Group to Scott: Speak up on transgender women’s killings
An advocacy group is demanding a response from Florida Gov. Rick Scott after the killings of four transgender women of color in the state, the most recent in Orange County.
“Rick Scott has been conspicuously silent as the number of killings continue to mount. We need the governor to speak out, clearly and immediately, to condemn this pattern of violence targeting transgender women and to direct state law enforcement agencies to assist in the investigations,” Gina Duncan, Equality Florida’s director of transgender equality, said in a statement.
Equality Florida’s call comes days after Sasha Garden, 27, was found dead at the Reserve at Lake Buchanan Apartments.
The Sheriff’s Office said Garden’s body showed apparent trauma, and the case is being investigated as a homicide. Crimeline is offering a $5,000 reward for information regarding Garden’s death.
A small vigil was held in her memory Saturday at Lake Eola Park.
According to Equality Florida, Garden’s killing was the fourth of a transgender woman of color in the state this year. The other three took place in Jacksonville: Celine Walker, 36, shot in a motel Feb. 5; Antash’a English, 38, shot between two abandoned homes June 1; and Cathalina Christina James, 24, killed in a hotel
June 24.
In an email, a spokesman for the governor noted that Scott had spoken about the Jacksonville killings during a campaign stop last month
“I just feel sorry for people,” Scott said, according to a report by FloridaPolitics.com. “You hope that it would never happen. … I hate that these things happen. On the state level, we provide some funding for Jacksonville to deal with … helping to reduce their crime.”
In a news release Monday, Equality Florida said the killings have “spread fear throughout the transgender community.” The group called on Scott to “direct state law enforcement to fully support the investigation of these murders.”
“Regardless of whether these murders are connected, such a spike in anti-trans violence is a terrifying pattern that must be addressed,” the group said in the release. “The transgender community deserves answers and deserves to live without the constant fear of violence for simply living their authentic lives.” jeweiner@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5171