December 13, 2023 • 45 mins
June 2019 was especially deadly for trans women of color. Amidst a celebration of World Pride and the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a crowd of 600 people came together to mourn Layleen Polanco. Just days after receiving the news that her sister died, Melania Brown found herself fighting her fear of public speaking to address the crowd and lead the call for justice. As weeks and months passed, organizing efforts continued to gain momentum, as did investigations and lawsuits surrounding Layleen’s death - some culminated in disappointing decisions, while others marked historic wins.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
After Lives is a production of iHeart Podcasts and The
Outspoken podcast Network in partnership with School of Humans. Just
a heads Up, The following episode discusses transphobia, sexism, racism, violence,
police violence, and sexual assault. Take care while listening. Milania Brown,
(00:29):
Leileen Palanko's oldest sibling, learned of her death on a
phone call with their brother Solomon.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
It was on a Friday. I was coming out of work.
I want to go pick up the girls. That's what
Solomon coldsby and told me what happened with.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Leele After correction officers showed up at their mother's doorstep,
Solomon relayed the news.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
I remember screaming at him and cursing him out. My
next reaction was just to run. I remember.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
I just ran.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
I ran ran until I got tired.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I mean, I ran so far that I needed somebody
to come back and pick me up.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Naturally, it was a lot to process. Milania didn't even
know that Layleen was in Rikers at the time. She
had been on the other end of another long period
where Leileen had gone dark.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
And then the next couple of days after that, I
was in the nial.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
She'd expected Layleen to reappear out of the blue, like
all the other times she went off the radar.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
I am still working through that with therapy, but at
that time, I was like, you hear about this on
the news, you never think it would be one of
your loved ones.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Right before Milanya had a chance to wrap her head
around what happened, before she could even plan her sister's funeral,
Leileen's death became a local and then a national news story.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Everything happened so fast. Friday happened Monday. I believe it
was already meeting Elio.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
It was like Friday night of June seventh when Lalan
died and I saw four sentenced articles from the New
York Post and it just said at the time transgender
inmate was found and responsive with that.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
L el Cruz is a community organizer. In twenty nineteen,
he was director of communications for the Anti Violence Project,
the largest organization focused on anti LGBTQ violence in the country.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
I sent it to my SLOCK team and that became
the process of us being organized on behalf of Land Flanka.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
At the time, the doc was the only entity giving
details about Lealen's death. El El knew her story deserved
to be told with care and nuance. He and his
team got to work quickly. They gathered trans organizers to
plan a rally in her name. It would be held
(02:59):
on that Monday, just three days after her death. This
is how Layleen's story entered my life. Sometime in the
hours after learning about Layleen, Eliel texted me asking if
I had heard. It wasn't a surprising message. For years,
(03:21):
I'd been speaking up and writing about the violence that
trans women of color face. What did surprise me was that,
unlike many trans women who've been murdered, Layleen wasn't killed
by a lover or some random bigot in the street.
Now she died under state custody. As Elie l and
(03:42):
I exchanged brief words, he vowed to keep me posted
on all that unfolded. Soon after, the Anti Violence Project
reached out to Milanya and other members of the family,
inviting them to be a part of the rally to They.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Rolled in deep with the mom, the brother, two or
three of the best friends, and we met in our
conference's office and it was incredibly solemn, and Malani remembers
me crying in the corner, and she told me later
she didn't understand why someone was crying so hard for
somebody that she didn't know. But I've always just felt
really connected to Laleen in so many different ways. Her
(04:20):
being in the house, in the ballroom scene, and then
being someone who loves going out in the club scene,
a nightlife scene, which is very much me. She was
twenty seven when she died. I was twenty eight, and
again her family looks and acts a lot like my
family and the Dominican I'm Puerto Rican. There were just
so many different ways that I felt very spiritually connected
(04:42):
to Lalene. If you ask Malania, she'll say that Lalen
sent me to them.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Lalen's family and friends took a short walk with l
E l from the Anti Violence Project's offices in downtown
Manhattan so the rally in Foley Square, where six h
people had come together.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I remember him asking, do you want to say a
few words? You don't have to again, you don't have
to do any of this, and I'm like, yeah, I
want to. Now I'm there, and I hate talking in
front of people. I'm like, I didn't even want to
walk across the stage from my own graduation, but that
day I wasn't scared. I remember they gave me the
(05:22):
mic and everything else was history after that.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
The days immediately following Leileen's death were critical. Not only
would they set the groundwork for an ongoing movement in
her name, but they would change her family and friends forever.
Their grief gave way to action. I'm Raquel Willis and
(05:56):
this is Afterlives, episode five, not Resting in Peace. On
(06:25):
that drizzly Monday evening after Layleen's death, Milanya bravely summoned
her voice at her most vulnerable moment and made it heard.
With tears in her eyes, she said, they treated my
sister like she was nothing for how she decided to
be happy. We couldn't get access to any recording of
(06:47):
her speech, but I remember how the audience was right
there in that moment with her captivated.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
I felt overwhelming, but I also felt I don't know,
like I wasn't alone, family wasn't alone, Like the world
wants to know what happened to l'ileen. These humans that
are here that don't know me from a hole in
the wall want to help, and they came out for her.
(07:15):
I remember Leileen will always say, I'm gonna be famous
one day. Watch and everybody's going to talk about me.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
That was like her thing.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
I'm like, okay, girl, yeah, you're gonna be famous, like
you know. So just seeing all that, like I remember
her voice in my head saying that, and I'm like,
oh my gosh, she's like. It was a powerful crowd,
and people have posters with face on them, her name
on them. It was a lot to take in. For
a person like me.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
The life changing loss of her sister would transform her
into an outspoken activist whose organizing work came to be
known far beyond the city limits. I took in the
scores of people who showed up at that rally. I
saw their grief and rage. When it was my turn
(08:11):
to speak, I thought a lot about the power of
naming our ancestors, invoking their enduring spirits, and the importance
of backing that up with transformative action.
Speaker 5 (08:25):
But we are in a war, don't get it twisted.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
This is the recording of my speech on that day,
aired by Democracy Now.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
Black and brown trans people have been in the war
since we were born. And so if you are invoking
the names of Marcia, or invoking the names of Sylvia
or Miss Major or Storm may or these architects of
our movements. Fuck you if you are not suffering.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
I can tell you that at that rally, we did
center trans women of color. We heard from many women
who could relate to Lileen's story in a deeply personal way,
who felt like her fate could have been their own.
Then actor and activist India Moore closed out the demonstration.
Speaker 6 (09:22):
Leileen carmonco the most recently slain a black trans woman.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
I looked up to her.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
That same year, India was named one of Time magazine's
most Influential People of twenty nineteen. Their voice and their
presence brought much needed attention to Laileen's story, and it
also highlighted a reality, even as trans folks were gaining
more visibility, we still weren't protected in the ways that
(09:53):
all people deserve.
Speaker 6 (09:55):
When you're a young trans person, you have the trans
women and people around to look to.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Here's more from Democracy Now's coverage of the rallying.
Speaker 6 (10:04):
When you imagine where you want to see yourself in
your life, Leileen was one of those girls.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
For me, we are all worthy of safety and protection everywhere.
Speaker 5 (10:18):
We will not back down.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
And rest in peace no more.
Speaker 7 (10:22):
Whow in the days and weeks after that rallying, Leyleen's
story came up in interviews and social media posts from
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez,
and then presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
People weren't just saying Leyleen's name. They were talking about
accountability and provoking change. We were already seeing that something
about Leylan's story was different. When I created the Trans
Obituaries for Out magazine in twenty nineteen, I set out
to document and honor the lives of trans women of
(11:06):
color lost. One of the reasons I felt the need
to write obituaries for these souls was that their names
and their experiences were rarely elevated. Often they become statistics
and have their names folded into talking points about grief
and injustice.
Speaker 8 (11:24):
And that was that.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
Leleen's death intersected with so many issues, from trans justice
to the criminalization of sex work, to bail and solitary confinement.
It was impossible to look away. She died during Pride
months and the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. Her
(11:48):
death and the deaths of many trans people of color
were a stark reminder that Pride was rooted in protest.
It wasn't just a celebration, It was a rally cry
that began with the resistance of queer and trans folks
of color. That year, While Pride was bigger and louder
(12:08):
than ever, the advocacy for Leayleen turned up as well.
Milanya was at the center of that charge. During twenty
nineteen and beyond, she became a voice for numerous issues
that Layleen's death made more urgent. She spoke with me
as part of the original trans Obituaries project, and did
(12:31):
interviews for Vogue, The City and at New York Public
Radio's The Green Space. She spoke at city council hearings
and protested at rallies not only for her sister, but
also for the end of solitary confinement and decreasing the
population at rikers. The months after her sister's death were
(12:55):
some of the busiest and most draining in Milania's life.
It all dominated a year later, when Milania spoke in
front of the largest crowds she'd ever addressed at Brooklyn Liberation,
the March for Black trans Lives.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
I'm gonna be telling my grandkids about that one if
you asked me then at that first riley, if I
was going to be standing in front of over fifteen
thousand people, I would have been like, you're crazy. Absolutely not.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
She did it, though, and her speech made it known
that New Yorkers and people everywhere had not forgotten about Leileen.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
And I'm the boys of my sister, and I will
continue to fight for her.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
She is not fighting for her son.
Speaker 9 (13:39):
She speak for her son for you.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
But I'm in this all about I'm coming together.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
And every time they knocked one, it was them.
Speaker 8 (13:54):
We come strong, every time they.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Came stronger, and we show them.
Speaker 9 (14:00):
That we're not going nowhere.
Speaker 8 (14:04):
We're here.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
They're gonna make for us.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
They don't.
Speaker 10 (14:09):
We're taking it.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
Black translike manner.
Speaker 9 (14:17):
My sister, like manner.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
We have, we have like matter.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
They leave was beautiful and we must be remember her.
We must remember everyone that we have lost.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
We never stopped saying their names.
Speaker 9 (14:36):
We never stopped saying their names ever.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
Thank you, We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Welcome back to Afterlives. In the immediate aftermath of l'ileen's death,
Milania became a central voice in the effort to raise
awareness about her loss and the many systemic issues it
intersected with, but alongside rallies and protests was a more
personal reality. Leaalen's family still had to put her to rest.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
I went to the funeral home.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
And before her funeral on June fifteenth, twenty nineteen, Milania
knew she needed to see her sister just one more time.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
I remember I begged the owner and I'm like, you
have to let me dress her. You have to let
me do her hair. You have to. And one of
her friends is going to go and she's gonna do
her makeup, and I remember He's like, we don't do that.
But I didn't give up. I harassed that men. I'm like,
(16:13):
if I don't, she's going to hunt me. I'm telling you,
you do not know my sister. She is going to
make like creepy noises and she is just gonna like
torture me for the rest of my life. I have
to do this.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
The funeral director gave in, and Milania got the time
with Leileen that she wanted. She washed her hair and
dressed her and a tutu and a little crown. Milania
took charge of the funeral. She wanted it to reflect
the vibrancy of her sister's life.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
I didn't want nobody sad because Laylee was a life
of the party, right. She liked to make everybody happy
and everybody smiled. She always questioned why people were all
black to funerals like that was a big thing of hers.
I told everybody, do not wear black, any color that
you want, any color from the rainbow, no black. I
(17:08):
order her flowers and it was like the rainbow flowers.
They were very beautiful. I've never seen the funeral so
bright and so many colors, and usually funerals are very quiet.
But I made sure that I play her house music
because she loved her house music.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
The service was unapologetic, just like Leileen. I wish every
victim had this kind of memorial, including other trans women
who had their lives cut short. In the week surrounding
Pride Month in twenty nineteen.
Speaker 11 (17:53):
The script hasn't been rewritten yet.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
Here's Beverly Tillery, the executive director of the Anti Violence
Project or AVP.
Speaker 11 (18:02):
At that time where we were celebrating the fifteenth anniversary
of Stonewall.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
AVP was one of the organizations.
Speaker 11 (18:10):
Really reminding people who had lost sight of the fact
that Stonewall was really about our community's response to violence.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
She and Eli l worked together on organizing efforts on
Leyleen's Behalf.
Speaker 11 (18:22):
We really tried to play a role in that conversation
and try to remind people that we haven't come out
of that violence.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
Pride season in twenty nineteen was especially violent. AVP published
a special report titled Pride and Pain to bring attention
to just how dire the situation was. They tracked violence
in the LGBTQ community in the US from May fifteenth
to June fifteenth.
Speaker 11 (18:51):
We counted fourteen homicides. Seven of those victims were black
trans women. We counted two fatalities in detention. Both of
those victims were trans women of color. We tracked six dating,
hookup and intimate partner violence incidents, and twenty two anti
(19:15):
LGBTQ protests. I talk and think about this violence all
the time, but it's different to name people's names and
think about the real people.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Right.
Speaker 11 (19:28):
It's important to do, and also it's really hard.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
This series is about Leileen, but it's also about all
of the queer and trans people we've lost. Their deaths
and legacies are connected. When Beverly started to read these
names to me, I felt a lump in my chest.
(19:52):
They were hard to hear, but necessary. We took our time,
We took deep breaths together. If you feel the need,
I encourage you to do so as well.
Speaker 11 (20:11):
May eighteenth, of twenty nineteen, there was a hate violence
fatality in Dallas, Texas. Malaysia Booker, a twenty three year
old black trans woman, was killed, just a month after
a video of her being beaten went viral. On May
nineteenth of twenty nineteen, Michelle Washington, a forty year old
(20:35):
black trans woman, was shot and killed in North Philadelphia.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
I'm with you in it. Yeah, I don't want you
to think that you're.
Speaker 11 (20:45):
Alone, Okay, May twenty fifth, twenty nineteen, ben Detroit, Michigan.
Alonte Davis, a twenty one year old black gay man,
Paris Cameron, a twenty year old black tran, and Timothy Blanchet,
a twenty year old black gay man. We're all targeted
(21:07):
by their perceived sexuality and killed while at home. June fifth,
twenty nineteen, in Lumberton, North Carolina, Chanelle Scurlock, a twenty
three year old black transgender woman, was robbed and killed
by a band she met via an online dating site.
(21:30):
On June fourth, twenty nineteen, a hate violence fatality occurred
in Dallas, Texas. Chanelle Lindsay, a twenty six year old
black trans woman, was killed and found in White Rock
Lake on June fourteenth. Zoe Spears, a twenty year old
(21:51):
black trans woman, was murdered just outside of Washington, d C.
On June twenty sixth, twenty nineteen. Brooklyn Lindsay was a
thirty two year old black trans woman who was found
dead outside of her front porch in Kansas City, Missouri.
Speaker 10 (22:10):
Okay, I'm gonna take a deep breath with you, Okay, one, two, three,
and how hold release.
Speaker 11 (22:37):
There's always a balance between re traumatizing and trying to
humanize and tell the stories of the people who lived
and that we want to honor. And I feel like
we don't always get it right, and there isn't necessarily
a getting it right, but we want that to be
(22:59):
felt because that's important for people to feel that.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
On June tenth, twenty nineteen, three days after Lalen died,
the American Medical Association declared that the violence against trans people,
and especially trans people of color, constituted an epidemic. This
was a significant announcement making it clear that these debts
(23:34):
were not coincidental, they were not purely individual acts. This
was and still is a public health crisis.
Speaker 11 (23:45):
When we think about this as a public health issue,
it puts it in a frame of this is all
of our problem to solve. This is about the health
of individuals, but also our communities to solutions can be
public health paths and not just criminalization, because just having
(24:06):
a hate crime distinction or talking about these issues as
crimes doesn't in the violence, doesn't prevent people from being harmed.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
A public health lens also brings attention to the root
causes of this violence and the bigger systems at play,
like anti trans sentiment now flagrant in the political sphere,
and discrimination in schools, places of work, or other institutions
like hospitals.
Speaker 11 (24:36):
We had a number of town halls just with trans
folks all across the city, and we ask people what
are the issues that you were most concerned about and
what would make you safer. Over and over again, people
talk about a lot of those things that we think
(24:57):
of as the larger safety in society. People mention things
like we need safe and affordable housing, and we need
access to education and access to good paying jobs, so
that we can live in safe communities, that we can
(25:19):
be a part of society, that we can contribute and
be purposeful.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
Almost three out of four trans and gender expansive youth
hear their families make negative remarks about LGBTQ people, and
forty percent of homeless young people are LGBTQ. Into adulthood,
discrimination remains a constant. According to a study by AVP,
(25:46):
Trans New Yorkers are actually more likely to have a
bachelor's degree than the general population, but they're significantly less
likely than other residents to have a full time job,
sit with that or a second The disparity between holding
a degree yet living in poverty is even starker for
(26:10):
trans and gender not conforming people of color.
Speaker 11 (26:14):
If you want to stop finance against trans people, you
actually have to value them. You have to celebrate them.
You have to have an ongoing conversation on gain reality
in which they can see themselves, see the ability to
live their best lives.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
But the reality is that until those changes are made
in a meaningful way, trans women in particular often live
with a sense of precarity. It's something Kristin Lavelle, the
co director of the HBO documentary The Stroll highlighted when
I spoke with her, that could be any one of us,
any one of my friends, you know what I mean.
(26:56):
And it's something that is constantly in the back of
my mind. You don't know the nights that you go
out that you may not make it back. I said,
I think about, like, how at this point now I've
known at least ten people on these lists. So I
try to make it a point to show up to
these things and support of the community because the list
(27:19):
is just getting longer and longer. So it's still happening.
Speaker 5 (27:22):
And just.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
The thing is, we never know. We have to be
very careful with who we interact with, how we interact
with people, because we never know how it will turn out.
Even in the face of all this loss, there's something
that gives me hope. We do have trans elders among
(27:49):
us today, people who continue to tell their stories. When
it gets hard to say these names and recount the
tragedies faced by trans people of color, I find a
lot of strength and leaning on the people whose lives
and stories are still being written, people like Cecilia Gentiei,
(28:09):
who is only fifty one but embraces the role as
an elder in her community. Fifty one for a trans
woman of color in New York City is a victory.
Do you consider yourself a trans elder?
Speaker 8 (28:26):
I am an elder, and I am happy to be
an elder, and I am proud to be an elder.
So yes, I'm an elder.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
You may remember that when Cecilia decided to transition, another
trans woman gave her a bleaque outlook, telling her that
if she wanted to be trans, she could expect to
die young. I asked Cecilia about this, thinking she would
tell me about all the amazing things she's been able
to accomplish. But while being an elder has been a blessing,
(28:59):
it's also been a source of pain for her.
Speaker 8 (29:03):
It is a lot of pride on it, you know.
It is a lot of a surprise feeling. It is
a lot of guilt when I remember all the good
people in my life that die. I feel guilty to
be alive at times, and that's a cloud over my
(29:26):
happiness consistently. I made it to fifty one, and I'm
fucking broke. And I always discuss this with my partner
because my partner is like, you know, how come you
don't have it for one, Kay, how come you don't
have savings? He doesn't do that because he chooses to
be an asshole. He doesn't because his experience in life
allow him to do all of that, and he thinks
(29:49):
that everybody should have done the same. But I'm always
telling him, like, you know, I never thought how you
make it to fifty one? So why who do you
save for an age that you know you are not
going to make it?
Speaker 3 (30:06):
Do?
Speaker 8 (30:07):
I had every opportunity to be dead, and do you here?
You are miser say I'm fucking here.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
Trans people deserve to dream of bright futures and live
to see them come to fruition. Every death is an
injustice that needs to be named, mourned, and accounted for.
But too often, when trans people of color are harmed
and killed, their stories are not accurately reported and justice
(30:45):
becomes a mirage. Leyleen's story and the attention that garnered
marked a shift in the status quo. I asked Beverly
from the Anti Violence Project about this, what would you
say has changed in regards to the epidemic of violence
and the wake of Layleen's death.
Speaker 11 (31:06):
The community response was so much greater than what we
could have expected. I feel like there were so many
layers and parts to her story that it spoke to
so many people. It sort of reached a point in
which we will not go back in terms of our
willingness to name and to talk about and to stand
(31:31):
up for trans women of color. Some of those people
who had gotten activated and politicized after hearing about Leileen
that then were like, Okay, we're going to stand for
trans women.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
It's not always easy, but I'd like to think that
Beverly is right, that there's no going back, that our
transcestors are only pushing us forward. After the break will
turn to another front of the fire for Lalen.
Speaker 9 (32:03):
The lawsuit was entitled Polanco Versus City of New York.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
That's when we come back. We're back with afterlives struck
(32:35):
by grief and unanswered questions, Lalen's family not only spoke
out publicly, they also spoke to civil rights attorney David Shanas.
Speaker 9 (32:47):
Obviously, a horrific tragedy had taken place, and the family
understandably wanted some quick answers as to why, so we
started right away.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
After Lalen's family got in touch with him, he started
reaching out to government officials and city agencies that were
investigating the case. When Layleen's death was initially reported, very
little information was available. All people knew was that she
died in Rikers, not how or where or who was there.
(33:20):
Those are the details David set out to find.
Speaker 9 (33:23):
I would say Layleen's case was somewhat the exception because
of how high profile it was. We had a lot
of people from the government at least telling us that
they wanted to be helpful. I could tell you, having
represented other families whose loved ones have died in Rikers Island,
that typically these people are not going out of their
(33:46):
way to find the family and give them information. Usually
it's much more of a black box. But we were
able relatively quickly to find out the basics about what
had happened and where we needed to go to get
some more sif answers.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
It's hard to hear that what should be the bare
minimum is so rare. But as information started to come
to light about Leylan's treatment at Rikers and within the
Carcero system at large, David's course of action became clear
direct legal action. In August of twenty nineteen, David and
(34:24):
Lalen's family sued the city.
Speaker 9 (34:27):
The lawsuit was entitled to Polanco Versus the City of
New York at All. There were a number of individuals
who were named in the lawsuit, including correction officers who
were there supervisors, some medical personnel, some of the supervisory
correction officials who had authorized Leylan's placement in solitary confinement.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Pressure on the city didn't let up. In the months
that followed. More press came out and more information came
to light. Activist remain engaged, pushing for policy change and
showing up to court dates for the lawsuit. It took
a year, but the following summer, official reports and investigations
(35:12):
were finally released. On June fifth, twenty twenty, the bronx
DA put out a press release announcing their decision not
to pursue any charges in Leylan's case. This effectively closed
the door on anyone being held criminally responsible for her death.
Speaker 9 (35:35):
No one expected the bronx DA to bring charges. People
who are familiar with these types of cases know that
criminal charges don't get brought for these Whether they should
or shouldn't, that's a different conversation. But we knew that
the likelihood of any kind of criminal prosecution was basically
nothing from the start.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
The DA's office also released a nearly ze five page
public report detailing their findings about what happened the day
Layleen died. It's mostly a play by play of the
day and a list of reasons why criminal charges didn't
apply to Lalen's case. The report also dead named Leleen,
(36:18):
referring to her by a name she no longer used.
The following day, the city's Department of Investigation published its
own report assessing whether Department of Correction personnel contributed to
Lalen's death. It concluded that they did not. That report
also dead named Laileen. While not many people had faith
(36:43):
that the system would lead to justice, it was still
disappointing a reminder that the cards were always stacked against Lealeen.
But Lalen's family decided to take matters into their own hands.
They wanted to show the world what happened so people
could see with their own eyes that her death wasn't
(37:04):
inevitable and that she could have been saved. On June thirteenth,
they publicly released the security camera footage from outside of
Layleen's cell the day she died.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
Just seeing how those CEOs could have helped her. Here's
Milania just seeing how she was treated in her last moments.
They killed her just by looking at that video. There
was no type of human act there. It was monsters
with my sister, and that's the last thing she seen
(37:37):
was monsters.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
The video was a turning point. It would add more
fuel to Layleen's cause. Even if criminal charges would never come,
the public would see what happened in side Rikers. Just
one day after its release, Milanya channeled that anger and
grief into that speech in front of thousands of people
(38:02):
at the Brooklyn Liberation March.
Speaker 9 (38:05):
And to the District DA.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
I have a few words for her.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
She called out the DA's office and their report. She
was not going to back down.
Speaker 4 (38:16):
That apology.
Speaker 12 (38:19):
That she made me.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
I have the dead name and my sister, well, she
clearly has the record in my sister's that certificate which
states they lean exta who we.
Speaker 9 (38:32):
Let the block go.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
She dead named me.
Speaker 9 (38:41):
And when I first heard, I didn't even.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
Bother honestly to read the report because I had no
faith in them. How can I trust the people that
killed her? I didn't expect anything from them. But then
even her, oh you're gonna hear from me.
Speaker 1 (39:01):
Just over a week later, the Board of Correction, a
government watchdog, published their own findings. The purpose of this
report wasn't to focus on wrongdoing, but to make recommendations
about policy and practices that could prevent something like this
from happening in the future. David told us this report
(39:22):
stood out for being especially thorough and trustworthy, but that
didn't mean the doc or Correctional Health Services had to
do anything in response, and most things went unchanged. Activists
and Laleen's loved ones had been doing this dance with
government officials for over a year at this point. On
(39:43):
June twenty ninth, Mayor Bill de Blasio held a press conference.
He announced that disciplinary action for rikers correction officers was
being taken.
Speaker 12 (39:53):
Her family deserves justice, the transgender community deserves justice.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
We have to right the wrong.
Speaker 12 (40:00):
There has been accountability. Seventeen correction officers have been disciplined
for suspended without pay, and this is just the start
of the disciplinary process.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
But no other information followed beyond the suspensions. It was
never made clear what type of disciplinary action would be taken.
The president of the Correction Officers union made a point
to say he intended to resist this decision, calling it
an egregious abuse of power. It was a tumultuous summer.
(40:32):
The movement for Black Lives had reached a new level
of collective acceptance, capturing how fed up people were across
the country with systemic inaction in the face of deaths
at the hands of the state. But at the end
of August, a year after the lawsuit was first filed,
(40:52):
Lealen's family was awarded five point nine million dollars in
a settlement. This was a win.
Speaker 9 (41:02):
Laalen's life matters. Here's David and having obtained the highest
settlement the city has ever paid in the case of
a death in custody. That was also a symbol that
what happened to her was unacceptable.
Speaker 1 (41:20):
On one hand, I agree with David. This was a
victory not only for Laalen's family, but for organizers who
had sustained pressure on the city for over a year
since l'ileen's death. This was a symbol that they were heard.
But it was only a symbol. It couldn't bring Laileen back.
(41:44):
It wasn't even an attempt to change the realities that
led to her death. It was money which had power
in and of itself. But for Milanya, it couldn't provide
the sense of justice she yearned for.
Speaker 2 (42:00):
It wasn't really the lawsuit. I would like to see change,
especially with the LGBTQ community that suffers so much, especially
transgender women and women of color. And eventually, my biggest
dream is knocking Rikers Island down, just I want to
physically be there and watch it just collapse and maybe
(42:24):
something beautiful coming out of it. I still believe that,
no matter what, my sister's not resting in peace, I
believe that her spirit still is in Rigors Island. So
my dream is to knock it down.
Speaker 1 (42:46):
Next time on Afterlives will look beyond the initial rallies
and reports to explore policies that pass in Lalen's name
and whether they are strong enough to prevent a tragedy
like hers from happening in the future.
Speaker 3 (43:03):
A lot of the biggest boxshet headlines unfortunately having fully
come to fruition.
Speaker 1 (43:08):
What happened with the walking Well trans bit, I would
have to say, was absolutely phenomenon.
Speaker 12 (43:13):
So let's take the next step. Let's end solitary confinement
all together.
Speaker 3 (43:19):
Once those cell block doors close, it's hard to enforce
rules that politicians make on the outside.
Speaker 8 (43:26):
This is why we need to be here, so that
we can avoid unsy desks like this.
Speaker 5 (43:33):
Run.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
Thank you so much for listening to Afterlives. You can
find this episode and future ones on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave
us a writing and review to let us know what
you think. After Lives a production of iHeart Podcasts and
(44:02):
The Outspoken Podcast Network in partnership with the School of Humans.
I'm your host and creator Raquel Willis. Dylan Hoyer is
our senior producer and scriptwriter. Our associate producer is Joey
pat Sound design and engineering by Daisy Makes Radio Productions,
(44:23):
with additional support from Jess Krinchitch, Story editing by Aaron
Edwards and Julia Ferlaan, fact checking by Savannah Hugiley. Our
show art is by Makai Baldwin. The score composed by
Wisley Murray. Our production manager is Daisy Church. Special thanks
to L. E. L. Cruz for the recordings of the
(44:46):
Brooklyn Liberation March. Executive producers include me, Raquel Willis, and
Jay Brunson from The Outspoken Podcast Network. Michael Alder June
and Noel Brown from iHeart Podcast, Virginia Prescott, Brandon Barr,
and Elsie Crowley from School of Humans and The Cats Company.
Speaker 4 (45:12):
School of Humans,
After Lives is a production of iHeart Podcasts and The
Outspoken podcast Network in partnership with School of Humans. Just
a heads Up, The following episode discusses transphobia, sexism, racism, violence,
police violence, and sexual assault. Take care while listening. Milania Brown,
(00:29):
Leileen Palanko's oldest sibling, learned of her death on a
phone call with their brother Solomon.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
It was on a Friday. I was coming out of work.
I want to go pick up the girls. That's what
Solomon coldsby and told me what happened with.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Leele After correction officers showed up at their mother's doorstep,
Solomon relayed the news.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
I remember screaming at him and cursing him out. My
next reaction was just to run. I remember.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
I just ran.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
I ran ran until I got tired.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I mean, I ran so far that I needed somebody
to come back and pick me up.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Naturally, it was a lot to process. Milania didn't even
know that Layleen was in Rikers at the time. She
had been on the other end of another long period
where Leileen had gone dark.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
And then the next couple of days after that, I
was in the nial.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
She'd expected Layleen to reappear out of the blue, like
all the other times she went off the radar.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
I am still working through that with therapy, but at
that time, I was like, you hear about this on
the news, you never think it would be one of
your loved ones.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Right before Milanya had a chance to wrap her head
around what happened, before she could even plan her sister's funeral,
Leileen's death became a local and then a national news story.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Everything happened so fast. Friday happened Monday. I believe it
was already meeting Elio.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
It was like Friday night of June seventh when Lalan
died and I saw four sentenced articles from the New
York Post and it just said at the time transgender
inmate was found and responsive with that.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
L el Cruz is a community organizer. In twenty nineteen,
he was director of communications for the Anti Violence Project,
the largest organization focused on anti LGBTQ violence in the country.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
I sent it to my SLOCK team and that became
the process of us being organized on behalf of Land Flanka.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
At the time, the doc was the only entity giving
details about Lealen's death. El El knew her story deserved
to be told with care and nuance. He and his
team got to work quickly. They gathered trans organizers to
plan a rally in her name. It would be held
(02:59):
on that Monday, just three days after her death. This
is how Layleen's story entered my life. Sometime in the
hours after learning about Layleen, Eliel texted me asking if
I had heard. It wasn't a surprising message. For years,
(03:21):
I'd been speaking up and writing about the violence that
trans women of color face. What did surprise me was that,
unlike many trans women who've been murdered, Layleen wasn't killed
by a lover or some random bigot in the street.
Now she died under state custody. As Elie l and
(03:42):
I exchanged brief words, he vowed to keep me posted
on all that unfolded. Soon after, the Anti Violence Project
reached out to Milanya and other members of the family,
inviting them to be a part of the rally to They.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Rolled in deep with the mom, the brother, two or
three of the best friends, and we met in our
conference's office and it was incredibly solemn, and Malani remembers
me crying in the corner, and she told me later
she didn't understand why someone was crying so hard for
somebody that she didn't know. But I've always just felt
really connected to Laleen in so many different ways. Her
(04:20):
being in the house, in the ballroom scene, and then
being someone who loves going out in the club scene,
a nightlife scene, which is very much me. She was
twenty seven when she died. I was twenty eight, and
again her family looks and acts a lot like my
family and the Dominican I'm Puerto Rican. There were just
so many different ways that I felt very spiritually connected
(04:42):
to Lalene. If you ask Malania, she'll say that Lalen
sent me to them.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Lalen's family and friends took a short walk with l
E l from the Anti Violence Project's offices in downtown
Manhattan so the rally in Foley Square, where six h
people had come together.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I remember him asking, do you want to say a
few words? You don't have to again, you don't have
to do any of this, and I'm like, yeah, I
want to. Now I'm there, and I hate talking in
front of people. I'm like, I didn't even want to
walk across the stage from my own graduation, but that
day I wasn't scared. I remember they gave me the
(05:22):
mic and everything else was history after that.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
The days immediately following Leileen's death were critical. Not only
would they set the groundwork for an ongoing movement in
her name, but they would change her family and friends forever.
Their grief gave way to action. I'm Raquel Willis and
(05:56):
this is Afterlives, episode five, not Resting in Peace. On
(06:25):
that drizzly Monday evening after Layleen's death, Milanya bravely summoned
her voice at her most vulnerable moment and made it heard.
With tears in her eyes, she said, they treated my
sister like she was nothing for how she decided to
be happy. We couldn't get access to any recording of
(06:47):
her speech, but I remember how the audience was right
there in that moment with her captivated.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
I felt overwhelming, but I also felt I don't know,
like I wasn't alone, family wasn't alone, Like the world
wants to know what happened to l'ileen. These humans that
are here that don't know me from a hole in
the wall want to help, and they came out for her.
(07:15):
I remember Leileen will always say, I'm gonna be famous
one day. Watch and everybody's going to talk about me.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
That was like her thing.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
I'm like, okay, girl, yeah, you're gonna be famous, like
you know. So just seeing all that, like I remember
her voice in my head saying that, and I'm like,
oh my gosh, she's like. It was a powerful crowd,
and people have posters with face on them, her name
on them. It was a lot to take in. For
a person like me.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
The life changing loss of her sister would transform her
into an outspoken activist whose organizing work came to be
known far beyond the city limits. I took in the
scores of people who showed up at that rally. I
saw their grief and rage. When it was my turn
(08:11):
to speak, I thought a lot about the power of
naming our ancestors, invoking their enduring spirits, and the importance
of backing that up with transformative action.
Speaker 5 (08:25):
But we are in a war, don't get it twisted.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
This is the recording of my speech on that day,
aired by Democracy Now.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
Black and brown trans people have been in the war
since we were born. And so if you are invoking
the names of Marcia, or invoking the names of Sylvia
or Miss Major or Storm may or these architects of
our movements. Fuck you if you are not suffering.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
I can tell you that at that rally, we did
center trans women of color. We heard from many women
who could relate to Lileen's story in a deeply personal way,
who felt like her fate could have been their own.
Then actor and activist India Moore closed out the demonstration.
Speaker 6 (09:22):
Leileen carmonco the most recently slain a black trans woman.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
I looked up to her.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
That same year, India was named one of Time magazine's
most Influential People of twenty nineteen. Their voice and their
presence brought much needed attention to Laileen's story, and it
also highlighted a reality, even as trans folks were gaining
more visibility, we still weren't protected in the ways that
(09:53):
all people deserve.
Speaker 6 (09:55):
When you're a young trans person, you have the trans
women and people around to look to.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Here's more from Democracy Now's coverage of the rallying.
Speaker 6 (10:04):
When you imagine where you want to see yourself in
your life, Leileen was one of those girls.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
For me, we are all worthy of safety and protection everywhere.
Speaker 5 (10:18):
We will not back down.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
And rest in peace no more.
Speaker 7 (10:22):
Whow in the days and weeks after that rallying, Leyleen's
story came up in interviews and social media posts from
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez,
and then presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
People weren't just saying Leyleen's name. They were talking about
accountability and provoking change. We were already seeing that something
about Leylan's story was different. When I created the Trans
Obituaries for Out magazine in twenty nineteen, I set out
to document and honor the lives of trans women of
(11:06):
color lost. One of the reasons I felt the need
to write obituaries for these souls was that their names
and their experiences were rarely elevated. Often they become statistics
and have their names folded into talking points about grief
and injustice.
Speaker 8 (11:24):
And that was that.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
Leleen's death intersected with so many issues, from trans justice
to the criminalization of sex work, to bail and solitary confinement.
It was impossible to look away. She died during Pride
months and the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. Her
(11:48):
death and the deaths of many trans people of color
were a stark reminder that Pride was rooted in protest.
It wasn't just a celebration, It was a rally cry
that began with the resistance of queer and trans folks
of color. That year, While Pride was bigger and louder
(12:08):
than ever, the advocacy for Leayleen turned up as well.
Milanya was at the center of that charge. During twenty
nineteen and beyond, she became a voice for numerous issues
that Layleen's death made more urgent. She spoke with me
as part of the original trans Obituaries project, and did
(12:31):
interviews for Vogue, The City and at New York Public
Radio's The Green Space. She spoke at city council hearings
and protested at rallies not only for her sister, but
also for the end of solitary confinement and decreasing the
population at rikers. The months after her sister's death were
(12:55):
some of the busiest and most draining in Milania's life.
It all dominated a year later, when Milania spoke in
front of the largest crowds she'd ever addressed at Brooklyn Liberation,
the March for Black trans Lives.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
I'm gonna be telling my grandkids about that one if
you asked me then at that first riley, if I
was going to be standing in front of over fifteen
thousand people, I would have been like, you're crazy. Absolutely not.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
She did it, though, and her speech made it known
that New Yorkers and people everywhere had not forgotten about Leileen.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
And I'm the boys of my sister, and I will
continue to fight for her.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
She is not fighting for her son.
Speaker 9 (13:39):
She speak for her son for you.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
But I'm in this all about I'm coming together.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
And every time they knocked one, it was them.
Speaker 8 (13:54):
We come strong, every time they.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Came stronger, and we show them.
Speaker 9 (14:00):
That we're not going nowhere.
Speaker 8 (14:04):
We're here.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
They're gonna make for us.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
They don't.
Speaker 10 (14:09):
We're taking it.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
Black translike manner.
Speaker 9 (14:17):
My sister, like manner.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
We have, we have like matter.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
They leave was beautiful and we must be remember her.
We must remember everyone that we have lost.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
We never stopped saying their names.
Speaker 9 (14:36):
We never stopped saying their names ever.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
Thank you, We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Welcome back to Afterlives. In the immediate aftermath of l'ileen's death,
Milania became a central voice in the effort to raise
awareness about her loss and the many systemic issues it
intersected with, but alongside rallies and protests was a more
personal reality. Leaalen's family still had to put her to rest.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
I went to the funeral home.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
And before her funeral on June fifteenth, twenty nineteen, Milania
knew she needed to see her sister just one more time.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
I remember I begged the owner and I'm like, you
have to let me dress her. You have to let
me do her hair. You have to. And one of
her friends is going to go and she's gonna do
her makeup, and I remember He's like, we don't do that.
But I didn't give up. I harassed that men. I'm like,
(16:13):
if I don't, she's going to hunt me. I'm telling you,
you do not know my sister. She is going to
make like creepy noises and she is just gonna like
torture me for the rest of my life. I have
to do this.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
The funeral director gave in, and Milania got the time
with Leileen that she wanted. She washed her hair and
dressed her and a tutu and a little crown. Milania
took charge of the funeral. She wanted it to reflect
the vibrancy of her sister's life.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
I didn't want nobody sad because Laylee was a life
of the party, right. She liked to make everybody happy
and everybody smiled. She always questioned why people were all
black to funerals like that was a big thing of hers.
I told everybody, do not wear black, any color that
you want, any color from the rainbow, no black. I
(17:08):
order her flowers and it was like the rainbow flowers.
They were very beautiful. I've never seen the funeral so
bright and so many colors, and usually funerals are very quiet.
But I made sure that I play her house music
because she loved her house music.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
The service was unapologetic, just like Leileen. I wish every
victim had this kind of memorial, including other trans women
who had their lives cut short. In the week surrounding
Pride Month in twenty nineteen.
Speaker 11 (17:53):
The script hasn't been rewritten yet.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
Here's Beverly Tillery, the executive director of the Anti Violence
Project or AVP.
Speaker 11 (18:02):
At that time where we were celebrating the fifteenth anniversary
of Stonewall.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
AVP was one of the organizations.
Speaker 11 (18:10):
Really reminding people who had lost sight of the fact
that Stonewall was really about our community's response to violence.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
She and Eli l worked together on organizing efforts on
Leyleen's Behalf.
Speaker 11 (18:22):
We really tried to play a role in that conversation
and try to remind people that we haven't come out
of that violence.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
Pride season in twenty nineteen was especially violent. AVP published
a special report titled Pride and Pain to bring attention
to just how dire the situation was. They tracked violence
in the LGBTQ community in the US from May fifteenth
to June fifteenth.
Speaker 11 (18:51):
We counted fourteen homicides. Seven of those victims were black
trans women. We counted two fatalities in detention. Both of
those victims were trans women of color. We tracked six dating,
hookup and intimate partner violence incidents, and twenty two anti
(19:15):
LGBTQ protests. I talk and think about this violence all
the time, but it's different to name people's names and
think about the real people.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Right.
Speaker 11 (19:28):
It's important to do, and also it's really hard.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
This series is about Leileen, but it's also about all
of the queer and trans people we've lost. Their deaths
and legacies are connected. When Beverly started to read these
names to me, I felt a lump in my chest.
(19:52):
They were hard to hear, but necessary. We took our time,
We took deep breaths together. If you feel the need,
I encourage you to do so as well.
Speaker 11 (20:11):
May eighteenth, of twenty nineteen, there was a hate violence
fatality in Dallas, Texas. Malaysia Booker, a twenty three year
old black trans woman, was killed, just a month after
a video of her being beaten went viral. On May
nineteenth of twenty nineteen, Michelle Washington, a forty year old
(20:35):
black trans woman, was shot and killed in North Philadelphia.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
I'm with you in it. Yeah, I don't want you
to think that you're.
Speaker 11 (20:45):
Alone, Okay, May twenty fifth, twenty nineteen, ben Detroit, Michigan.
Alonte Davis, a twenty one year old black gay man,
Paris Cameron, a twenty year old black tran, and Timothy Blanchet,
a twenty year old black gay man. We're all targeted
(21:07):
by their perceived sexuality and killed while at home. June fifth,
twenty nineteen, in Lumberton, North Carolina, Chanelle Scurlock, a twenty
three year old black transgender woman, was robbed and killed
by a band she met via an online dating site.
(21:30):
On June fourth, twenty nineteen, a hate violence fatality occurred
in Dallas, Texas. Chanelle Lindsay, a twenty six year old
black trans woman, was killed and found in White Rock
Lake on June fourteenth. Zoe Spears, a twenty year old
(21:51):
black trans woman, was murdered just outside of Washington, d C.
On June twenty sixth, twenty nineteen. Brooklyn Lindsay was a
thirty two year old black trans woman who was found
dead outside of her front porch in Kansas City, Missouri.
Speaker 10 (22:10):
Okay, I'm gonna take a deep breath with you, Okay, one, two, three,
and how hold release.
Speaker 11 (22:37):
There's always a balance between re traumatizing and trying to
humanize and tell the stories of the people who lived
and that we want to honor. And I feel like
we don't always get it right, and there isn't necessarily
a getting it right, but we want that to be
(22:59):
felt because that's important for people to feel that.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
On June tenth, twenty nineteen, three days after Lalen died,
the American Medical Association declared that the violence against trans people,
and especially trans people of color, constituted an epidemic. This
was a significant announcement making it clear that these debts
(23:34):
were not coincidental, they were not purely individual acts. This
was and still is a public health crisis.
Speaker 11 (23:45):
When we think about this as a public health issue,
it puts it in a frame of this is all
of our problem to solve. This is about the health
of individuals, but also our communities to solutions can be
public health paths and not just criminalization, because just having
(24:06):
a hate crime distinction or talking about these issues as
crimes doesn't in the violence, doesn't prevent people from being harmed.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
A public health lens also brings attention to the root
causes of this violence and the bigger systems at play,
like anti trans sentiment now flagrant in the political sphere,
and discrimination in schools, places of work, or other institutions
like hospitals.
Speaker 11 (24:36):
We had a number of town halls just with trans
folks all across the city, and we ask people what
are the issues that you were most concerned about and
what would make you safer. Over and over again, people
talk about a lot of those things that we think
(24:57):
of as the larger safety in society. People mention things
like we need safe and affordable housing, and we need
access to education and access to good paying jobs, so
that we can live in safe communities, that we can
(25:19):
be a part of society, that we can contribute and
be purposeful.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
Almost three out of four trans and gender expansive youth
hear their families make negative remarks about LGBTQ people, and
forty percent of homeless young people are LGBTQ. Into adulthood,
discrimination remains a constant. According to a study by AVP,
(25:46):
Trans New Yorkers are actually more likely to have a
bachelor's degree than the general population, but they're significantly less
likely than other residents to have a full time job,
sit with that or a second The disparity between holding
a degree yet living in poverty is even starker for
(26:10):
trans and gender not conforming people of color.
Speaker 11 (26:14):
If you want to stop finance against trans people, you
actually have to value them. You have to celebrate them.
You have to have an ongoing conversation on gain reality
in which they can see themselves, see the ability to
live their best lives.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
But the reality is that until those changes are made
in a meaningful way, trans women in particular often live
with a sense of precarity. It's something Kristin Lavelle, the
co director of the HBO documentary The Stroll highlighted when
I spoke with her, that could be any one of us,
any one of my friends, you know what I mean.
(26:56):
And it's something that is constantly in the back of
my mind. You don't know the nights that you go
out that you may not make it back. I said,
I think about, like, how at this point now I've
known at least ten people on these lists. So I
try to make it a point to show up to
these things and support of the community because the list
(27:19):
is just getting longer and longer. So it's still happening.
Speaker 5 (27:22):
And just.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
The thing is, we never know. We have to be
very careful with who we interact with, how we interact
with people, because we never know how it will turn out.
Even in the face of all this loss, there's something
that gives me hope. We do have trans elders among
(27:49):
us today, people who continue to tell their stories. When
it gets hard to say these names and recount the
tragedies faced by trans people of color, I find a
lot of strength and leaning on the people whose lives
and stories are still being written, people like Cecilia Gentiei,
(28:09):
who is only fifty one but embraces the role as
an elder in her community. Fifty one for a trans
woman of color in New York City is a victory.
Do you consider yourself a trans elder?
Speaker 8 (28:26):
I am an elder, and I am happy to be
an elder, and I am proud to be an elder.
So yes, I'm an elder.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
You may remember that when Cecilia decided to transition, another
trans woman gave her a bleaque outlook, telling her that
if she wanted to be trans, she could expect to
die young. I asked Cecilia about this, thinking she would
tell me about all the amazing things she's been able
to accomplish. But while being an elder has been a blessing,
(28:59):
it's also been a source of pain for her.
Speaker 8 (29:03):
It is a lot of pride on it, you know.
It is a lot of a surprise feeling. It is
a lot of guilt when I remember all the good
people in my life that die. I feel guilty to
be alive at times, and that's a cloud over my
(29:26):
happiness consistently. I made it to fifty one, and I'm
fucking broke. And I always discuss this with my partner
because my partner is like, you know, how come you
don't have it for one, Kay, how come you don't
have savings? He doesn't do that because he chooses to
be an asshole. He doesn't because his experience in life
allow him to do all of that, and he thinks
(29:49):
that everybody should have done the same. But I'm always
telling him, like, you know, I never thought how you
make it to fifty one? So why who do you
save for an age that you know you are not
going to make it?
Speaker 3 (30:06):
Do?
Speaker 8 (30:07):
I had every opportunity to be dead, and do you here?
You are miser say I'm fucking here.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
Trans people deserve to dream of bright futures and live
to see them come to fruition. Every death is an
injustice that needs to be named, mourned, and accounted for.
But too often, when trans people of color are harmed
and killed, their stories are not accurately reported and justice
(30:45):
becomes a mirage. Leyleen's story and the attention that garnered
marked a shift in the status quo. I asked Beverly
from the Anti Violence Project about this, what would you
say has changed in regards to the epidemic of violence
and the wake of Layleen's death.
Speaker 11 (31:06):
The community response was so much greater than what we
could have expected. I feel like there were so many
layers and parts to her story that it spoke to
so many people. It sort of reached a point in
which we will not go back in terms of our
willingness to name and to talk about and to stand
(31:31):
up for trans women of color. Some of those people
who had gotten activated and politicized after hearing about Leileen
that then were like, Okay, we're going to stand for
trans women.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
It's not always easy, but I'd like to think that
Beverly is right, that there's no going back, that our
transcestors are only pushing us forward. After the break will
turn to another front of the fire for Lalen.
Speaker 9 (32:03):
The lawsuit was entitled Polanco Versus City of New York.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
That's when we come back. We're back with afterlives struck
(32:35):
by grief and unanswered questions, Lalen's family not only spoke
out publicly, they also spoke to civil rights attorney David Shanas.
Speaker 9 (32:47):
Obviously, a horrific tragedy had taken place, and the family
understandably wanted some quick answers as to why, so we
started right away.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
After Lalen's family got in touch with him, he started
reaching out to government officials and city agencies that were
investigating the case. When Layleen's death was initially reported, very
little information was available. All people knew was that she
died in Rikers, not how or where or who was there.
(33:20):
Those are the details David set out to find.
Speaker 9 (33:23):
I would say Layleen's case was somewhat the exception because
of how high profile it was. We had a lot
of people from the government at least telling us that
they wanted to be helpful. I could tell you, having
represented other families whose loved ones have died in Rikers Island,
that typically these people are not going out of their
(33:46):
way to find the family and give them information. Usually
it's much more of a black box. But we were
able relatively quickly to find out the basics about what
had happened and where we needed to go to get
some more sif answers.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
It's hard to hear that what should be the bare
minimum is so rare. But as information started to come
to light about Leylan's treatment at Rikers and within the
Carcero system at large, David's course of action became clear
direct legal action. In August of twenty nineteen, David and
(34:24):
Lalen's family sued the city.
Speaker 9 (34:27):
The lawsuit was entitled to Polanco Versus the City of
New York at All. There were a number of individuals
who were named in the lawsuit, including correction officers who
were there supervisors, some medical personnel, some of the supervisory
correction officials who had authorized Leylan's placement in solitary confinement.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Pressure on the city didn't let up. In the months
that followed. More press came out and more information came
to light. Activist remain engaged, pushing for policy change and
showing up to court dates for the lawsuit. It took
a year, but the following summer, official reports and investigations
(35:12):
were finally released. On June fifth, twenty twenty, the bronx
DA put out a press release announcing their decision not
to pursue any charges in Leylan's case. This effectively closed
the door on anyone being held criminally responsible for her death.
Speaker 9 (35:35):
No one expected the bronx DA to bring charges. People
who are familiar with these types of cases know that
criminal charges don't get brought for these Whether they should
or shouldn't, that's a different conversation. But we knew that
the likelihood of any kind of criminal prosecution was basically
nothing from the start.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
The DA's office also released a nearly ze five page
public report detailing their findings about what happened the day
Layleen died. It's mostly a play by play of the
day and a list of reasons why criminal charges didn't
apply to Lalen's case. The report also dead named Leleen,
(36:18):
referring to her by a name she no longer used.
The following day, the city's Department of Investigation published its
own report assessing whether Department of Correction personnel contributed to
Lalen's death. It concluded that they did not. That report
also dead named Laileen. While not many people had faith
(36:43):
that the system would lead to justice, it was still
disappointing a reminder that the cards were always stacked against Lealeen.
But Lalen's family decided to take matters into their own hands.
They wanted to show the world what happened so people
could see with their own eyes that her death wasn't
(37:04):
inevitable and that she could have been saved. On June thirteenth,
they publicly released the security camera footage from outside of
Layleen's cell the day she died.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
Just seeing how those CEOs could have helped her. Here's
Milania just seeing how she was treated in her last moments.
They killed her just by looking at that video. There
was no type of human act there. It was monsters
with my sister, and that's the last thing she seen
(37:37):
was monsters.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
The video was a turning point. It would add more
fuel to Layleen's cause. Even if criminal charges would never come,
the public would see what happened in side Rikers. Just
one day after its release, Milanya channeled that anger and
grief into that speech in front of thousands of people
(38:02):
at the Brooklyn Liberation March.
Speaker 9 (38:05):
And to the District DA.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
I have a few words for her.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
She called out the DA's office and their report. She
was not going to back down.
Speaker 4 (38:16):
That apology.
Speaker 12 (38:19):
That she made me.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
I have the dead name and my sister, well, she
clearly has the record in my sister's that certificate which
states they lean exta who we.
Speaker 9 (38:32):
Let the block go.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
She dead named me.
Speaker 9 (38:41):
And when I first heard, I didn't even.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
Bother honestly to read the report because I had no
faith in them. How can I trust the people that
killed her? I didn't expect anything from them. But then
even her, oh you're gonna hear from me.
Speaker 1 (39:01):
Just over a week later, the Board of Correction, a
government watchdog, published their own findings. The purpose of this
report wasn't to focus on wrongdoing, but to make recommendations
about policy and practices that could prevent something like this
from happening in the future. David told us this report
(39:22):
stood out for being especially thorough and trustworthy, but that
didn't mean the doc or Correctional Health Services had to
do anything in response, and most things went unchanged. Activists
and Laleen's loved ones had been doing this dance with
government officials for over a year at this point. On
(39:43):
June twenty ninth, Mayor Bill de Blasio held a press conference.
He announced that disciplinary action for rikers correction officers was
being taken.
Speaker 12 (39:53):
Her family deserves justice, the transgender community deserves justice.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
We have to right the wrong.
Speaker 12 (40:00):
There has been accountability. Seventeen correction officers have been disciplined
for suspended without pay, and this is just the start
of the disciplinary process.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
But no other information followed beyond the suspensions. It was
never made clear what type of disciplinary action would be taken.
The president of the Correction Officers union made a point
to say he intended to resist this decision, calling it
an egregious abuse of power. It was a tumultuous summer.
(40:32):
The movement for Black Lives had reached a new level
of collective acceptance, capturing how fed up people were across
the country with systemic inaction in the face of deaths
at the hands of the state. But at the end
of August, a year after the lawsuit was first filed,
(40:52):
Lealen's family was awarded five point nine million dollars in
a settlement. This was a win.
Speaker 9 (41:02):
Laalen's life matters. Here's David and having obtained the highest
settlement the city has ever paid in the case of
a death in custody. That was also a symbol that
what happened to her was unacceptable.
Speaker 1 (41:20):
On one hand, I agree with David. This was a
victory not only for Laalen's family, but for organizers who
had sustained pressure on the city for over a year
since l'ileen's death. This was a symbol that they were heard.
But it was only a symbol. It couldn't bring Laileen back.
(41:44):
It wasn't even an attempt to change the realities that
led to her death. It was money which had power
in and of itself. But for Milanya, it couldn't provide
the sense of justice she yearned for.
Speaker 2 (42:00):
It wasn't really the lawsuit. I would like to see change,
especially with the LGBTQ community that suffers so much, especially
transgender women and women of color. And eventually, my biggest
dream is knocking Rikers Island down, just I want to
physically be there and watch it just collapse and maybe
(42:24):
something beautiful coming out of it. I still believe that,
no matter what, my sister's not resting in peace, I
believe that her spirit still is in Rigors Island. So
my dream is to knock it down.
Speaker 1 (42:46):
Next time on Afterlives will look beyond the initial rallies
and reports to explore policies that pass in Lalen's name
and whether they are strong enough to prevent a tragedy
like hers from happening in the future.
Speaker 3 (43:03):
A lot of the biggest boxshet headlines unfortunately having fully
come to fruition.
Speaker 1 (43:08):
What happened with the walking Well trans bit, I would
have to say, was absolutely phenomenon.
Speaker 12 (43:13):
So let's take the next step. Let's end solitary confinement
all together.
Speaker 3 (43:19):
Once those cell block doors close, it's hard to enforce
rules that politicians make on the outside.
Speaker 8 (43:26):
This is why we need to be here, so that
we can avoid unsy desks like this.
Speaker 5 (43:33):
Run.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
Thank you so much for listening to Afterlives. You can
find this episode and future ones on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave
us a writing and review to let us know what
you think. After Lives a production of iHeart Podcasts and
(44:02):
The Outspoken Podcast Network in partnership with the School of Humans.
I'm your host and creator Raquel Willis. Dylan Hoyer is
our senior producer and scriptwriter. Our associate producer is Joey
pat Sound design and engineering by Daisy Makes Radio Productions,
(44:23):
with additional support from Jess Krinchitch, Story editing by Aaron
Edwards and Julia Ferlaan, fact checking by Savannah Hugiley. Our
show art is by Makai Baldwin. The score composed by
Wisley Murray. Our production manager is Daisy Church. Special thanks
to L. E. L. Cruz for the recordings of the
(44:46):
Brooklyn Liberation March. Executive producers include me, Raquel Willis, and
Jay Brunson from The Outspoken Podcast Network. Michael Alder June
and Noel Brown from iHeart Podcast, Virginia Prescott, Brandon Barr,
and Elsie Crowley from School of Humans and The Cats Company.
Speaker 4 (45:12):
School of Humans,
Host
Raquel Willis
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