4/15/09

Angie Zapata Hate Crime Murder Trial Yesterday, Today...

Angie Zapata Hate Crime Murder Trial Yesterday, Today... (+)
by: Autumn Sandeen
Wed Apr 15, 2009 at 11:45:00 AM EDT
During the day, I'm microblogging/tweeting fact based statements about what's going on with the Angie Zapata Hate Crime Murder trial, and then also pointing people to what I'm writing at Pam's House Blend. Jen from ProgressNow Colorado has been adding helpful announcements (such as the one for the Angie Zapata Family Vigil) and links to other mainstream media articles on the subject.
So yesterday, it was all out-of-the-public view jury selection process. At least half of the day today will be the same.
This afternoon (at earliest), it's expected that mini opening statements will be given to potential jurors, and I should be able to be in the courtroom when the roughly 3-minute long synopsizes by both prosecutor and defense team.
At earliest, we expect opening statements to be given to the selected jurors Thursday morning.
So, this may also be a light day of news from the trial.
As the trial goes on, daytime will be for microblogging, and my evenings will be editing videos (if any), and doing that "new media reporting" -- which is reporting with a visible agenda.
My visible agendas will be 1.) reminding you, the reading public here at The Blend, that Angie Zapata was a young girl who went on a date -- no matter what happened during the date, she did not deserve to die a brutal, violent death. Angie, above all else, was a human being who didn't deserve this. And, 2.) Angie was a young, transgender woman, and the reason the admitted murderer gave in his affidavit for murdering her so brutally was because she was a transgender woman. This trial will have implications on national hate crime legislation coming up in Congress this year, so I'll be discussing why I believe hate federal crime legislation needs to be fully inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression in relationship to this case.
So, I'm off to breakfast, and then off to court.
Autumn Sandeen :: Angie Zapata Hate Crime Murder Trial Yesterday, Today...

Torture Is A Moral Issue-Call The White House Today


The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that the Obama White House might continue the Bush Administration policy of concealing key details about the CIA's use of torture. Please call President Obama immediately to tell him that he should not act to conceal our country's use of torture!

On Thursday, the Obama White House is expected to release a series of three 2005 legal memos that authorized the use of torture as an interrogation technique. These memos are crucial in order to understand exactly what torture techniques were used and how they were approved. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that these memos may be released in a redacted form - that parts of the memos may not be made public. This is unacceptable! Our nation's use of torture cannot remain hidden. The American people need to know exactly what was done, how it was approved, and how it can be prevented in the future. Please call President Obama TODAY at 202-456-1111, and tell his staff that you think that the legal memos authorizing the use of torture should be released in their full, unredacted form. Tell President Obama that you expect him to put an end to Bush Administration secrecy.

Thank you for your help,Sincerely,

Rev. Richard Killmer

Executive Director

Voices From The Angie Zapata Family Vigil

Cross posted with full permision from Pams 'House Blend'

by: Autumn Sandeen
Wed Apr 15, 2009 at 09:15:00 AM EDT

I went to the Angie Zapata Family Vigil on Monday Night, and asked people why they chose to attend the event. Below is the video where about a half a dozen folk answer the question.
The video begins with me worrying aloud about whether very many trans people and their allies were going to attend -- I worried for nothing, as at least fifty trans people, allies, and members of Angie Zapata's trial family (sorry, typo) attended. Then, in sort of a "second" intro to the video (shot in my hotel room) I introduce the concept of the video, explaing that I asked people at the vigil "What motivated you personally to attend this vigil?" The video is about seven-and-a-half minutes long.


Autumn Sandeen :: Voices From The Angie Zapata Family Vigil

Justicia racial para Zapata : Racial Justice For Zapata


Inglés para el traductor de Google español miniaplicación a la derecha

Violence is extreme against our gender and racially diverse community.

The disproportionate number of under reported, incorrectly or unreported crimes against transgender people of color is sickening. This sad fact is being brought to the forefront of national attention by Angie Zapata's violent death. This horrific event has unified the transgender community and allies in awareness and action.

I am a white Anglo Saxon transgender woman who until I transitioned was among the largest ethnic majority in America. I have a innate view of people that does not note ethenticity automatically. I was born with this blindness and can not attribute this blessing to an endeavour of my own. But as a result, until Monica Roberts and Ethan St. Pierre brought this to my attention I was blissfully oblivious to this incredible disparity. AS HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS WE MUST FOCUS our activism on the most vulnerable.

Colorlines The National News Magazine for Race and Politic's Blog Race Wire

Twitter Racial Justice

Transgender News [Blog/News] [CO, USA] Light a Candle for Angie Zapata

Colorado Independent Coalition unfurls ‘End Hate’ campaign ahead of Angie Zapata murder trial


planetransgender planetransgender: Human Rights First : 2008 US Violent Hate Crimes against LGBT Increasing

Remember Our Dead

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Monica Roberts TransGriotBust A Cap In 'Em?

Ethan St. Pierre International Transgender Day Of Remembrance

4/14/09

Jury selection starts to for Zapata Murder Trial

Source Colorado Independent Jury selection starts Tuesday in trial of man charged with Zapata slaying

"The 300 Weld County residents who report for jury duty Tuesday won’t know at first whether they might wind up deciding the fate of a man accused of beating to death Angie Zapata, a 17-year-old transgender woman — first with his fists and then with a fire extinguisher — last summer in Greeley."


"Some of the prospective jurors will be sent to another courtroom — randomly, using a constantly changing process to ensure no one knows which crime they could judge, according to a court official — where a second murder trial is scheduled at the Weld County Courthouse. But most will be directed to the benches of District Court Judge Marcelo A. Kopcow, where a dozen will eventually sit for nine days to hear evidence and decide whether Allen Andrade committed first-degree murder and a hate crime."

Original full article Jury selection starts Tuesday in trial of man charged with Zapata slaying

4/13/09

TCU delays housing program for LGBT students



BREAKING NEWS: TCU delays housing program for LGBT students
Source 'Instant Tea' blog by Dallas Voice News Editor John Wright;

"Officials at Texas Christian University have postponed plans for a living-learning community geared toward LGBT students and their supporters."

"The two TCU students who proposed DiversityCity Q — Shelly Newkirk and Su Harz — said Monday they were disappointed with the decision. Harz said she thinks the administration caved to outside pressure, and she noted that DiversityCity Q was the only living-learning community that had generated any media attention."

"Newkirk said a demonstration is planned Friday at TCU to push for an LGBT resource center on campus. But she said the demonstration was planned prior to Monday’s decision, and she doesn’t want it to turn into a protest. The demonstration will be from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., beginning at the Bass Building and ending at the Sadler Lawn."

Full story at Dallas Voice Blog INSTANT TEA