Denise King points to one of the few Crime Stoppers posters seeking the killers of her son, Simmie Williams. The poster is less than a block from the site where Williams, 17, was gunned down Feb. 22. (Photo by Juan Carlos Rodriguez)
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By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Denise King doesn’t have a lot planned this Mother’s Day.
The 37 year-old mother of five thinks she might go to church with her family and just take it easy for the day. Conspicuously missing this year will be her oldest son, Simmie Williams, 17, who was gunned down late at night on Sistrunk Boulevard Feb. 22.
King’s main concern lately has been placing her son’s headstone at his plot in Sunset Gardens Memorial Park in Fort Lauderdale. After weeks of waiting for the marble stone to be made, she got word Monday that it will be available by the weekend.
King says her life has changed since her son’s violent death. She’s become committed to speaking up for young gay people in her community who are often ignored or denied.
“I’m hoping to make a difference,” she said from her home Monday. “I’m going to keep on speaking out. We have to get it across to people to stand up against the hatred.”
On May 2 she attended the viewing for Shanesha Conaway, a 22-year-old African American lesbian who was shot to death April 27 less than a mile from where King’s son was gunned down.
King has been dealing with a more onerous reminder of her son’s tragedy – only this time it came laced with an official dose of insult.
Speaking out she says helps her deal with the painful memory of losing her son and dealing with the many indignities she faces in the aftermath of the tragedy. She notices are fewer and fewer Crimestoppers posters throughout the neighborhood announcing a reward for the shooters who remain at large.
“To me it feels like because he was gay they are not looking into it,” King said. “It’s like they are not taking it seriously.”
King received a notice from Florida Attorney General’s office April 8 that she was being denied as much as $6000 in victim’s compensation because authorities determined that Williams was responsible for his own death.
“Based on information received from legal authorities, the victim’s conduct contributed to the situation that brought about the victim’s injuries/death, ” reads the letter from the Bureau of Victim Compensation. “….the victim participated in an unlawful activity at the time the victim sustained his or her injuries.”
“How could they say he contributed to his own death?” King asks. “How do they know what he was doing on the street? Just because he was in an area where a lot of transvestites and gays were doesn’t mean he was doing anything wrong.”
Williams, 17, was openly gay and often dressed in women’s clothes. Known to many as Beyoncé, Williams was shot twice after midnight Feb. 22 on Sistrunk Boulevard, in an area rumored to be known for drug dealing and transgender prostitution.
But Williams had no criminal record, and there is no evidence that he was doing anything illegal at the time of his death.
“How could they say he contributed to his own death?” King asks. “How do they know what he was doing on the street? Just because he was in an area where a lot of transvestites and gays were doesn’t mean he was doing anything wrong.”
Gay rights advocates are rallying behind King, saying the notice is another indicator of guilt by association when it comes to dealing with gay men, lesbians and, particularly, transgender people.
“This is extremely disturbing,” said Brian Winfield of Equality Florida. “We want to make sure Ms. King isn’t being treated differently from other victims.”
Shannon Minter, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and leading transgender activist, called the denial “appalling.”
“What the attorney general did was based on nothing but stereotypes,” Minter said. “There’s no evidence that this young person was doing anything illegal. It’s not against the law for a transgender person to be in a particular part of town.’
Fort Lauderdale Police spokeswoman Kathy Collins said Diana Gonzalez, the department’s victim advocate sent the Attorney General’s office the preliminary police report that included unverified statements from witnesses who told investigators that Williams had been hustling.
“[The attorney general’s office] came to their conclusion through the police report,” Collins said.
Collins said once King files her appeal there is a chance that the Attorney General’s office could “weed out” the unverified witness statements.
King said she is getting a lot of support from gay leaders. She was recently recognized at the GLAAD media awards which she attended, and has been involved with the Gay American Heroes Foundation, a memorial slain GLBT people.
“She’s my hero,” said Michael Rajner, a local activist in the HIV/AIDS and transgender communities. “She’s stepping into a leadership role. If we want change to happen we need to see people from the neighborhood calling for change.”
King gladly embraces her role. She said she takes as many opportunities as possible to encourage her neighbors and friends to stand up and speak out against homophobia.
“I’m very involved with the gay community now,” she said. “Not for myself, but for my son and anybody else that’s discriminated against.”
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