Especially here in Baltimore…

Woman: I Was Attacked For Being Transgendered

On her way to buy some orange juice, 26-year-old Pamela Brown, who started living as a woman three years ago, said she was viciously attacked because she is transgendered.

"I saw five guys blocking the storeway.  They called me a [expletive deleted] and then I was hit.  Then I was attacked by two more guys from the back and my fiance ran over," she said.  "I probably could have been killed if I was by myself."

Brown is now recovering while in protective police custody. 

Meanwhile, two young men have been arrested near the Old Town Mall in Baltimore where the beating occurred.

Police commented on the attack last week.

"More than likely it will be upgraded to a hate crime, simply because of the things that were being said," said Troy Harris, Baltimore City Police spokesperson.

But now the city state’s attorney’s office is not pursuing hate crime charges. Why?

A spokesperson says while there was provocative language, it is free speech and there’s no evidence of premeditation.

Dig it.  If you’re gay or transgendered here in Baltimore, and someone walks up and beats the crap out of you while calling you a fucking faggot, that’s not a hate crime here in Baltimore, because the fact that they used sexual slurs while they were beating the crap out of you isn’t evidence of either hate or premeditation, merely one citizen’s opinion of another.

This actually isn’t the only kind of crime Baltimore city chronically under reports.  And Baltimore probably isn’t alone in that regard either.  But check out the link I have on the right to the Baltimore Crime blog every now and then to see just how infrequently the violent criminals around here actually get the attention they need.  Between our police department, which as been known to threaten victims for reporting crimes, and Patricia Jessamy, our pathetic state’s attorney who drops charges more frequently then a blizzard drops snowflakes, a lot of stuff around just gets swept under the rug, or dropped somewhere they hope nobody will notice.  Which is all to say that it isn’t necessarily prejudice that’s motivating Patricia to under report hate crimes against sexual minorities here in Baltimore.  More likely then not it’s just standard operating procedure.

But now some of Baltimore’s black ministers are gearing up to wage Kultur Krieg on Maryland’s gay community over same sex marriage…so expect Patricia to be classifying more violent crimes against gay and transgendered people as freedom of speech in the coming months.  Hopefully my family and friends won’t be seeing my name in that roll call.