Community Rallies to Hold Vigil for Trans Woman Islan Nettles in Harlem
Today, the family of Islan Nettles, a 21-year-old trans woman that was brutally assaulted in New York’s Harlem neighborhood, will join community members and organizations to honor her life and memory.
On Saturday, August 17, Paris Wilson, 20, repeatedly punched Nettles in the face after he and a group of friends spewed slurs, cops said. The victim was placed on life support at Harlem Hospital. Police arrested Wilson on a misdemeanor assault charge after a friend of Nettles identified him. Nettles, who was pronounced brain-dead, was removed from life-support on Thursday, August 22 around the same time Wilson was being freed on just $2,000 bail.
Groups like Harlem Pride, the Anti-Violence Project, and LGBT Faith Leaders of African Descent will gather with the family this evening, Tuesday, August 27, at 6 p.m. The vigil will take place at Jackie Robinson Park, W. 148th Street and Bradhurst Avenue, Harlem, NY (just down the street from the location of this tragic incident).
The attack on Nettles, the latest in a series of troubling anti-LGBT attacks in the city, is being investigated as a hate crime. Crimes against LGBT New Yorkers have allegedly doubled in the last year.
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