Riot Nrrd

So, if you follow me on twitter or tumblr, you know that I’ve been talking a lot and linking to a lot things about a guy I was lucky enough to meet and work with when I was in college, Justin Adkins.  He was on the Brooklyn Bridge when so many Occupy Wall Street protestors were arrested. Legal observers were taking information about people getting arrested – names, birth dates – and Justin told them that he is transgender, since he rightly thought that fact might affect where he was held and how he was treated. I won’t rehash the whole story here, but please, read his statement. Today it got a lot of coverage around the internet, including a piece at ThinkProgress and the front page of Huffington Post (which I’m not going to link because the comments have been really upsetting to me and I don’t want to be tempted to read them again).

But a lot of the coverage is missing an essential piece: Justin is sharing this story so far and wide because he hopes that the NYPD will establish a written protocol for transgender detainees and NY officers will be trained in how to deal with transgender people. A lot of cities have such protocol and training. New York does not. You can file a complaint with the NY Police Commissioner here, or if you’re into phones, call the NYPD Switchboard at 1-646-610-5000.

If you’re not sure what to write, there’s a sample complaint (penned by Justin) below the fold.

“Justin Adkins, a transgender man who was arrested at the Occupy Wall Street Protest October 1st on the Brooklyn Bridge, was mistreated while in custody at Precinct 90 because he is transgender. He was handcuffed to a railing next to a restroom for at least 8 hours, made fun of, and not given food. The NYPD needs to have a written protocol and train its officers on how to treat transgender people.”