Killing of Nina Pop explained

Killing of Nina Pop
Partof:violence against LGBT people in the United States
Date:May 3, 2020
Location:South New Madrid Street, Sikeston, Missouri
Type:Murder by stabbing, hate crime
Deaths:Nina Pop
Charges:Second-degree murder and armed criminal action

In May 2020, a young transgender woman of color named Nina Pop was stabbed to death in her own Missouri apartment.[1] [2] [3]

The Human Rights Campaign stated that her death is at least the 10th violent death of an American transgender person or gender non-conforming person in 2020.[4]

Nina Pop

Pop was a black transgender woman.[5] She lived 145 miles south of St. Louis in Sikeston, Missouri, a small town of 16,000 people.[6]

Killing

On May 3, 2020, a 28-year-old black transgender woman named Nina Pop was found dead with multiple stab wounds after being stabbed with a knife inside her own apartment on South New Madrid Street in Sikeston, Missouri.[7] [8] [9]

Aftermath

On May 15, 2020 in Dexter, Missouri, Joseph B. Cannon from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, was accused of Pop's murder and arrested for second-degree murder and armed criminal action.[10] He pleaded not guilty, requested a public defender, and awaits trial.[11] [12] 11 crime labs, anti-violence organizations, and police departments contributed to the investigation.[13] Pop's death was being investigated as a potential hate crime.[14]

Sikeston Department of Public Safety and a local TV network initially misgendered Pop during their investigation and reporting, respectively.[15] [16]

Community response

The Okra Project, a grassroots organization initially focused on addressing food insecurity in the black transgender community, dedicated $15,000 to form the Nina Pop Mental Health Recovery Fund and the Tony McDade Mental Health Recovery Fund in to raise money for free one-time mental health therapy sessions for black transgender individuals.[17] [18] [19]

On June 2, 2020, thousands of people came together for a vigil and protest at the Stonewall Inn in New York City to honor the lives of Nina Pop and Tony McDade and protest police violence and transphobic violence against the black transgender community.[20] [21] [22] [23]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Srikanth . Anagha . 2021-05-03 . Seven transgender women of color were killed in April . 2023-09-17 . The Hill . en-US.
  2. Web site: Moxley . Elle . 2021-05-03 . A Year After Nina Pop's Death, Why Hasn't Anything Changed? . 2024-06-12 . TIME . en.
  3. Web site: Edwards . Breana . 2020-11-04 . Missouri Police Investigating Death Of Black Trans Woman . 2023-09-17 . Essence . en-US.
  4. Web site: May 5, 2020 . HRC Mourns Nina Pop, Black Trans Woman Killed in Missouri . 2020-06-02 . Human Rights Campaign.
  5. Web site: Ring . Trudy . 2020-05-06 . Trans Woman Nina Pop Stabbed to Death in Missouri . 2020-06-02 . Advocate.
  6. Web site: Maurice . Emma Powys . 2020-05-10 . Much-loved trans woman found stabbed to death in apartment as LGBT+ group warns the epidemic 'can no longer be ignored' . 2020-06-02 . PinkNews.
  7. Web site: 2020-05-05 . Transgender woman's death in SE Missouri under investigation . 2023-08-03 . AP News . en.
  8. Web site: Gangemella . Rebecca . May 15, 2020 . Sikeston homicide suspect arrested . 2020-06-02 . WPSD Local 6.
  9. Web site: Reese . Alexis . May 10, 2020 . Missouri Police Investigating Death Of Black Transgender Woman Killed In Her Apartment . 2020-06-02 . BET.com.
  10. Web site: Maurice . Emma Powys . 2020-05-21 . Nina Pop was the fifth Black trans woman to be violently killed in the US in a month. A man has now been charged for her murder . 2023-09-17 . PinkNews . en-US.
  11. Web site: Riley . John . 2020-05-21 . Man arrested in fatal stabbing of Nina Pop pleads not guilty . 2020-06-02 . Metro Weekly.
  12. Web site: Goldfine . Jael . 2020-06-02 . How to Support Black Trans People Right Now . 2020-06-04 . PAPER.
  13. News: Jenkins. David. May 15, 2020. Poplar Bluff man charged in death of Nina Pop. Standard-Democrat. June 2, 2020. June 9, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200609094531/https://standard-democrat.com/story/2799237.html. dead.
  14. Web site: 2020-05-18 . Suspect Arrested in Killing of Missouri Trans Woman Nina Pop . 2023-09-17 . The Root . en.
  15. Web site: Tracy. Matt. 2020-05-20. Man Charged With Killing Trans Woman in Missouri. 2020-06-02. Gay City News.
  16. Web site: As Media Focuses on Black Lives, Activists Call Attention to Nina Pop, the 5th Trans Woman of Color to Be Killed in the Last Month. 2020-06-02. The Root. May 11, 2020 .
  17. Web site: 2020-06-01. 10 Ways You Can Support The Black Lives Matter Movement In NYC Right Now. 2020-06-02. Secretnyc.
  18. Web site: Kim. Michelle. The Okra Project Launches Mental Health Funds in Honor of Tony McDade and Nina Pop. 2020-06-02. them.. June 2020 .
  19. Web site: 2020-06-03. A $15,000 Mental Health Recovery Fund Launches for Black Trans People. 2020-06-04. www.colorlines.com.
  20. Web site: 2020-06-02. Stonewall Rally To Focus On Deaths In Black Trans Community. 2020-06-02. West Village, NY Patch.
  21. Web site: 2020-06-02. Thousands march through NYC neighborhoods on 6th day of George Floyd protests. 2020-06-02. 1010 WINS.
  22. News: 2020-06-02. Protests in N.Y.C.: Latest Updates. The New York Times. 2020-06-02. 0362-4331.
  23. Web site: 2020-06-03. Thousands of protesters gather at the Stonewall Inn demanding an end to the murder of Black trans people. 2020-06-03. PinkNews.