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A transgender teen in Massachusetts says other high schoolers beat him at a party

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A transgender teen in Massachusetts says other high schoolers beat him at a party
News

News

A transgender teen in Massachusetts says other high schoolers beat him at a party

2024-09-05 06:09 Last Updated At:06:21

GLOUCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A transgender teenager from Massachusetts is recovering after allegedly being punched, kicked and stomped upon by other high schoolers at a party.

Sixteen-year-old Jayden Tkaczyk said he was at an outdoor party Friday night in Gloucester when as many as a dozen teenagers attacked him and called him homophobic slurs. They chased Tkaczyk into the woods, where police found him. He said he was taken to a local hospital and treated for his injuries, including a broken bone under his right eye and scratches and bruises on his body.

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In a photo taken Sept. 4, 2024, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, transgender teenager Jayden Tkaczyk stands outside his house with his mother, Jasmine Tkaczyk. Jayden Tkaczyk alleges that he was beaten up at a party by several other high school students due his being transgender. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

GLOUCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A transgender teenager from Massachusetts is recovering after allegedly being punched, kicked and stomped upon by other high schoolers at a party.

In a photo taken Sept. 4, 2024, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, transgender teenager Jayden Tkaczyk stands outside his house with his mother, Jasmine Tkaczyk. Jayden Tkaczyk alleges that he was beaten up at a party by several other high school students due his being transgender. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

In a photo taken Sept. 4, 2024, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, transgender teenager Jayden Tkaczyk stands outside his house with his mother, Jasmine Tkaczyk. Jayden Tkaczyk alleges that he was beaten up at a party by several other high school students due his being transgender. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

ADDS LOCATION: A photo taken Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in Gloucester, Mass., a transgender high schooler Jayden Tkaczyk shows the injuries he suffered after being allegedly beaten up at a party. (Steven Tkaczyk via AP)

ADDS LOCATION: A photo taken Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in Gloucester, Mass., a transgender high schooler Jayden Tkaczyk shows the injuries he suffered after being allegedly beaten up at a party. (Steven Tkaczyk via AP)

In an unknown location, a photo taken Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, a transgender high schooler from Massachusetts, Jayden Tkaczyk, shows the injuries he suffered after being allegedly beaten up at a party. (Steven Tkaczyk via AP)

In an unknown location, a photo taken Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, a transgender high schooler from Massachusetts, Jayden Tkaczyk, shows the injuries he suffered after being allegedly beaten up at a party. (Steven Tkaczyk via AP)

A transgender high schooler from Massachusetts, Jayden Tkaczyk, is hospitalized, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, at Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester, Massachusetts after he was allegedly beating by several other students. (Steven Tkaczyk via AP)

A transgender high schooler from Massachusetts, Jayden Tkaczyk, is hospitalized, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, at Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester, Massachusetts after he was allegedly beating by several other students. (Steven Tkaczyk via AP)

“I was scared, but I thought to myself that if I escape and I get out, that things will eventually get better,” Tkaczyk told The Associated Press. “As I was getting hit, it was terrifying. I thought I was going to die, but I tried to keep a positive mindset.”

Tkaczyk's mother, Jasmine, said she was terrified when she got the call that her son was in the hospital.

“This was my worst fear for Jordan. This is been my biggest fear for him as a mom of a transgender kid,” she said of him being assaulted. “Getting that phone call was one of the most terrifying things to experience. Having to go to the hospital to see him in that condition. When I got that call, I was just praying that he was alive.”

The Office of the Essex County District Attorney said it was “aware of the serious allegations" and was working with the Gloucester Police Department on what it called “this active and ongoing investigation involving juvenile parties.”

It would not comment further, including whether anyone has been arrested.

Tkaczyk, who said he has been scared to leave his house since the attack, said he hopes the teens are held accountable.

“No one has been arrested. No one has been charged, and nothing has happened to the kids that caused this,” he said. “If people or if the city wants to make this city better, then they should start taking action to help their community be safer.”

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said MassEquality, an LGBTQ+ rights and advocacy group, has been in touch with the family and that they and others have reached out to her civil rights division and children’s justice unit.

Campbell said her office is actively following up on the complaint.

“What we’ve heard is horrific to say the least, but like any investigation we do it thoughtfully, we do it in partnership with community and constituents, and that won’t change here,” she said. “So we’ll do what we can to investigate this quickly and thoroughly.”

Tkaczyk, who goes to a vocational school, said he has long been bullied because he is transgender, including being forced off the Gloucester High School football team. He said the district in the past has done nothing to address his complaints about bullying but he hopes that changes now.

“Bullying reports have been stacked up and stacked up and stacked up on kids bullying me not just mentally but physically,” Tkaczyk said. “Over 11 years, I’ve been getting bullied. ... It’s been a terrible and hard struggle for me, and I don’t open up to anybody about how really bad it is.”

Gloucester Public Schools Superintendent Ben Lummis, at a press conference Tuesday, said the district is taking the allegations seriously. But the district did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

James Cook, the principal of Gloucester High School, sent a letter Tuesday to the school community advising them of the weekend attack and advising children “struggling with news of this incident” or anyone who “feels unsafe for any reason” to seek out a school staff member.

“Creating a safe and inclusive environment that supports all of our students, staff, and families is our number one priority,” Cook wrote. “Although this is a difficult message to send the night before our first day, I have confidence that our staff will come together to welcome all students back to GHS.”

Associated Press writer Steve LeBlanc in Boston contributed to this report.

In a photo taken Sept. 4, 2024, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, transgender teenager Jayden Tkaczyk stands outside his house with his mother, Jasmine Tkaczyk. Jayden Tkaczyk alleges that he was beaten up at a party by several other high school students due his being transgender. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

In a photo taken Sept. 4, 2024, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, transgender teenager Jayden Tkaczyk stands outside his house with his mother, Jasmine Tkaczyk. Jayden Tkaczyk alleges that he was beaten up at a party by several other high school students due his being transgender. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

In a photo taken Sept. 4, 2024, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, transgender teenager Jayden Tkaczyk stands outside his house with his mother, Jasmine Tkaczyk. Jayden Tkaczyk alleges that he was beaten up at a party by several other high school students due his being transgender. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

In a photo taken Sept. 4, 2024, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, transgender teenager Jayden Tkaczyk stands outside his house with his mother, Jasmine Tkaczyk. Jayden Tkaczyk alleges that he was beaten up at a party by several other high school students due his being transgender. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

ADDS LOCATION: A photo taken Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in Gloucester, Mass., a transgender high schooler Jayden Tkaczyk shows the injuries he suffered after being allegedly beaten up at a party. (Steven Tkaczyk via AP)

ADDS LOCATION: A photo taken Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in Gloucester, Mass., a transgender high schooler Jayden Tkaczyk shows the injuries he suffered after being allegedly beaten up at a party. (Steven Tkaczyk via AP)

In an unknown location, a photo taken Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, a transgender high schooler from Massachusetts, Jayden Tkaczyk, shows the injuries he suffered after being allegedly beaten up at a party. (Steven Tkaczyk via AP)

In an unknown location, a photo taken Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, a transgender high schooler from Massachusetts, Jayden Tkaczyk, shows the injuries he suffered after being allegedly beaten up at a party. (Steven Tkaczyk via AP)

A transgender high schooler from Massachusetts, Jayden Tkaczyk, is hospitalized, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, at Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester, Massachusetts after he was allegedly beating by several other students. (Steven Tkaczyk via AP)

A transgender high schooler from Massachusetts, Jayden Tkaczyk, is hospitalized, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, at Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester, Massachusetts after he was allegedly beating by several other students. (Steven Tkaczyk via AP)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former Minnesota police officer who was convicted of killing a Black motorist when she used her handgun instead of her taser during a traffic stop is out of prison and delivering presentations at law enforcement conferences, stirring up a heated debate over how officers punished for misconduct should atone for their misdeeds.

After Kim Potter served her sentence for killing Daunte Wright, she met with the prosecutor who charged her case. That former prosecutor, Imran Ali, said Potter wanted to do something to help other officers avoid taking a life. Ali saw the presentation as a path toward redemption for police officers who have erred and an opportunity to promote healing in communities already shaken by police misconduct.

But Katie Wright, Daunte's mother, said the plan amounts to an enraging scheme where her son’s killer would turn a profit from his death and dredge up painful memories in the process.

“I think that Kim Potter had her second chance. She got to go home with her children. That was her second chance,” Wright said. “I think that when we’re looking at police officers, when they’re making quote-unquote mistakes, they still get to live in our community. They still get to continue their lives. That’s their second chance. We don’t have a second chance to be able to bring our loved ones back.”

Potter, who did not respond to phone and email messages, had been set to deliver her presentation to a law enforcement agency in Washington state when it was abruptly canceled in September after news reports generated criticism. But other law enforcement groups, including one of the largest in Minnesota, have hosted the presentation and are continuing to invite Potter to speak.

Some see canceling her presentation as short-sighted, saying she could share a cautionary tale with others who have to make life-or-death decisions in the field.

“This is the definition of why I decided to walk away. You have somebody that recognizes the need for reform, recognizes the need for redemption, recognizes the need to engage. And still,” Ali said. “If you’re in law enforcement in this country, there is no redemption.”

Ali initially was co-counsel in the case against Potter. But he resigned, saying “vitriol” and “partisan politics” made it hard to pursue justice. Ali is now a law enforcement consultant and said he is working to help departments implement changes that could prevent more officers from making Potter’s mistake.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office took over the prosecution of Potter after Ali resigned, has said the former officer's public expression of remorse could help the community heal.

Wright was killed on April 11, 2021, in Brooklyn Center, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from where the officer who killed George Floyd was on trial. Wright's killing ignited protests as communities in Minneapolis and beyond were still reeling from Floyd’s murder. A jury later found Potter guilty of manslaughter. A judge said Potter never intended to hurt Wright and sentenced her to two years in prison. She was released after 16 months and later connected with Ali.

“I was like, wow. Even after being convicted, even after being driven out of your home, even after having so many death threats against you and having been incarcerated, you just don’t want to go away,” Ali said.

The pair have become a fixture at Minnesota Sheriff’s Association events. They delivered training sessions at conferences in June and September, with a future training scheduled in October. They also took their presentation out of state in May when Potter presented at a law enforcement conference in Indiana, event agendas show.

Jeff Storms, Wright’s attorney, said the description of the Washington training session in the contract prepared by Ali’s law firm reads more like an advertisement tailored for police officers who feel embattled, rather than a heartfelt story of Potter’s regrets.

“The officer, and the prosecutor who quit in protest, will deliver a dynamic presentation on the truth of what occurred, the increased violence and non-compliance directed towards law enforcement, the importance of training, and steps we can take in the future,” says the contract for the training session, which was obtained by The Associated Press.

That passage suggests Ali is engineering support for Potter and his law firm, Storms said.

“They profit from law enforcement training. And so to say this is simply about sort of a redemption arc for Ms. Potter in doing this training, it sounds really hard to believe that that’s the case," Storms said.

Ali’s firm proposed a $8,000 charge for the training session, which includes speaking fees and travel costs, the contract says.

“To say my firm is trying to benefit off an $8,000 contract is ridiculous,” Ali said.

He did not say how much money Potter would earn, but said the amount was far less than what she might earn telling her story through a book deal or another project. Ali declined to show the AP the full presentation he and Potter had been set to deliver in Washington. But he described Potter’s opening line, which would read: “I killed Daunte Wright. I’m not proud of it. And neither should you be.”

Ali said he is committed to helping law enforcement agencies implement changes that would prevent more officers from making Potter’s mistake. The backlash to Potter telling her story at the training session speaks to a view among some that redemption for those convicted of crimes does not extend to police officers, Ali said.

“We can give the benefit of the doubt to people that are former Ku Klux Klan members or former skinheads that come in and educate, sometimes even our youth,” Ali said. “But we cannot give law enforcement that chance.”

Rachel Moran, a professor specializing in police accountability at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, said the perspectives of victims and their families should be considered by law enforcement agencies when they decide who to include at training sessions. But Potter's voice might be able to penetrate a law enforcement culture that is skeptical of outside criticism, she said

“Police officers culturally do have a pattern of not wanting to hear outside perspectives and not believing other people can understand the situation," she added. “So to hear from someone who is very much in their shoes, who’s actually willing to admit an error, I think that has potential to be heard more by officers than an outsider.”

In an interview, James Stuart, executive director of the Minnesota Sheriff's Association, said Potter's upcoming presentation would go on, despite the blowback. His organization has a responsibility to learn from the “national moment of upheaval” sparked by Potter's killing of Wright.

“She'll be the first to say she's not a hero and it was a horrific tragic accident,” Stuart said. “I understand the concerns and the criticisms, but I would also hope they could understand the value of learning from mistakes and making sure that no other families find themselves in that same situation.”

Former prosecutor Imran Ali discussed a use of force training he co-presents with former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024 in Brooklyn Center, Minn. (AP photo/Mark Vancleave)

Former prosecutor Imran Ali discussed a use of force training he co-presents with former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024 in Brooklyn Center, Minn. (AP photo/Mark Vancleave)

FILE - Katie Bryant, Daunte Wright's mother, is surrounded by community members and activists at the apartment building where activists say Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu lives after former officer Kim Potter was sentenced to two years in prison, Feb. 18, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Nicole Neri, File)

FILE - Katie Bryant, Daunte Wright's mother, is surrounded by community members and activists at the apartment building where activists say Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu lives after former officer Kim Potter was sentenced to two years in prison, Feb. 18, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Nicole Neri, File)

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