Funds for beaten trans woman reach US$7,000

A go fund me campaign launched for Muhlaysia Booker, who was brutally beaten by several men last week, has nearly reached its US$7,500 target.

Footage that went viral over the weekend allegedly shows a mob violently attacking 23-year-old Booker following a traffic incident on Friday (12 April).

The attack left Booker seeking medical treatment at a local hospital.

The fund was launched on Monday (15 April) to assist with medical bills and mental health services.

As the incident took place near her home, the fund also hopes to help Booker relocated so she ‘can continue her life with a better sense of safety and security.’

What happened?

A man who brutally left a trans woman bruised and bleeding in broad daylight Dallas was paid $200 to do so, police said this week.

Booker allegedly accidentally backed into another vehicle with two men inside while driving her car.

One of the drivers – who remains a suspect in the investigation – told police her ran Booker off the road to keep her from leaving the scene.

But Booker said the unidentified driver then pointed a gun at her and demanded money for damage to his car. Also in the car was Edward Dominic Thomas, 29.

A crowd gathered, and someone in the crowd reportedly offered Thomas $200 to assault Booker.

Thomas, dressed in all-white, descended upon her, delivering a deluge of punches. As the footage suggests, two other men joined in. One kicking her as she lay helpless in the street.

As many threw homophobic insults at her, Booker suffered a concussion, facial fractures, and a broken wrist as a result.

‘This case is certainly disturbing,’ Police Lieutenant Vincent Weddington told reporters during a press conference Monday.

‘The video, I’m sure, shocks the conscience of anyone who looks at this video.’

Police arrested Thomas two days after the incident for aggravated assault. They are currently assessing whether the incident can be considered a hate crime.

The FBI recorded 7,175 hate crimes in the US in 2017.

Among them, 1,130 were based on sexual orientation bias and 119 on gender identity bias.

And more than 100 of those victims were people of color, according to the report.