NCAVP mourns the homicide of Ava Le’Ray Barrin, a black transgender teenage girl killed in Athens, GA

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) mourns the homicide of Ava Le’Ray Barrin, a black transgender teenage girl, killed in Athens, Georgia on June 25th, 2017. According to media reports, Ava was fatally shot after an argument with Jalen Brown, an acquaintance. Brown has been charged with her murder and aggravated assault. Ava, who was seventeen years old, is the youngest transgender person killed this year. Friends and family came from as far as Chicago to mourn and remember her life at a vigil in Athens on Monday.

“We send care and support to everyone who knew Ava and has been impacted by this tragic loss,” said LaLa Zannell, Lead Organizer at the New York City Anti-Violence Project. “In mourning Ava’s death, we must take the time now to make space to talk about the root causes of interpersonal, community violence. Though we know to call out hate violence, we need to deepen our analysis of the systemic violence that affects our communities and how it manifests in interpersonal violence, which deeply affects all of us—not just the people at the center of an incident.”

NCAVP’s most recent hate violence report, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and HIV-Affected Hate Violence in 2016, recorded 77 total hate violence related homicides of LGBTQ and HIV-affected people in 2016, including the 49 mostly LGBTQ and Latinx lives lost in the shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida in June of 2016. Outside of those lives lost during the shooting at Pulse Nightclub, there were 28 homicides of LGBTQ people, an increase of 17% from 24 in 2015. Of the 28 reported non-Pulse hate violence homicides, 79% were people of color, 19 were transgender and gender non-conforming people, and 17 were transgender women of color.

NCAVP’s most recent intimate partner violence report, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and HIV-Affected Intimate Partner Violence in 2015, recorded 13 intimate partner violence-related homicides in 2015. Of those homicides, six were transgender women of color.

NCAVP is a resource for anyone who experiences violence.  For more information, or to locate an anti-violence program in your area, please contact us at info@ncavp.org or visit us online.  Join NCAVP in our efforts to prevent and respond to LGBTQ and HIV-affected violence.  To learn more about our national advocacy and receive technical assistance or support, contact us at info@ncavp.org.

NCAVP works to prevent, respond to, and end all forms of violence against and within lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and HIV-affected communities.  NCAVP is a national coalition of local member programs and affiliate organizations who create systemic and social change.  NCAVP is a program of the New York City Anti-Violence Project.