The mayor of Berkeley and city officials are speaking out against an alleged hate crime in the city, targeting a transgender woman.
The alleged attack happening as LGBTQ advocates say that the trans community as a whole feels under attack.
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WATCH HERE“It is shocking, it's appalling, it’s disheartening,” said Lasara Firefox Allen, CEO of the Pacific Center in Berkeley.
Allen reacted to the alleged attack against a transgender woman last week.
“I want to say it’s surprising. But I don’t find any of it surprising,” she said.
Allen would not confirm if the victim had any relationship to the center. But Allen’s sources said the alleged attack took place in downtown Berkeley on Friday night and the attacker allegedly used a pellet or BB gun during the alleged assault.
"The political climate against the nation is anti-trans, it’s hostile," she said.
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The trans community has been in the spotlight recently with the debate over trans athletes competing in high school sports. LGBTQ advocates said it’s a sign of a bigger problem across the country with the ACLU reporting close to 600 anti-LGBTQ bills in the U.S.
"Hate like this is meant to push us out of public site. It's meant to keep us out of the community. We stand in solidarity with our sister," said Wilder Zeiser, a strategist at Compton’s Coalition.
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SIGN UP Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii and the Berkeley City Council released the following statement against the attack:
“We do not tolerate hate in Berkeley and will not allow fear to extinguish our joy. We emphatically condemn this act of hate and wholeheartedly stand with the LGBTQIA+ community. Our city is committed to being a safe and inclusive place for all.”
NBC Bay Area reached out to Berkeley police for more details on the incident on Tuesday but did not hear back.
