➤ LAYLEEN POLANCO, from p.20
the investigations and reiterated to
Gay City News that Rikers offi cials
knew Polanco was epileptic and
had multiple seizures in the recent
past leading up to her death.
“One detail you can fi nd buried
in the Department of Investigation’s
report is that on May 24, a doctor
warned offi cials that Layleen could
not be placed in solitary because
of her epilepsy,” Shaines said in an
email following the Bronx DA’s announcement.
“The DOI report says
nothing about that fact, and the
DA’s report does not even mention
it. That tells you everything you
need to know about these so-called
‘investigations.’”
DOC offi cials discovered Polanco
unconscious in her cell at
2:40 p.m. on the day she died,
and Shanies later told Gay City
News that the decision to place
her in punitive segregation despite
her health condition “became her
death warrant.”
Shanies did not directly specify
how or whether the results of
theseinvestigations into Polanco’s
➤ TWO MURDERS, from p.20
“Seeing the news completely
dead-name and misgender my sister
was like seeing someone just
wipe her existence clean away,” Ariel
wrote before directing her attention
to the sheriff, who, she said,
refused to correct himself after he
misgendered her late sister.
“Your ignorance is noted,” Ariel
said. “I need you, for a second, to
place yourself in someone else’s
shoes. Imagine someone who you
loved died in a tragic way and
you fi nd out that the very people
who are supposed to ‘protect’ and
‘serve’ completely misgender them
and call them an entirely different
name, how would you feel?”
The Butler County Sheriff’s Offi
ce in Liberty Township did not respond
to Gay City News’ queries.
Meanwhile, police appear to
have made little headway in addressing
the disturbing death of
Fells, whose body was found fl oating
in the Schuylkill River near
Bartram’s Garden Dock and Community
Boathouse, according to
Fox29 in Philadelphia. There are
very few details regarding the circumstances
death might impact the family’s
federal civil rights lawsuit.
On July 30 of last year, the Offi
ce of the Chief Medical Examiner
classifi ed Polanco died as “natural”
and a “sudden unexplained
death in epilepsy (SUDEP) due to
or as a consequence of mutation
in CACNA1H gene.” Chief Medical
Examiner Barbara Sampson told
Gay City News in a written statement
at the time that genetic testing
showed a “biological mutation
in the CANNA1H gene which is the
likely cause of her epilepsy; variants
in this gene are associated
with seizures.”
The DA’s June 5 announcement
came nearly one year to the day after
Polanco died, and only days later
did Clark, who did not respond
to Gay City News’ request for comment,
apologize for deadnaming
her.
This week, video footage emerged
showing that guards waited roughly
an hour and a half to take action
during Polanco’s seizures.
Attempts to reach Polanco’s family
for comment were unsuccessful.
of her death and Philadelphia
police did not respond to
requests for information.
The City of Philadelphia’s Offi
ce of LGBT Affairs announced
that the police’s Homicide Unit is
working to identify and arrest “the
person or persons” responsible for
Fells murder.
“As thousands take to the streets
to proclaim that Black Lives Matter,
it is critical we remember that
this includes Black trans lives,”
the LGBT Affairs offi ce said in a
written statement. “Dominique
Rem’mie Fells’ life mattered. We
are committed to ensuring that
acts of discrimination, bigotry, and
hatred are never tolerated in the
city of Philadelphia. Know that we
see you, we grieve with you, and we
join you in solidarity at this time of
great sadness.”
According to the Human Rights
Campaign, the two victims represented
the 14th and 15th transgender
people to die violent deaths
in the US this year.
GoFundMe pages have been
posted by Fells’ sister and Milton’s
sister to raise funds for funeral
services.
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