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The In Memoriam Page is the complete listing.
NCAVP mourns the death of Shaki Peters, a 32-year-old Black transgender woman found dead in Amite City, Louisiana on July 1st. Police have ruled her death a homicide, and have determined a person of interest for her murder.
Shaki’s death falls in a 9-day window of a particularly deadly period for Black transgender women, in which 5 other Black trans women were found dead between June 25th and July 3rd – 4 of the losses were also due to violence. Their names were Brayla Stone, Merci Mack, Tatiana Hall, Draya McCarty, and Bree Black. It remains unconfirmed whether Draya’s death was due to a homicide, but she was also found dead in the Baton Rouge area.
On Shaki’s murder, community group Louisiana Trans Advocates stated: “Amite and Louisiana leaders must speak out against these killings, against the ongoing, systemic devaluation of trans people that pervades our media and politics, and against the institutional racism that places almost all of this burden on trans women of color. … As we mourn the loss of Shaki and Draya we must double down our efforts to ensure that all trans people across the state have access to safety.”
NCAVP stands in solidarity with Black trans women, and we know that it is always hard to read these reports of violence against our communities. We know this can be even more painful when there continues to be an unchecked epidemic of homicides of Black trans women, as police violence is escalating against Black and brown people, and our nation continues to be grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic that highlights long standing healthcare disparities for Black and brown communities. If you need support in these difficult times, you can always reach out to your local NCAVP member. If you or someone you know is experiencing violence, you can reach our free bilingual national hotline at 212-714-1141 or report online for support.
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.