She was sent to Rikers Island because she couldn't pay $500 bail. Now, she's dead
Source: CNN
By Emanuella Grinberg, Monica Haider and Taylor Romine, CNN
Updated 11:11 AM ET, Wed June 12, 2019
(CNN)Layleen Cubilette-Polanco was arrested in April and sent to New York's Rikers Island jail because she could not afford the $500 bail, her family said. Nearly two months later, the 27-year-old transgender woman was found unresponsive in her cell and later pronounced dead, according to the Department of Corrections.
Her death is the latest in recent weeks to draw attention to the plight of the transgender community. Civil rights groups say Polanco's death represents a web of factors that can trap people of color in the justice system -- especially transgender women of color -- with devastating outcomes.
"We know that the system failed Layleen," said David Shanies, a lawyer representing the family. "What we're trying to find out now is how that came to pass."
While officials investigate what caused her death, a community is in mourning and her family is searching for answers. They want to know how Polanco ended up at Rikers jail for misdemeanor charges and why was she left alone despite a medical condition that gave her seizures.
Mayor Bill de Blasio promised a transparent investigation of Polanco's death......................
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/11/us/transgender-woman-dies-rikers-island/index.html
So so much is so wrong. Words fail me. #discrimination
Mourners gather Monday in lower Manhattan to remember Layleen Cubilette-Polanco.
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