#brandy martell

[drag-tween]

Once again, for those folks out in the Bay Area.

[transfeminism]

It has been roughly five months since the murder of Brandy Martell. Martell was a trans woman who worked for Tri-City Health Center as a peer advocate. On April 29, 2012 at 5:30 a.m., Martell was gunned down on a street corner in Oakland. Martell's assailant shot her in her genitals before he shot her twice more in the torso, and he is still at large. Tiffany Woods, Martell's boss at Tri-City, has been actively working with police and politicians to see what can be done not just about Martell, but with all the violence trans people face each and every day.

Since the murder of Martell, Woods had a meeting in Mayor Jean Quan's office in Oakland with all the key players. "At the table was myself, Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, Oakland Chief of Police Howard Jordan, Deputy Chief Anthony Toribio, the Deputy Fire Chief, the lead investigator of Brandy's homicide case, Officer Baker, and spokesperson Johnna Watson of Oakland P.D."

They had a very productive meeting, with everyone agreeing that this crime was a horrible and senseless one. Oakland P.D. has made it a "Priority One" investigation. The problem with solving Martell's murder is not lack of interest, but the amount of homicides that have occurred this year in Oakland. Martell was the 47th murder in Oakland this year, and four months later, that number has gone up to 70.

However, Woods was clear that the meeting wasn't all bleak. "What will come out of [the meeting] is the reinstating of the Oakland Police Department and members of the LGBQT community meeting monthly. Johnna Watson of Oakland P.D. will be leading it, and I will also be a part of it. We will be working on issues specifically relating to the LGBQT community," said Woods. "Oakland P.D. and the city of Oakland look forward to communicating and working together with the LGBQT community," said Officer Watson. The first meeting is set for early September.

Tiffany Woods, center, at Trans March 2012

The shock and horror of Martell's death has reignited a fuse that already burns bright when it comes to crimes against the transgendered community. Woods has also been active campaigning on Martell's behalf outside of the Bay Area. The "Say no to hate" posters of Martell are a voice all of their own.

Martell remembrance posters

"We have given out over 2,000 of them to date. It wasn't widely reported, but the Trans March last June in San Francisco was in memory of Brandy. We handed out 300 posters on the day of the Trans March. People told me they saw posters all over the city," said Woods. "They are now in Chicago, Washington D.C., India, Peru, Argentina, and Brazil. I gave them to other international trans activists to keep the word out against violence and hatred. Another young trans woman, 19-year-old Tiffany Gooden, was recently murdered in Chicago. The violence still continues, and we must try to stop it."

The yearly Transgender Day of Remembrance is coming up soon, on November 20. Tri-City is planning to commemorate the day on November 16. It will be in Oakland, and the location will be disclosed closer to the date. Martell used to help with this event, and it is deeply sobering to think that her name will be read off this year as one to be remembered.

Unsurprisingly, Martell's murder has also greatly affected the African-American trans community of Oakland. Some trans ladies in their late 20s and 30s have a hard time even going near the site Martell was murdered. The trans women who work with Woods have shared with her how traumatized they are by this crime. They feel like they are either going to die of AIDS or get shot and killed and nobody will care.

The perception that no one cares about trans women is still very much engrained in our society. To tell you the truth, I can't really blame them for feeling that way. Trans people face an unconscionable amount of adversity, hate crimes, and discrimination. This tells me that we need more education, starting in elementary schools. Being differently gendered should not equate to living a life in constant fear of harassment or violence.

Martell's murder sparked a lot of debate, but it also sparked many important conversations about trans rights. Senate Majority Leader Ellen Corbett adjourned a session in memory of Martell on May 7. The Oakland City Council did the same, and so did the Berkeley City Council. This is one of the few times in California history that a trans woman has ever been remembered in the capitol. While alive, Martell was someone who gave back to her community. As cruel as her death was, it has provided a huge sense of awareness to the outside world. Wherever Martell is, I hope she continues to smile, knowing that her humanitarian endeavors carry over even in death.

As for the Martell murder case, it is still open and active, and Oakland P.D. is encouraging anyone in the community who may have heard or seen something to please contact the major crimes unit at [phone].

(Vanessa L. Pinto, SF Weekly)

[transfeminism]

Oakland North has a melancholy but excellent account of a small celebration of life held over the weekend for slain trans woman Brandy Martell. Friends and acquaintances gathered to look at pictures and tell stories of Martell's life and all she meant to them, celebrating her identity as a trans woman after the family funeral, sadly, where Martell's body had been dressed for burial as a man.

37-year-old Martell was shot at point blank range on April 29 in downtown Oakland after she had been socializing out of her car with several other trans women into the wee hours of the morning. Oakland police have yet to name a suspect in the murder, which many people see as obviously having been a hate crime. Police say the investigation is ongoing, and they would like for more witnesses that night to come forward. For now, with no suspect, they say they do not "have a witness to firm up and say now we can categorize this as a hate crime." At least two of the other women in the car saw the suspected shooter, however one has previously said she had fallen asleep in the backseat at the time of the shooting.

Friends who knew Martell as an administrator at TransVision, a community-based clinic for trans people in Fremont, joked about her love for Popeye's chicken (which they served at the event) and about her sense of humor.

"For those of you who came into the office, she used to make fun of you the minute you walked out the door,” says friend and coworker Tiffany Woods. “She could impersonate you in five seconds."

(Jay Barmann, sfist)

[femme-in-floral]

Really interesting story by the news org I just started writing for. Impact of trans* hate crime on the local trans and specifically the activist community.

[transfeminism]

...

When you are different or seen as different, the world is not a nice place. While most of us have experienced teasing, not all of us know what it is to basically walk around with a target on your back. This murder has stirred up a lot of emotions from a lot of people, but what deeply saddens me is how commonplace this type of crime seem to be. This woman wasn't murdered in a random act of violence. What happened to Brandy was a hate crime, and it was what she worked throughout her life to prevent.

...

[queerbichipster]

"Oakland police are currently investigating the April 29 fatal shooting of Brandy Martell, a 37-year-old African-American transgender woman. Friends and community members are pushing for the murder to be considered a hate crime, claiming that Brandy was targeted due to her gender identity. New America Media’s Jessica Arevalo asked Vanessa Rochelle, a 21-year-old City College of San Francisco student who identifies as transgender, how young people in the San Francisco Bay Area are responding."

source: newamericanmedia.org)

[transfeminism]

Oakland police are currently investigating the April 29 fatal shooting of Brandy Martell, a 37-year-old African-American transgender woman. Friends and community members are pushing for the murder to be considered a hate crime, claiming that Brandy was targeted due to her gender identity. Until last year, Brandy worked as a peer counselor at the Tri-City Health Center's TransVision program, and she helped organize Alameda County's last five Transgender Day of Remembrance events. New America Media’s Jessica Arevalo asked Vanessa Rochelle, a 21-year-old City College of San Francisco student who identifies as transgender, how young people in the San Francisco Bay Area are responding. How has the murder of Brandy Martell impacted your friends and community? The murder of Brandy Martell has impacted my entire community. I’ve noticed my trans brothers and sisters rallying together to gain exposure on issues, raise awareness, and strive to come together as a community no longer divided. On the other hand, for those of us who knew or worked with Brandy, the thought of us having lost such a strong and powerful leader and role model of the community hits us hard. The fact that there are so few positive icons who can set younger generations on the right path to success and happiness, and the few that there are seem to be picked off one by one, is greatly distressing and leaves me wondering about the future and security of my brothers and sisters. Too often, transgender women of color are only in the news as victims of violence. Why do you think that is? I attribute this to society not knowing or wanting to give transgender women the respect or exposure they deserve. By giving a certain group time and exposure gives them power and draws support from allies, and it seems like society seeks to limit this for trans-people. While they introduce and pass laws that take measures to ensure our safety, employability and other aspects of transgender life, to me this is truly the very least they can do. What would it take to change this trend? More positive and peaceful activism amongst the people. Sure it would be nice if big organizations, politicians, and people with tons of money could sponsor change, but the real change starts from within. A call to all allies and role models needs to go out and we need to band together to stand up for ourselves and most importantly each other. In 2002, Gwen Araujo, a 17-year-old transgender woman, was murdered in Newark, Calif. Ten years later, are things any better for your generation? My generation gets closer and closer to the goal, but sadly at this pace I do not see full acceptance happening within my generation’s lifetime. I believe it takes some very evolutionary and revolutionary thinking as well as action on the part of the community. Even if society gives us everything we asked for, we are still faced with learning to love ourselves in everyday life. Do young people today consider the threat of gender-identity based violence as the exception or as something inevitable? Young transgender folks, especially women, don’t really see this as their issue. For us girls, we live in a world where beauty defines everything. When violence against a trans-woman occurs, young girls figure it was because she didn’t work hard enough to be passable and so she got what she got. Because no one has really taken the time to educate these youth, they have only yet to understand how these issues, if left unchecked, will affect them, not only now but long into the future. What can be done to support the surviving and thriving of transgender women? Vocational training opportunities, more advocacy for trans-women of color specifically, equal housing opportunities, positive role modeling, educational support and empowerment around pursuing developmental goals, and more trans-women of color in positions of leadership is a start. Do you have any leaders or mentors you look up to? I look up to the older trans-female community for their experience and wisdom. I really value the lessons and cultural history and heritage passed down from my elders. Some of my mentors are professional trans-women of color who advise me about how to maintain a professional image and remain gainfully employed, others are simply older trans-women (also of color) who have been SF residents with a lot of insight into trans-life from before I was born. These have helped mold me into the woman that I am today and continue to become. Vanessa Rochelle, 21, is currently studying at City College of San Francisco, with the goal of attaining her MSW. She works at Trans: Thrive in San Francisco and is currently involved in advocacy work for supportive services in housing for Transitional Age Youth, Former Foster Youth, Trans/Gender Variant, Transgender Youth, and Transgender Women of Color. She is a San Francisco native.

[transfeminism]

Friends of Brandy Martell pay their respects at a memorial Wednesday at the spot where she was killed. (Photo: Jane Philomen Cleland)

Oakland police are continuing to investigate the death of a transgender woman who was shot in the city's downtown as family and friends mourn.

Brandy Martell, 37, was shot as she sat in her car with friends early Sunday morning, April 29.

Oakland police Officer B. Baker, who is working the case, said Wednesday morning, May 9 that no arrests had been made and no suspects had been identified.

The motive for Martell's murder remains unclear, but a woman who was sitting next to Martell when the shooting started told the Bay Area Reporter this week that she suspects the reasons are hate crime and robbery.

Either way, Felisha Johnson, who had known Martell since 1995, said she wants her friend's killer brought to justice "immediately."

"They entered our world, and they took my sister's life," said Johnson, 32.

Johnson said that she, Martell, who lived in Hayward, and two others were socializing in Martell's car when two men approached around 4 a.m. One spoke with Johnson, while the other talked to Martell.

The men told them their names and where they were from. She said the men told them they were Ethiopian, but she couldn't remember their names.

They also told Martell and Johnson to come home with them, she said.

She said the men "kept trying to touch us" and put their hands down their tops. Johnson said she swatted away the hand of the man at her window.

Johnson said she'd been drinking, and "I was pretty wasted, but it wasn't like I was so drunk I didn't know what was going on." The conversation lasted about 10 minutes.

At one point, she said, she told Martell, "I don't think they know what's going on," referring to their gender identity. She said that Martell said, "Let them know," and Johnson said she replied, "'You let them know.'"

"We kind of giggled about it," she said. "Basically, they figured it out," and she didn't directly tell the men they were transgender.

The men's reaction was "Nah, nah, I'm good," and they left without any argument or saying anything anti-gay or anti-trans, said Johnson.

About half an hour after the men left, the one who'd been talking to Martell returned.

"I looked over and there was a gun in the car," said Johnson. The man demanded money, and Johnson tried to hand him her purse, but he rejected it.

"I kept my eyes on the gun," said Johnson. "I don't remember Brandy saying anything. He just shot."

Johnson said she "took off running" down the street, screaming for others to call the police as the shots continued.

Martell drove off and made it about 50 feet to the corner of Franklin and 13th streets, said Johnson, but when she returned to the car, Martell wasn't moving.

Oakland Police Department spokeswoman Lea Rubio said last week that police responded to the scene at 5:16 a.m. Martell was pronounced dead at the location.

Asked about the possible motive, Johnson said, "I think it was robbery and a hate crime, because all of a sudden, he wanted to come back after everything had been going on all fine and dandy."

She indicated that she thinks if the motive had just been robbery, he wouldn't have taken the extreme actions that he did.

"Everything you needed was right there, if you would have just taken that car," she said.

Relatives of Brandy Martell's stand outside the funeral home prior to Wednesday's service and include, from left: Garec Bartley, Antonio Cameron, Graylin Bartley, Latrice Jones, and Genetta Bartley. (Photo: Jane Philomen Cleland)

Two services

Martell's family planned her funeral for Wednesday, May 9 at C.P. Bannon Mortuary in Oakland. Tiffany Woods, a transgender advocate who'd worked with Martell, shared information this week that the family planned to bury Martell as a man.

The service was packed with mourners. An open casket showed Martell dressed in a dark men's suit, although the casket was closed before the service itself started.

An alternate memorial was set for Wednesday at the site where Martell was killed, said Woods, who added that Martell's "favorite things" would be there.

"This service is for people who don't want to attend her actual funeral, for whatever reason," the announcement stated.

Erica Cleveland, who knew Marvell for more than 20 years, was at the memorial at 13th and Franklin Wednesday.

Cleveland chose the memorial over the funeral because Martell's family had "disrespected" what she'd "fought so hard for all her life," including her name, even though "they respected it while she was alive." Cleveland said she didn't know Martell's family.

A cluster of flowers, heart-shaped balloons, and posters with Martell's image were attached to a lamppost at the corner.

Johnson said that she never saw Martell as male except for pictures.

"I never met this person they're burying her as," said Johnson, referring to her family's decision. "I personally don't agree with what they're doing, but how can I tell a grieving family how to deal with their child ... and how they want to put her to rest? ... That would be totally disrespectful and inappropriate."

Johnson said Martell "had a really close bond with her mom and her dad. I know that for a fact. She was basically like 'Daddy's girl.'"

Betty Massey, Martell's mother, said last week that Martell hadn't legally changed her name, and she wanted police to refer to Martell as Milton Massey Jr. She declined to answer further questions.

Talishia Massey, 29, Martell's sister, said Martell's gender identity didn't keep her parents from loving her.

Talishia Massey, who identifies as lesbian, said that Martell had legally changed her name at least 15 years ago. She used male pronouns when discussing Martell.

"I call him 'Turkey,'" said Massey, referring to Martell's nickname. "That was my brother. That's how I grew up with him."

Last week, the authorities identified Martell as Milton Massey Jr. and media outlets, including the Bay Area Reporter , reported that fact. Sean Troiano, an Alameda County coroner's office technician, said that the identification was made through fingerprints.

Johnson also said that Martell legally changed her name about 16 years ago, and she lived in Hayward at the time. She said Martell's driver's license matched her female gender identity.

Mike Marando, spokesman for the California Department of Motor Vehicles, said the agency's records show a Brandy Martell with the same birthdate as the homicide victim.

A search of Alameda County Superior Court records did not reveal that Martell had legally changed her name. The search covered records back to 1985.

Referring to how Martell's family has been doing since the killing, Talishia Massey, who called Martell "an uplifting person," said, "Everybody has their moments where they break down, but for the most part everybody is holding up. You accept the will of God."

Anyone with information in the case is asked to call the homicide unit at [phone] or the dispatch office at [phone].