In late April, a 24-year old transgender Black man named Banko Brown was shot and killed by an armed Walgreens security guard on San Francisco’s Market Street for allegedly shoplifting. The guard was held for a few days but has since been released. And now, community members and the Board of Supervisors are pressuring District Attorney Brooke Jenkins to release the video footage of the shooting. Jenkins has declined to file charges.

Despite San Francisco’s bold commitments to support the trans community and reduce trans homelessness, Brown struggled to find safe and stable housing, even as he was an active organizer who helped others find resources. All of this adds up to what the San Francisco Chronicle’s Nuala Bishari describes as “a tragedy of San Francisco’s making.” 

Guest: Nuala Bishari, opinion columnist and editorial writer for the S.F. Chronicle

Episode transcript

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This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra

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