{"id":246454,"date":"2026-05-28T15:22:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T15:22:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/246454\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T15:22:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T15:22:07","slug":"bushwicks-trans-community-gathers-for-vigil-honoring-slain-trans-woman-eryka-caldwell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/246454\/","title":{"rendered":"Bushwick\u2019s Trans Community Gathers for Vigil Honoring Slain Trans Woman Eryka Caldwell"},"content":{"rendered":"

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NEW YORK, May 27, 2026 \u2014\u00a0Transgender people and allies gathered on a street corner outside a dollar store in Brooklyn\u2019s Bushwick neighborhood on Wednesday night for a vigil held in honor of Eryka Caldwell<\/a>, a 41-year-old trans woman who was fatally stabbed in a nearby apartment on May 17.<\/p>\n

Organized by longtime activist Melinda Butterfield, the event included remarks from Taylor Brown<\/a>, the trans director of New York City\u2019s first-ever Mayor\u2019s Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs; community resources provided by the New York City Anti-Violence Project<\/a>; and a musical performance from singer-songwriter Vi Viana<\/a>, who paid tribute to Caldwell with a cover of The Beatles\u2019 \u201cIn My Life.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her opening comments, Butterfield noted that Caldwell\u2019s death allegedly being the result of domestic violence<\/a> does not make her any less worthy of being memorialized by the trans community. A boyfriend of Caldwell\u2019s, 38-year-old Jonathan Fernandez, was arrested on the scene and subsequently charged with murder. Caldwell\u2019s sister later told media that Eryka had previously hidden from Fernandez in domestic violence shelters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we were organizing for tonight\u2019s vigil, a few people asked me why the trans community would rally for Eryka, since she was a victim of domestic violence, not anti-trans violence,\u201d Butterfield said, explaining that \u201cdomestic violence against women and femmes is epidemic in our society, and reason enough for us to gather.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut also, domestic violence and femicide can\u2019t be divorced from the political and social reality of trans genocide,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

Them<\/p>\n

Representing the newly formed Mayor\u2019s Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs, Brown offered condolences on behalf of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, calling the \u201ctragic and senseless loss\u201d of Caldwell a \u201creminder of all the reasons why this office was created.\u201d Brown noted that she feels a kinship with Caldwell, who celebrated graduating from Nebraska\u2019s Bellevue University in January 2023 and who reportedly moved into her Bushwick apartment this March.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see so much of myself in Eryka,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m a biracial Black trans woman. I came from North Carolina to New York City. And in my journey here \u2014 pursuing education, pursuing gender-affirming care, looking for a place of safety and acceptance \u2014 I see so much of that in Eryka and what I\u2019ve learned about her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Brown noted that her office is \u201cstill very much getting up and running,\u201d she promised the Mamdani administration would \u201cdo everything in our power to make sure that this kind of violence is addressed,\u201d citing programs affiliated with the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes and the Mayor\u2019s Office of Criminal Justice.<\/p>\n