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THE GUERRILLA ANGEL REPORT — There’s enough gaffes by all parties involved in this incident for a week’s worth of coverage, but I’d like to focus on the one that likely resulted in spilled coffee by the District Attorney — the gaffes made by the Deputy Chief of the Chatham County (Georgia) Jail — Roy Harris.

First, a quick back story — trans woman Ashley De Valle from New York was arrested in Georgia for supposedly exposing her breasts but was housed in a jail facility for men.

This whole incident begins and ends right there. If she’s “technically a male” as the jailers assert, then there’s no crime.

There’s no doubt that there has been a heated phone conversation between the District Attorney and jail chief Roy Harris. The jail has put the DA in a heck of a pickle. (I’ve a hunch Chatham County Sheriff Al St Lawrence is a bit peeved as well, but the matter may be mostly out of his hands.)

If a trans woman is arrested, then convicted for indecent exposure of her breasts, and each time placed in a female facility, then justice served I’d say. However, if the jailers can’t figure out the hypocrisy of placing a person accused of a crime only females can be convicted of in a male facility, then that’s not Ms. Del Valles’ problem.

The District Attorney should drop the charges and the county settle out of court with Del Valle, pronto!

I did some research on Deputy Chief Harris — he’s apparently a highly regarded leader in law enforcement. Not only he is a professor, but has been called out of retirement to lead several agencies, including this most recent post with the jail.

Unfortunately, Chief Harris’ law enforcement experience wasn’t enough to have second thoughts about saying the following to the press:

“First off, Ashley is still a man. I think he’s had some surgery, breast implants. But technically he is still a male which poses a problem. We do have a policy in place. Typically we put them in isolation. We do take particular caution with inmates such as this. We’re a nationally accredited jail and have a policy for this.”

Glowing accreditations don’t matter if one cannot look at the charges and put one and two together.

Transgender Woman Arrested For Exposing Breasts Jailed With Men | ThinkProgress.

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Categories: Discrimination, Equality, Civil Rights, Transgender, Transsexual, Trans