Sakia Gunn
Encyclopedia
Sakia Gunn was a 15-year old African American
lesbian
who was murdered as a hate crime
in Newark, New Jersey
. Richard McCullough was charged with her death and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
, Manhattan
with her friends. While waiting for the #1 New Jersey Transit
bus at the corner of Broad and Market Streets in downtown Newark, Gunn and her friends were propositioned by two men. When the girls rejected their advances, by declaring themselves to be lesbians, the men attacked them. Gunn fought back, and one of the men, Richard McCullough, stabbed her in the chest. Both men immediately fled the scene in their vehicle. After one of Gunn's friends flagged down a passing driver, she was taken to nearby University Hospital, where she died.
At the corner of Broad and Market Streets, where Gunn and her friends were waiting for the bus, stands a police booth that is to be manned 24 hours a day, as was promised by Sharpe James
in his 2002 campaign. The fact that there was not a police officer in the booth at that time raised a number of questions among Gunn's family and friends, as well as the Newark community as a whole. If the booth had been manned, Gunn may not have died that night.
, the murder charges were dropped and, on March 3, 2005, McCullough pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter, aggravated assault, and bias intimidation, claiming, at one point, that Gunn died after she ran into his knife. On April 21, 2005, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
In comparison to the 1998 gay-bias murder of Matthew Shepard
, Sakia Gunn's murder drew limited media coverage. Using the Lexis-Nexis database, Kim Pearson, a professor at The College of New Jersey
found that there were 659 stories in major newspapers about Shepard's murder, compared to only 21 articles about Gunn's murder in the seven month period after their attacks. Pearson also notes that not only were Shepard's attackers tried and convicted during this period, but that it took nearly that long for Gunn's attacker to even be indicted.
Editors of a popular internet journal, The Gully, argued that there were "fundamental errors in the way most journalists reported the brutal May 11 murder of Sakia Gunn." They cite the tendency for reporters to highlight the "scuffle" that occurred between Gunn and her murderer, with the implication being that if Gunn and her friends had not announced their sexual orientation, the men would have left them alone. The authors of the journal argue that it is "far more likely that the men only propositioned Gunn and her friends because they knew the girls were dykes, and a sexual advance would provoke some kind of exchange."
Gunn's death sparked outrage from the city's gay and lesbian community. The community, in conjunction with GLAAD, rallied the mayor's office. Among the requests of the mayor included the establishment of a gay and lesbian community center, police officers to patrol the Newark Penn Station
/Broad Street corridor 24-hours a day, the creation of a LGBT
advisory council to the mayor, and that the school board be held accountable for the lack of concern and compassion when dealing with students at Westside High School (which Gunn attended) immediately following the murder. To date, the city has not honored its commitment, which has created some resentment among Newark's gay and lesbian community. The Newark Pride Alliance, an LGBT
advocacy group, was founded in the wake of Gunn's murder, and continues to lobby the city administration.
Dreams Deferred: The Sakia Gunn Film Project premiered at NYC's NewFest in 2008.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
who was murdered as a hate crime
Hate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. Richard McCullough was charged with her death and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The murder
On the night of May 11, Gunn was returning from a night out in Greenwich VillageGreenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
with her friends. While waiting for the #1 New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
bus at the corner of Broad and Market Streets in downtown Newark, Gunn and her friends were propositioned by two men. When the girls rejected their advances, by declaring themselves to be lesbians, the men attacked them. Gunn fought back, and one of the men, Richard McCullough, stabbed her in the chest. Both men immediately fled the scene in their vehicle. After one of Gunn's friends flagged down a passing driver, she was taken to nearby University Hospital, where she died.
At the corner of Broad and Market Streets, where Gunn and her friends were waiting for the bus, stands a police booth that is to be manned 24 hours a day, as was promised by Sharpe James
Sharpe James
Sharpe James is a Democratic politician and convicted felon from New Jersey, who served as State Senator for the 29th Legislative District and was 35th Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. James was the second African American Mayor of Newark and served five four-year terms before declining to run for...
in his 2002 campaign. The fact that there was not a police officer in the booth at that time raised a number of questions among Gunn's family and friends, as well as the Newark community as a whole. If the booth had been manned, Gunn may not have died that night.
Sentencing
McCullough, who turned himself in to authorities several days later, was arrested in connection with the crime on May 16, 2003. In a plea bargainPlea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
, the murder charges were dropped and, on March 3, 2005, McCullough pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter, aggravated assault, and bias intimidation, claiming, at one point, that Gunn died after she ran into his knife. On April 21, 2005, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Reaction
The murder set off several protests in working-class Newark, and more than 2,500 people were reported to have attended Gunn's funeral.In comparison to the 1998 gay-bias murder of Matthew Shepard
Matthew Shepard
Matthew Wayne Shepard was a student at the University of Wyoming who was tortured and murdered near Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998...
, Sakia Gunn's murder drew limited media coverage. Using the Lexis-Nexis database, Kim Pearson, a professor at The College of New Jersey
The College of New Jersey
The College of New Jersey, abbreviated TCNJ, is a public, coeducational university located in Ewing Township, New Jersey, a suburb of Trenton....
found that there were 659 stories in major newspapers about Shepard's murder, compared to only 21 articles about Gunn's murder in the seven month period after their attacks. Pearson also notes that not only were Shepard's attackers tried and convicted during this period, but that it took nearly that long for Gunn's attacker to even be indicted.
Editors of a popular internet journal, The Gully, argued that there were "fundamental errors in the way most journalists reported the brutal May 11 murder of Sakia Gunn." They cite the tendency for reporters to highlight the "scuffle" that occurred between Gunn and her murderer, with the implication being that if Gunn and her friends had not announced their sexual orientation, the men would have left them alone. The authors of the journal argue that it is "far more likely that the men only propositioned Gunn and her friends because they knew the girls were dykes, and a sexual advance would provoke some kind of exchange."
Gunn's death sparked outrage from the city's gay and lesbian community. The community, in conjunction with GLAAD, rallied the mayor's office. Among the requests of the mayor included the establishment of a gay and lesbian community center, police officers to patrol the Newark Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station (Newark)
Pennsylvania Station is a major transportation hub in Newark, New Jersey. Located at Raymond Plaza, between Market Street and Raymond Boulevard, Newark Penn Station is served by the Newark Light Rail, New Jersey Transit commuter rail, Amtrak long distance trains, the PATH rapid transit system, and...
/Broad Street corridor 24-hours a day, the creation of a LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
advisory council to the mayor, and that the school board be held accountable for the lack of concern and compassion when dealing with students at Westside High School (which Gunn attended) immediately following the murder. To date, the city has not honored its commitment, which has created some resentment among Newark's gay and lesbian community. The Newark Pride Alliance, an LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
advocacy group, was founded in the wake of Gunn's murder, and continues to lobby the city administration.
Legacy
The 2011 musical, "This One Girl's Story," which debuted as part of Gayfest NYC, was inspired by the Sakia Gunn story.Dreams Deferred: The Sakia Gunn Film Project premiered at NYC's NewFest in 2008.