Murdered by an undercover officer while in custody in his vehicle: More than 100 family and friends gathered at South-wood Elementary School for a vigil for 23-year-old Donna Castleberry.Police said Castleberry was fatally shot Thursday morning after stabbing an undercover police officer during an investigation into prostitution.
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While Hollywood might make you believe otherwise, serial killers are quite rare. Of almost 16,000 homicide victims in the United States in 2015, just 0.3 percent (26 people) died at the hands of a serial killer, according to data from the FBI and the Serial Killer Information Center, a project by researchers at Radford University in Virginia and Florida Gulf Coast University. On average, 20 serial killers were active in the United States in any given year this decade, according to the center. That’s why investigators didn’t immediately recognize that Robin, Joanne Brown, Sarah Butler, and another woman who survived an attack could have fallen prey to the same person.
Read MoreShock as client reportedly murders prostitute in Borno March 29, 2018 Daily Post Nigeria http://dailypost.ng/author/ameh-comrade-godwin/ A commercial sex worker, Miss Precious Nety has been killed by a client who hired her for all night sex at a popular hotel in Galadima area of Maiduguri in Borno State.
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Prominent human rights advocate and councilwoman Marielle Franco was fatally shot while in her car by unknown assailants. Protests have been organized in the cities of Recife, Belem, Salvador, Natal, Sao Paulo, Brasilia among others to condemn Franco’s killing.
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Today we trade fear for sanctuary.
Read MoreYork County, Pennsylvania. A York man apparently upset because he thought his boyfriend was a male prostitute, used a knife to stab his boyfriend multiple times, York City Police said in charging documents.
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Introduction by EJ: Over one year ago, I began working on a “Sex Work” episode for my podcast, The Ethan and Zach Trio. With the aid of my spirit guide, M., I dove in at the intersection of sexuality, labor and law. Together with my co-host Zach, we conducted several hours of interviews with M. and her associates, all of whom possess expertise in the sex industry
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A new documentary about one of the world’s most savage serial killers examines the grisly murders and resurfaces surveillance footage of his jail cell confession. The killings shocked the world and led in part to Canada decriminalizing prostitution. By Jennifer Smith For Dailymail.com
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D/17 PHL Thanks PHILLY dot com, The Daily News and The Inquirer: As allied with the mission of SWOP Behind Bars: “With these efforts we can reduce sexual violence in the US, ameliorate conditions for a marginalized portion of the population, and destigmatize what is a reality for many women.”
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“Its time to change the social perception that she wasn’t a person, she was a “prostitute”. No one wants to feel a sense of community or sameness with her. She was something other than us and therefore we don’t need to feel fear or grief at the fact or the manner of her death.”
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SAY HER NAME: To Commemorate Women Who Have Been Taken From Us By Violence. http://sweat.org.za/say-her-name/
Sarah “She was a sex worker and mother. She was so sweet a person you will never ever hear her fight with her colleagues. She loved her child, a boy, and her house. She was always joking with us and because she was older than us, she did not like us to be unprofessional. She was pregnant and sick and did a back street abortion. It did not go well and because she was HIV positive she never recovered and died. The lack of information made my friend loose her life.” – by Dudu (SWEAT)
Read MoreThe September 2017 study, authored by West Virginia University and Baylor University economics and information systems experts, analyzes rates of female homicides in various cities before and after Craigslist opened an erotic services section on its website. The authors found a shocking 17 percent decrease in homicides with female victims after Craigslist erotic services were introduced.
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Judges, police and juries often hold bias against sex workers. In Philadelphia, Judge Teresa Carr-Deni called gang-rape of a sex worker at gunpoint “theft of services” and refused to allow prosecution to press aggravated sexual assault charges. In South Africa, police routinely refuse to even pursue rape cases involving sex workers or laugh at victims when victims come forward. Photo of Philadelphia City Hall M. Dante
Read MoreLet’s consider the first recommendation from the commission – full criminalisation of sex work. We have had this apartheid-era model in South Africa for a long time now. What have the results been? High levels of violence. In the United States, where this practice is criminalised, female sex workers are almost 18 times more likely to be murdered than other women, a 2004 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found.
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Philadelphia runaway Donna Marie Gentile became known for her NHI – No Human Involved – status as a prostitution cold case murder in San Diego. Her family is here in Philadelphia and asks us all to keep her memory alive. Absolutely we will.
We mourn the loss of life and human potential while celebrating her courageous effort to hold public servants accountable when serving the public. Our police officers are not supposed to rape and kill citizens, including citizens who are prostitutes or sex workers.
Memorial Opening Read By Anita Defrancesco: On behalf of this day Dec 17 Violence Against Sex Workers I want to shed light on the many women in this country and the world that go without a voice. Without a voice to be heard, without a voice to see, without a voice to cry, without a voice to be understood, without a voice to be accepted, and without a voice in the grave. I speak today on behalf of a dear first cousin of mine ( Donna Marie Gentile) a native Philadelphian, a young prostitute who was the first in the NHI project of women who went missing and was murdered in San Diego back in the 1980’s. Donna was murdered because she wanted to stand up and have her voice heard in a courtroom to prove her innocence. But Donna never got that chance to finish her prosecution against the San Diego police who troubled her life. Donna was a courageous and strong girl who believed in life and she wanted her voice heard in many ways. Donna was faced with challenges from early on in her family life which led her to run to the streets because her voice wasn’t heard at home. I today am a voice for Donna my cousin and all women who alive or dead want to be heard. So for a moment, I want you to hear me loud and clear and honor the voice of an empowered woman channeling for all of those women who went unheard.
The family’s memory site: http://donnamariegentile.com/ The site is a dedication from the family: Brother Louis Gentile and Cousin Anita DeFrancesco. Link To Email Contact.
M. Dante pondering in Philly: What can we do to change the way prostitutes, people exploring gender identity and police interact? There has to be a better way to address differences in lifestyle choices to prevent violent situations from continuing on this level. Minor amounts of marijuana should not lead to murder, and prostitutes should…
Read MoreOriginally posted on SaneSurvivor:
Dear Diana, When I received the news of your passing yesterday morning, I was sad. Selfishly, I was sad for me. You not being here means I will not be able to enjoy your deep wisdom and your sarcastic wit. I will miss your honest assessments of ideas I “ran past…
“Crying Liberty” copyright: Deborah Gross- Zuchman http://www.deborahzuchman.com
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A graduate student at Temple University, along with being a successful legally blind journalist, documentary producer, and director from the Philly suburbs, David Block talks about his discomfort discussing prostitution, plus D/17 in contemporary Jewish history, and in context to civil and disability rights. Note: This candid essay may not be comfortable for all readers. “Let Down Your Hair” Photo of M. Dante By Blind Filmmaker David Block for Temple University.
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Monday, October 12, 2015 LOGAN (WPVI) — Philadelphia police have made an arrest in a deadly robbery that occurred in the city’s Logan section [October 2015]. Police say Pedro Redding, 22, of Hunting Park is under arrest for robbery and murder are closing in on his three alleged cohorts. The charges stem from the robbery and…
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“I have not had the opportunity to absorb the fact that Natel will not be running in our house and calling out ‘dad,'” Dan King said, often breaking down in tears. He said he and his wife raised their eldest daughter to be independent, self-sufficient and spunky. Since his daughter’s stabbing death — in Conshohocken while on a photo shoot, Dan King said he and his wife have blamed themselves, wondering “if we had done things differently as parents would we be here today?”
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Truly – You have the right to be treated well as a uniquely special person, and as a sex worker. Desiree Alliance is committed to nonviolence. DA creates support systems and safe space for sex workers.
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