Banko Brown, a 24-year-old Black transgender man and community organizer with the Young Women’s Freedom Center, was tragically shot and killed outside a San Francisco Walgreens store last month.

On April 27th, Brown was killed by a security guard who accused him of stealing $15 worth of candy. And what did the “justice system” do? It withheld the release of police statements and footage. Additionally, law enforcement let the security guard who killed him off the hook, claiming self-defense, even though Brown was unarmed.

Brown was a victim of homelessness for years. His tragic death has sparked public outcry and demands for justice.

Despite initial reports that the security guard, Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony, had acted in self-defense, it was later reported that Brown was unarmed. According to Mission Local, it is suspected that Anthony had followed Brown outside and shot him in the chest after kicking out of the store. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins initially declined to file charges against Anthony, but after public pressure grew, she changed course. Brooke stated that the investigation is ongoing and that she has not ruled out filing charges.

On Tuesday evening, San Francisco supervisors unanimously passed a resolution urging Jenkins and the San Francisco Police Department to release police reports, witness accounts and video footage related to the killing of Brown. City residents also made impassioned pleas for the release of videos during public comment at the supervisors’ meeting before the vote.

LGBTQIA+ activist Lia McGeever unleashed a prolonged, primal scream at a San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting, in protest of the DA’s decision to not pursue charges in the death of Banko Brown pic.twitter.com/E0iQ3oudlR

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 9, 2023

The resolution was seen as a unifying force between the city’s progressive and moderate factions. Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin stated that Banko’s killing was a “beyond tragic” situation that demanded transparency and accountability. In addition, Peskin also refuted allegations made by Jenkins that the resolution interferes with an active investigation.

You can’t take a Black life here. You can’t take a Black trans life here. Now you have to answer to us.

Powerful words from our Co-Executive Director Julia Arroyo on the death of Banko Brown. We won’t stop until we hold Walgreens and the City of San Francisco accountable. pic.twitter.com/Bpwv90lYkP

— Young Women’s Freedom Center (@YoungWomenFree) May 1, 2023

The killing of Banko Brown highlights the systemic violence and discrimination faced by Black transgender people, particularly those who are unhoused and living in poverty. As Julia Arroyo, co-executive director of the Young Women’s Freedom Center, noted, “We proved to this Black trans young man…that he was not safe. He was not safe to go inside of that store.” It is a heavy reminder of the urgent need for structural change to address these major issues of homelessness, poverty and transphobia in the Black community.

Clarity and accountability are what the public demands in the killing of Banko Brown, seeking the release of all video footage and evidence related to this case in order for the victim to get the justice he deserves.

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