Trans woman says she was ‘on the ground bleeding’ after suspected transphobic attack
Atlas told KATU she was left bleeding on the ground
A trans woman and her friend were brutally attacked and left bleeding on the ground in Portland, Oregon, in what police say is a potential hate crime.
The woman, identified by local channel KATU as Atlas, says she was set upon by a group of men last Thursday, September 12, at around 2:30am.
Trans woman ‘left bleeding on the ground’ after violent attack.
She told the outlet: “Very quickly you could tell that [one of the men] had noticed that I am trans.
“He started calling me all kind of slurs and homophobic and transphobic things.
“He just got more and more escalated and continued to say more and more things that were very much like hate speech.
“Then he started to approach me. Then he and his friend attacked me.”
Atlas told KATU she was left bleeding on the ground
Atlas was left bleeding on the ground with bruising on her head and knees, while her friend had her nose broken.
She added: “My whole body hurt, like honestly, it felt like I had gotten hit by a truck.”
Portland Police Bureau confirmed it is investigating the attack as a potential hate crime.
Portland Police investigating possible hate crime.
In a release, the department said: “Portland Police detectives are requesting help from the public as they investigate a potential bias crime that was reported in downtown Portland last week.
“On Thursday, September 12, 2019 at 2.30am, central precinct officers were dispatched to a report of an assault in a parking lot in the 300 Block of West Burnside Street.
“When they arrived they located three victims who said they had been assaulted by a group that had left. Officers attempted to locate the suspects but they had already left the area.
“Upon investigating, the officers learned one of the victims was transgender and there were elements of the crime that possibly met the criteria for a bias crime. Officers notified the bias crime detail and the case is now assigned to a detective.
“Investigators are requesting that if anyone was a witness to this incident and has not spoken to police, has information about it, or video evidence, to contact detective Shaye Samora at [email protected] or 503-823-0416 and reference Case #19-314989.
“The Bureau investigates all reports of bias-motivated crimes and encourages any member of our community who is the victim of such a crime to contact law enforcement.”
Atlas told KATU: “Having someone want to hurt me because of the fact that I live a life that makes me happy and truly feel that this is who I am is really scary to me.
“This is just going to make me even more diligent when it comes to fighting so the next person doesn’t have to.”
The city of Portland saw another alleged anti-trans attack earlier this month, when a trans Lyft driver was attacked by a drunk passenger who told her she was “nothing but a man”.
