East Van woman describes hate-motivated assault, lack of police follow-up
A transgender woman says she was attacked on public transit after a man took issue with her shirt, and that authorities did little despite previous harassment.
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An East Vancouver woman is speaking out after what she describes as a hate-motivated assault on public transit, saying she received no help from bystanders and minimal follow-up from police.
Iris Houngbo, who is transgender, was harassed at a bus stop near Broadway and Commercial Drive around 7 p.m. on June 30. A man began using homophobic slurs and called her names. When she pushed him away, he punched her, put her in a chokehold, threw her to the ground, and tore her shirt and bra. Her shirt read "Destroy White Supremacy."
Despite being surrounded by people, Houngbo says no one stepped in to help. Transit police confirmed they are investigating and say they conducted an extensive search for the suspect but were unable to locate him.
Houngbo says this is her second similar incident. She reported a similar assault on a bus two years ago and says nothing came of it. "There's a lot of language that gets used about safety, especially for the LGBT community, but there are not consequences for people who do things like this," she said.
She now feels unsafe leaving her house and has stopped using public transit. A local organization has set up a crowdfunding effort to support her.
