In Dallas, police have asked the FBI to help investigate a string of murders involving transgender victims, including that of 22-year-old Muhlaysia Booker who was shot and killed just months after speaking out against attackers who were videotaped punching and kicking her and yelling out slurs. The Human Rights Campaign reports that at least 136 transgender people since 2013 were killed by violent acts, nationwide, with most victims being black transgender women. But actual numbers are hard to track, in part, because gender data isn’t always accurate.
It’s part of a larger story not just about violence against transgender people, but about the police who are charged with protecting them. Texas native, and Democratic presidential candidate, Julián Castro, is calling for changes in policing nationwide. In Dallas, specifically, Castro has described the city as having a “broken” policing system, says Patrick Svitek of the Texas Tribune
“This comes as criminal justice reform has become a much more prominent issue nationally,” Svitek says. “What Castro is doing here is he’s looking at one kind of specific piece of criminal justice reform, and arguably a more politically sensitive piece of criminal justice reform.”
What you’ll hear in this segment:
– How Castro wants to “overhaul policing” in the U.S.
– How things like body cameras, implicit bias training, robust data collection and more are part of Castro’s plan
– How Castro’s plan situates him among the other Democratic candidates
Written by Caroline Covington.