https://www.advocate.com/transgender/2015/07/22/tampa-fla-sees-tenth-trans-woman-murdered-us-2015/

Tampa Is Scene of a TENTH Trans Murder in U.S.

India Clarke was found beaten to death in a Tampa park. Who killed her remains a mystery.

BY Mitch Kellaway

India Clarke, a 25-year-old black trans woman, was found beaten to death Tuesday morning outside Tampa, Florida's University Area Community Center, reports Tampa Bay TV station WTSP.

A park employee called police after discovering Clarke's body just before 9 a.m. near the basketball courts. She died from blunt force trauma to the upper body. Family told the TV station that they had last seen her on Sunday spending time with her nephews.

Her killing marks the tenth murder of a trans woman in the U.S. this year, nearly as many as in all of 2014.

As Monica Roberts of trans rights blog TransGriot first reported, WTSP and other local media have gone against journalistic best standards in covering Clarke's death, using her birth name and male pronouns, referring to her as a "man in a dress," and bringing up prior arrests that did not lead to convictions in their reports. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office indicated that they would be tracing Clarke's previous alleged criminal activity to see if it is related to her death.

India Clarke's mother, Thelma Clarke, fondly remembered her daughter to WTSP as "a good-hearted person, a very loving person" who enjoyed laughing and making others smile. She was studying to be a cosmetologist.

"[Her] last words when [she] headed out the door were, "Mom, I love you, Dad, I love you. And we both said, 'We love you too," Thelma Clarke recalled.

Sheriff's deputies are currently searching for leads, and a local commmunity organization called Crime Stoppers is offering up to $3,000 for information that leads to the arrest of a suspect or suspects. Officials have not indicated whether Clarke's murder will be considered a hate crime, but the victim's father, Samuel L. Clarke, told Tampa Bay's BHTV-9 that his family has considered it might be and hopes it was was not.

"The Lord made us this way," he told reporters. "It's a shame that we could lose the life because of who we are."

This year has also seen the murders of Mercedes Williamson, 17, in Rocky Creek, Ala.; London Kiki Chanel, 21, in Philadelphia; Kristina Gomez Reinwald, 46, in Miami; Penny Proud, 21, in New Orleans; Taja DeJesus, 36, in San Francisco; Yazmin Vash Payne, 33, in Los Angeles; Ty Underwood, 24, in North Tyler, Texas, and Lamia Beard, 30, in Norfolk, Va.

Bri Golec, 22, of Akron, Ohio, and Lamar "Papi" Edwards, 20, of Louisville, Ky., have alternately been identified as the final victim, though there exist conflicting reports from friends and family about how both individuals identified. By comparison, 12 transgender women were murdered in the U.S. in all of 2014, though this does not account for individuals whose deaths were not reported or investigated, nor for victims who were misgendered or not regarded as trans women in death.

Women of color are the predominant group of trans people facing fatal violence every year worldwide. This year's particularly deadly start — with the U.S. averaging one trans woman reported murdered for the first seven weeks of 2015 — has had trans rights activists incensed, and demanding structural social change, policy and law changes that protect trans people from discrimination and harassment, and more frequent, respectful mainstream media attention to what many have termed a homicide "epidemic."

Anyone with information related to case is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477), report a tip anonymously online at this website, or send a mobile tip using the TipSubmit Mobile application. They are also asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at 813-247-8200.

Tags: African-Americans, Breaking, Florida, Transgender, Crime


ABC Video

http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/florida-transgender-woman-found-murdered-park-32638589/

Guessing that anything relating to a transgender will become news and will further give credence to Caitlyn Jenner being lauded as "courageous" huh? I'm sad to hear of the murder but let's get all the facts before we push an agenda of "hate crime". I'm sure some sick person would kill another in a hate crime manner. Our history is littered with such actions.

well said goof

Id like to read what percentage of the population they are and compare the rates that way,,,,,

also , when did God start putting dresses on people, or any other clothes for that matter?

"god made me this way' is becoming as cliche as 'I love you',,,

Ima take a WAG and say that prostitution and/or drug activity will be part of their findings.....

Problem with this is "if" she was prostituting which is no reason to kill him/her.

But many times the transgenders have not had the operation to make them in to a complete woman.. And when a man finds out he has actually just been with a man instead, they tend to loose it..

Many of these may be due to Rage and nothing to do with Hate Crime or Race...

But as some said until all the facts come out and the killer caught no one will really know why him/her was killed...

Oh I agree....my point is that anyone.....gay, straight, pink, purple or brown....raises the odds of their life getting ended too soon when they participate in certain nefarious activities....like you and others have said though, the facts may say something else.

Condolences go out to his family.

http://www.advocate.com/transgender/2015/07/31/florida-man-charged-murder-transgender-woman-india-clarkes-death/

Florida Man Charged With Murder for Trans Woman India Clarke's Death

Keith Gaillard, 18, has been charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm for the death of India Clarke, a 25-year-old transgender woman of color in Tampa.

BY SUNNIVIE BRYDUM
JULY 31 2015

India Clarke, Keith Gaillard
An 18-year-old man in Florida, described as a "violent career criminal," has been charged with murder in the shooting death of India Clarke, a 25-year-old transgender woman of color killed in Tampa, Fla., on July 21.
Tampa resident Keith Gaillard turned himself in to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Tuesday, reports NBC News. He has been charged with one count of first-degree murder, and one count of possession of a firearm. Police investigating the case declined to identify a motive, but did indicate they believe Gaillard knew his victim.
NBC reports:
"Detectives found a fingerprint on a cigar wrapper inside Clarke's car, and Gaillard's public Facebook profile allegedly showed him showing off a small-caliber revolver, the sheriff's office said.
A witness told investigators that Gaillard had a .22-caliber revolver, and that he told the witness, 'I think I killed someone,' according to the sheriff's office. Another witness allegedly told investigators that Gaillard said, 'that was me,' when asked about the body found the park, the sheriff's office said."
Clarke died as a result of a single gunshot to the head. Her death, which The Advocate initially reported as being a result of "blunt force trauma to the head," made her the tenth transgender woman murdered in the U.S. in 2015 alone. Just days later, trans woman K.c. Haggard was stabbed to death in Fresno, Calif., bringing the total reported dead to 11 trans women in the U.S.
By comparison, 12 transgender women were murdered in the U.S. in all of 2014, though this does not account for individuals whose deaths were not reported or investigated, nor for victims who were misgendered or not regarded as trans women in death.
This year has also seen the murders of Mercedes Williamson, 17, in Rocky Creek, Ala.; London Kiki Chanel, 21, in Philadelphia; Kristina Gomez Reinwald, 46, in Miami; Penny Proud, 21, in New Orleans; Taja DeJesus, 36, in San Francisco; Yazmin Vash Payne, 33, in Los Angeles; Papi Edwards, 20, in Louisville, Ky.; Ty Underwood, 24, in North Tyler, Texas, and Lamia Beard, 30, in Norfolk, Va.
Bri Golec, 22, of Akron, Ohio, has been identified as a possible other victim, though there exist conflicting reports from friends and family about how Golec identified.
Women of color are the predominant group of trans people facing fatal violence every year worldwide. This year's particularly deadly start — with the U.S. averaging one trans woman reported murdered in each of the first seven weeks of 2015 — has had trans rights activists incensed, and demanding structural, social, policy and law changes that protect trans people from discrimination and harassment, and more frequent, respectful mainstream media attention to what many have termed a homicide "epidemic."

TAGS: AFRICAN-AMERICANS, FLORIDA, TRANSGENDER, CRIME