From: Date: Fri, 15 Dec 1995 12:22:59 -0500 Subject: Fwd: Press Statement - PLEASE SHARE --------------------- Forwarded message: From: CandSteele@aol.com Date: 95-12-14 23:43:00 EST >From Marcy aka ropstaff@aol.com PRESS RELEASE 12/14/95 We are here as representatives of the gay, lesbian, and bisexual community, our families and friends. We are deeply concerned for the human rights and safety of all individuals in our community. We are here to respond to recent developments in the murder case of Roxanne Ellis and Michelle Abdill. We acknowledge today what we have said all along and continue to fear: The murder of Roxanne Ellis and Michelle Abdill is a crime motivated by hatred. Despite the fact that a suspect has been apprehended, and despite the confession of those close to him that the murders were a "botched robbery" as reported in the press, our concerns and suspicions about the motives of this crime remain. But first, we extend our ongoing condolences, support and love to the families of Michelle and Roxanne. We share in their grief and their hopes that the truth of why these two brave, courageous women were taken from us will someday be revealed. We also express our gratitude to the Medford police for their timely, courteous and cautious investigation. It appears the suspect has recently exhibited a pattern of anti-social behavior. Given this context, we appreciate the fact that the police are examining long and hard whether the brutal execution of these women was made more extreme by their lesbianism. We as a community have many unanswered questions and persistent concerns that feed our trepidation: * We know the killer enacted a deliberate, calculated process of entrapment. * We know the killer wanted both victims. * We know that money and credit cards were left at the scene. * We know that the murderer killed the victims "execution style" -- bound at the hands and feet, gagged and blindfolded before being shot twice in the head at close range. * We know the victims were visible and proud activists in the gay, lesbian and bisexual community. * We know that these murders occurred in a volatile climate of escalating tensions against and scapegoating of gays and lesbians and other minorities. What kind of robber leaves visible money at the crime scene? Did this man really have no knowledge that Roxanne and Michele were a lesbian couple, when, as many here have said, to know them, even casually, or to walk into their office, was to know they were proud and out lesbians and human rights activists? What is the real motive behind these murders given the rise in violence against gay and lesbian people? Toward that end, we have scheduled a meeting with police officials this afternoon. The community wants and needs answers. We need answers to heal. We need answers to plan for our safety. We must understand the true nature of the threat to our community. A key component of labeling something a "hate crime" is the presence of indicators that the crime was motivated by the victim's membership in a target group. There may not have been a hate crime "note" left with Michele and Roxanne, as Dr. James Olson, Jackson County Medical Examiner, stated recently, but to us a message was clearly left behind. We live in a political climate where the public has been invited to vote on the legal status of gays and lesbians in numerous elections. We must endure pervasive, unchecked hate rhetoric -- including that aired on local extremist radio stations -- that perpetuates myths and stereotypes of gay people. We know that from 1992 to the end of last year -- the period when anti-gay ballot measures exploded onto the scene and into national headlines -- 151 gay and lesbian people have been murdered nationwide just for who they were and whom they loved. We must constantly battle for our safety and equality in our own towns. Attacks on gay, lesbian and bisexual people are intended as a message: Remain invisible. Remain silent. Remain in the closet. We refuse! We will remain vigilant. Our vigilance in Medford, and around the nation, will ensure that victims of hate crimes will come forward. We call on our elected officials on the local, state and national levels to investigate the correlation between hate rhetoric, hostile ballot campaigns and attacks on all minorities: gays, lesbians, bisexuals, women, people of color, Jews, and immigrants. We want our suspicions to be addressed and we need our concerns to be laid to rest so we can move on in peace. The gay, lesbian, bisexual and human rights communities intend to stand proud and active. We do this in the spirit of Michelle and Roxanne who taught us so much through their lives and work. We are pleased to announce that we want to join with the mayor of Medford in the creation of a Hate Free Zone. We invite all citizens to a January 4, 1996 Town Hall to create our action plan. We further invite concerned citizens to watch the broadcast of the program, Not in Our Town, on Oregon Public Broadcasting on December 17, 1995 at 10:30 p.m. ### -- ______ Tina M. Wood ac245@osfn.rhilinet.gov \ / Cumberland, Rhode Island twood@qrd.org \ / Homepage: http://drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu/~maire/home.html \/ Queer Resources Directory: http://www.qrd.org/QRD/