Syracuse Herald (Syracuse, New York) - November 15, 2008
Family says Moses Cannon was shot because he was gay, and his killing should be treated as a hate crime
By: Sapna KollaliMoses "Teish" Cannon was openly gay, and his family said today that is why he was shot and killed Friday night. His death should be treated as a hate crime, they said.
Cannon, 22, of 404 Arthur St., was shot about 8:45 pm Friday as he sat in a car parked in front of 411 Seymour St., police said. His brother Mark Cannon, 18, and a third person were in the car when a man with a gun walked up, Syracuse police said.
The gunman fired into the vehicle and hit both Moses and Mark Cannon, who were in the front seats, the report said. Mark Cannon, who was in the driver's seat, drove the car about 13 blocks from Seymour Street to Arthur Street, where police found them, the report said.
The Cannons were taken by ambulance to University Hospital, where Moses Cannon was pronounced dead and Mark Cannon was treated for a non-life threatening injury. Moses Cannon was killed, his mother said, because he was gay. "This death was senseless, and I'm very angry," Roxanne Green said.
Green said she received a phone call at 5:30 am Saturday from a woman who claimed to know the circumstances of the killing. The caller told Green that her son was shot because the shooter objected to his sexual orientation.
Mark Cannon agrees that his brother was lured to Seymour Street. The brother had received a call from a girl they knew. She wanted them to come to Seymour Street to talk, Mark Cannon said. He said they were still talking with the girl when the shooter walked up. Because it is an active homicide investigation, police won't comment on a motive for the shooting, said Sgt. Tom Connellan, speaking for police.
Green talked lovingly about Moses Cannon and said she accepted who he was. "That's the life he chose. That's who he wanted to be," Green said about her son.
Green said her son was very outgoing. "He got along with everybody," she said. Cannon's family accepted his sexual orientation. Pictures of Cannon in women's clothing were on display in the family's living room, and the family selected one for The Post-Standard to publish. Often when family members spoken to Cannon, they used "she" to refer to him.
Dante Haynes, who described himself as Cannon's lover, sat at the dining room table tonight with Cannon's parents and family. "Teish" is tattooed on his right forearm "I loved her, too" Hayned said. "She will be missed."
Teish was loving, caring and compassionate," said Rhonda Gary, Cannon's aunt, "She carried herself with respect." The family did not mince words. Cannon's death, they said, was a hate crime. The family said the person who shot Moses Canon deserves a sentence of life in prison without parole. "I feel the person who lured him there (to Seymour Street) should get the same," Green said.
Moses Cannon was unemployed but formerly worked as a supervisor with the Motel 6 on Carrier Circle, his mother said. The person who was in the back seat was not injured, police said. They would not identify that person. Police are still investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call 315-442-5222.
GLAAD (United State) - November 19, 2008
Vigil Held for Lateisha Green
A vigil was held last night for Lateisha Green, a 22 year-old African American transgender woman. Lateisha, also known as Teish, was murdered Monday in Syracuse, NY. According to an article from News 10, Lateisha's family and friends as well as community members attended the vigil. The Director of the Syracuse University's LGBT Resource Center, Adrea Jaehnig, noted that such a murder often has deeper meanings for the community.
"We should be concerned and outraged that this happened, but I think we need to look deeper at the roots of where this hatred comes from."
Lateisha's family and the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund are requesting that the murder by investigated as a potential hate crime. According to the same article, police believe Lateisha was killed because of who she was, but are still investigating. The District Attorney's office will determine if they murder is a hate crime.
Vera House, a support center for survivors of domestic and sexual assault, has set up a crisis response number to assist with Lateisha's death. If you need to talk about the crime and how it's impacting you or a loved one, you can call (315) 468-3260.
Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund - July 2009
On July 13, 2009, the trial for the murder of Lateisha Green - a 22-year-old African American transgender woman - will begin in Syracuse, New York. Due to this landmark case's complexities and its significance for LGBT people, it is of utmost importance that media coverage of Lateisha's tragic death be inclusive, accurate, and respectful of a community that is too often targeted for harassment and violence.
On November 14, 2008, Lateisha "Tiesh" Green was shot and killed outside a house party in Syracuse, New York. The accused shooter, Dwight R. DeLee, was allegedly motivated by anti-LGBT bias and his belief that Lateisha was gay. The Onondaga County District Attorney has charged DeLee with second degree murder as a hate crime.
That Lateisha was, in fact, transgender highlights the unique nature of this prosecution, as well as the need for reform of New York State and federal hate crime laws. New York State law currently classifies it as a hate crime for an individual to target and attack a victim because of the victim's actual or perceived sexual orientation. While Lateisha was a transgender woman, Lateisha's murder is a hate crime because her attacker perceived her to be gay and targeted hate crime laws include gender identity or gender expression as protected hate crime categories. Indeed, federal law includes neither gender identity and expression nor sexual orientation as hate crime categories.
