Pennsylvania NOW’s letter to PA Attorney General Kathleen Kane:

Dear Attorney General Kane,

The Pennsylvania National Organization for Women (PA NOW) supports the Justice for Nizah Morris Committee (letter attached) and urges you to “review the facts and the Police Department’s investigation in the Nizah Morris homicide,” as requested by the Police Advisory Commission in its March 28, 2013 review (page 11) of this crime.

PA NOW has a long-standing history of fighting against bigotry, racism, gender-based discrimination and violence against women. There have been too many unsolved homicides of transgender women in Philadelphia over the past 15 years, including Erica Keels in 2007, Stacey Blahnick in 2010, Kyra Cordova in 2012 and Diamond Williams in 2013. Except in the case of Diamond Williams, their killers remain at large. These were all transgender women of color, as was Nizah.

Many discrepancies in the case have not been clarified and the Philadelphia Police Department “lost” the case file for eight years. It’s clear that for more than a decade, the death of Nizah Morris has not gotten the thorough investigation it deserves. Every effort must be made to know the circumstances surrounding her death, and to make sure “justice for all” applies to everyone regardless of gender identity. We call on your office to look into the facts of the Nizah Morris case, to give her the justice she deserves.

Sincerely,

Caryn Hunt
Pennsylvania NOW, Inc.