Anti Police-Terror Project Stands in Solidarity with the Family of Kayla Moore

Today, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in the case of Kayla Moore, who was killed by the Berkeley Police Department. The transphobia, misogynoir, fatphobia, and ableism that contributed to Kayla’s death are enraging and heartbreaking. Further, we believe this discrimination contributed to actions by law enforcement that were clearly illegal.

On February 13, 2013, Kayla Moore was killed by law enforcement during what should have been a routine welfare check to her apartment on Allston Way in Berkeley, California. The events that transpired on that cold night in February left the Moore family reeling with anger and confusion as to how a welfare check that was purportedly for Kayla's benefit resulted in her death. What they found was that Kayla was brutalized in a show of excessive force and discrimination that further exposed the cracks in Berkeley's veneer as a ‘progressive’ mecca.

Kayla was criminalized as a heavy-set, Black Transgender woman who struggled with mental health issues. Police treated her "welfare check” as a criminal matter in direct violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), immediately running background checks on her and her attendant. Police claimed Kayla had a warrant, citing that someone with a similar name, who was much older than she was, came up in the computer. They began to escalate the situation immediately, attempting to put handcuffs on her and calling on multiple officers to tackle and restrain her. Moreover, at every turn, officers acted in direct violation of department protocols, including referring to Kayla as "it", and, more importantly - refusing to administer CPR when Kayla stopped breathing, a move that the Moore Family argues was because she was transgender.

Kayla Moore should still be alive today. APTP both commends and supports the incredible work of the Moore family in pursuit of justice - not just on behalf of Kayla, but on behalf of all of the marginalized communities to which Kayla belonged. We urge the 9th Circuit to do the same.