FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3/20/2021
CONTACT:
Bamby Salcedo | TransLatin@ Coalition | media@translatinacoalition.org | o. (833) 847-2331 ext. 202
Yessica Gonzalez | TransLatin@ Coalition | yessicag@translatinacoalition.org
March 20, 2020 -- On Saturday night, dozens of people gathered at the corner of Eastern and Fifth Avenue in East Los Angeles to celebrate the life of Rayanna Pardo. Rayanna was a 26-year old transwoman who was fatally struck by a car late in the evening of March 17th. Her death marks the twelfth documented death in the United States in 2021.
Rayanna’s family is asking for a full investigation of the incident after obtaining footage of her running away and being closely followed. They say that prior to her death, she had called them scared, and they believe she may have been thrown in front of the moving car.
Rayanna was a client of The TransLatin@ Coalition and many of our staff had built with her, so this loss hits very close to home. This is a story that trans and gender non-confirming (TGNC) people know too well -- trying to survive and not having adequate access to services and resources. Rayanna, you will be deeply missed by your community here in Los Angeles and we promise to continue fighting so this doesn’t continue to happen to our people.
“We are mourning the loss of our sister Ryanna Pardo. This is just another example of the societal injustices that our community experiences. If she had the services and support that she needed, I'm sure instead of being dead she would have been thriving as the young beautiful woman that she was, but here we are…” Bamby Salcedo, President, and CEO of The TransLatin@ Coalition.
Rayanna’s vigil was attended by her friends, family, members of the community, and allies. She was a sweet and loving person, and her loss will be truly felt.
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