and things they don't understand. With intolerance and fear. Weither it's transgendered people or Communism for that matter. People tend to automatically dismiss them as wrong because they have no idea what it/they is/are all about...

In general people can be real intolerant, judgmental, scared, assholes...

[TheGodlessUtopian]

The barbarity of the police never seems to surprise me and how they dehumanize Queers on a daily basis.Something radical needs to happen in terms of Queer liberation otherwise we will continue to be discriminated and killed en mass.

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

I've yet to meet a cop who isn't a raging reactionary.

[RedRose]

Aw bloody hell, I was trying really hard not to get angry this morning aswell...

I hope the cops who did this are punished as severly as the man discriminated against, but I know they won't be. "Ringleader", what bull :/