Black Trans Man Banko Brown, 24, Shot to Death by Walgreens Security Guard in San Francisco — Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents
Banko Brown, a 24-year-old Black trans man, is the most recent reported victim of anti-trans violence after he was fatally shot by a security guard in a San Francisco Walgreens. Banko used the surnames Brown and Paso.
At approximately 6:33 p.m., SFPD officers from Tenderloin Station responded to a report of a shooting at 825 Market Street near Fourth Street, the SFPD reported. Officers arrived on scene and located a victim — identified as 24-year-old Chynna Brown, who preferred the name Banko Paso — suffering from a gunshot wound. Officers rendered aid and summoned medics to the scene. Paso was transported to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries and was later pronounced dead.
Young Women’s Freedom Center, a San Francisco nonprofit that provides support for young women and trans youth of all genders, identified Banko as a community organizing intern for the nonprofit. He had been involved with the organization since he was just 12 years old and was currently serving as a community organizing intern. His work involves street assessments of folx during the pandemis.
Julia Arroyo, co-executive director of the Young Women’s Freedom Center, said. “He reached my heart. He really did reach my heart. He was so funny and he was bold too, he knew what he was striving for.”
The organization set up a crowdfund for Banko’s funeral expenses. It reads, in part:
Banko had also struggled with housing instability for over a decade. He worked tirelessly, making consistent calls for shelter and other basic needs. Still, instead of receiving the support he needed, at every turn, there were obstacles and endless hoops to jump through. He was criminalized and lost his life trying to survive.
Banko has been repeatedly misgendered by media. The same media that’s debating the issue of shoplifting as an epidemic rather than examining the reasons people turn to shoplifting. Or the epidemic of violence decimating the trans community. One person interviewed said the guard was probably “overwhelmed” which I think is a staffing/personnel issue, not a reason to shoot anyone.
