A man who committed a hate crime when he punched and yelled slurs at a Transgender person at a homeless facility has been sentenced to 44 days in jail he has already served.
Tony Taverlia McQueen, 57, was ordered to stay away from the San Diego Homelessness Response Center at 1401 Imperial Ave. where the incident occurred in May under terms of two years’ probation.
McQueen frequented the center and was known to the staff there. He made a derogatory remark about the victim’s clothing and called the transgender person “a faggot”, according to witnesses.
McQueen punched the victim four times in the head, but the victim was not seriously injured.
“Every person should be able to live a peaceful and dignified life free from intimidation and violence,” said City Attorney Mara Elliott in a statement.
“Crimes like this have no place in our society. We strongly encourage victims and witnesses of hate crimes to come forward so that we can seek justice for our communities,” said Elliott.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Daniel Goldstein warned McQueen, also known as Tracy James, not to frequent the homeless facility under terms of probation. If he violates those terms, he could return to jail.
The victim was also seeking services at the homeless resource center at the time.
McQueen pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery during a hate crime and to felony theft in an unrelated case. Court records show he has had five misdemeanor and two felony cases filed against him since 2000.
Elliott said her office participates in the San Diego Regional Hate Crimes Coalition; a group formed to unite law enforcement agencies with community-based organizations to address hate crimes.
The City Attorney’s office takes reports of hate crimes seriously and Elliott urged victims and witnesses to report incidents to San Diego Police or to call her office directly at (619) 236-6220.
