Encouraged by reports of an upcoming review of lethal force used by Philadelphia police, advocates for Nizah Morris are pushing for a federal probe of her homicide.
Representatives of the U.S Department of Justice will be in Philadelphia in July to assist with the review, requested by Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey.
Morris was a transgender woman found with blunt-force trauma to her head shortly after she received a courtesy ride from Philadelphia police in 2002.
Her homicide remains unsolved, and Morris’ relatives are concerned that police used excessive force while transporting her.
Rich Wilson, 61, a longtime LGBT advocate, is endeavoring to form a committee to push for a federal probe of Morris’ death.
“Apparently the feds are going to be here in July, so we should take advantage of that opportunity,” Wilson told PGN.
Wilson said anyone who wants to join the Justice For Nizah committee may contact him at [email protected].
He said it’s logical to view the police as suspects, because their sworn testimony about the Morris incident is directly contradicted by civilian witnesses.
“The police version of events appears to be a bundle of lies,” Wilson said. “Naturally, if the last known people to be in the presence of a murder victim are lying, suspicion is going to fall on them.”
He hopes to organize a town-hall meeting at the William Way LGBT Community Center to explore ways of securing a federal probe.
“The local authorities are pulling our chain,” Wilson added. “We’ve reached the end of the rope with them. We need to explore ways of getting the attention of the feds.”
He expressed particular concern that the unredacted police report in the Morris case was withheld from the city’s Police Advisory Commission until 2011.
The unredacted report ascribes male and female genders to Morris, but says nothing about the courtesy ride and her subsequent assault.
“Obviously, the cops played pronoun games to help dummy-down their report,” Wilson said. “If they can get away with that in the Morris case, what’s to stop them from doing the same thing with other transgender victims?”
PAC members didn’t obtain a copy of the report until eight years after it was written, at which time they said it was too late to question police about it.
“The cops successfully evaded the civilian-oversight mechanism that’s in place in Philadelphia,” Wilson continued. “They shouldn’t be allowed to evade an unbiased criminal probe. That’s why federal intervention is crucial.”
In April, the PAC issued a report that recommends state and federal probes of the Morris case.
Last month, the state Office of the Attorney General referred the matter to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office.
But Wilson said the D.A.’s office has shown itself to be incapable of investigating the Morris case in an unbiased manner.
He also said a federal review could clarify whether the D.A. has any Morris-related 911 tapes.
“The D.A.’s office told the PAC that it doesn’t have 911 tapes of the Morris incident,” Wilson noted. “But that doesn’t make any sense. If a federal review determines that the D.A. does, indeed, have the tapes, then safeguards can be put in place so the PAC isn’t misled by the D.A. in future cases.”
Ramsey hadn’t responded to the PAC report at press time, though his response was due by May 5.
Lt. John Stanford, a Ramsey spokesperson, had no comment on whether Ramsey will respond to the PAC report, nor whether Ramsey will request a federal probe of Morris’ homicide.
Peter H. Jacoby, another LGBT advocate, said the review of lethal force in Philadelphia is happening at a fortuitous time.
“Federal personnel who will already be reviewing the police department’s use of deadly force could also look into the circumstances of Ms. Morris’ death,” Jacoby said. “The challenge will be to convince the Justice Department to initiate a separate inquiry into the Morris matter.”
Jacoby, 64, is drafting a letter to the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C., requesting an investigation into the Morris case.
He also plans to post a petition in support of such a probe on change.org, after consulting with relatives of Morris.
“From what I’ve seen of other petitions on that website, we should be able to garner several-thousand names on the petition, both from the Philadelphia LGBTQ community and its allies and from other LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ folks elsewhere in the nation who recognize that this case needs to be properly investigated to preserve not only the Morris family’s interest, but also the broader interest in combating possible police abuses against disfavored segments of the population of all genders, gender identities and races,” he said.
Nadia Fairbairn, a local transwoman, said she supports justice for Morris, holding that many other transpeople of color have been victimized by police.
“The Nizah Morris case is reflective of the systemic racism and transphobia within the Philadelphia Police Department,” said Fairbairn, 29. “But it’s just the tip of the iceberg of all the under-investigated crimes of violence against people of color in this city.”