Transgendered Woman Brutally Beaten In Baltimore Area McDonald's

A 22 year old transgendered woman was severely beaten at a McDonald's location in Rosedale, Maryland, a Baltimore suburb on April 18th.  She was using the ladies restroom, when two females, aged 14 and 18, dragged her out by her hair, and proceeded to beat her mercilessly.  The attack went on for three minutes or more, while customers and employees of the restaurant stood back and watched.  The manager feigned an attempt to break up the fight, while an elderly woman literally tried to get between one of the attackers and the victim.

To add insult to injury, an employee of the chain, 22 year old Vernon Hackett, recorded the hate crime on his cell phone, all the while yelling, "That's a fucking dude".  By the end of the attack, the victim is shown in the doorway of the McDonald's entrance, having a seizure.

***The following video is NOT SAFE FOR WORK.  It is very violent and may be disturbing to some viewers. It shows an individual getting beaten, almost to death, simply because of their sexual orientation.***



To make matters even worse, Mr. Hackett posted the following message on his Facebook page regarding the attack the following morning:

This is someone that has been working at this McDonald's location, according to sources, since September of 2009.  Instead of helping someone in need, he taunted the victim and recorded them getting beaten while on duty.  Then, he went home and publicly insulted the victim.  At last check, he's still an employee of the company.  Since posting this status update, he has deleted his Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube accounts.  The video and status update were thankfully copied by other people before the pages were taken down.

Please go to an an online petition at Change.org, demanding that the employees that were working on the night of April 18th be held responsible for the beating of this woman.  Most did nothing to help her.  Some even encouraged the two young women that attacked her, and even told them to "Run, before the police get here".  Conduct like this is unacceptable.

The 14 year old involved has been charged as a juvenile, and the 18 year old has charges pending against her.  Equality Maryland is pushing for the women to be charged with hate crimes.

Update:  Within the last hour, the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the woman has died (see update number 5) from her injuries.

Update #2:  Fox News is reporting that the victim was not transgendered, but instead, a "male cross dresser".  Of course, they are!  First of all, I don't think the right wing homophobes at Fox News have ever even used the word "transgendered".  They probably wouldn't know how to spell it if they tried.  Secondly, they are basing that report on the Facebook post of the employee that took the video and incited the attackers.  He should be charged as an accessory.

If you watch the clip again, and I hate to ask you to do so, at around the 1:00 mark, you can hear the victim say, "Where am I supposed to go, then?".  In my mind, at least, that tells me that she's transgendered.  In reality, it doesn't matter.  Even if she was a "cross dresser" (dammit, I hate that term), if she identifies herself as a woman, she's a woman.  End of story.

Update #3:  Earlier this month, HB 235, Maryland's "Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Anti-discrimination" bill died in the state Senate.  The bill was to have sweeping protections for transgendered individuals when it came to discrimination regarding employment, housing, and public accommodations.  A key reason that the bill died was due to debate as to whether "public accommodations" would include the use of public restrooms.  Many elected officials thought it would be too controversial to approve such a measure, and decided to indefinitely delay the bill.  I wonder if the bill will likely come up for reconsideration now.

Update #4:  According to the Baltimore Sun, Vernon Hackett, the McDonald's employee that videotaped the beating with his cellphone, and encouraged the attackers, "Police on their way. Y'all better get out of here.", has been fired:

"My first and foremost concern is with the victim," franchise owner Mitchell McPherson said in a statement, adding that action might be taken against other restaurant workers as well. "I'm as shocked and disturbed by this assault as anyone would be. The behavior displayed in the video is unfathomable and reprehensible."

Other employees can be heard in the video laughing and egging on the two assailants.  As of Friday afternoon, Baltimore Police would not release the condition of the victim.

I would love to be a fly on the wall during Vernon's next job interview, when he's asked, "So, what made you leave McDonald's?".

Update #5:  Finally, some good news emerging from this story, if that is even possible.  Contrary to prior reports, Chrissy Lee Polis has not died from her injuries.  In fact, she is out of the hospital.  She completed a video interview for the Baltimore Sun, which can be seen below.  In it, she harshly criticizes the employees of the McDonald's restaurant for standing by and doing nothing while she was getting beaten.  She also says that, at the moment, she is afraid to leave her home.  She would also like to meet the elderly woman that stepped in and tried to save her, so that she can thank her personally.