Supporters of “Jane Doe,” the 16-year-old trans girl who has been in an adult prison for over two months without charges, rallied again at Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families on June 16.
Local supporters were joined by people from as far away as Boston and New York City who responded to the #JusticeForJane social media campaign, which has gotten over 19,000 signatures on a petition to DCF and Governor Danell Malloy.
“Prison is not therapy. As a nurse, this girl needs school, this girl needs dreams, this girl needs love” said Bernadette, who attended from New York.
The rally also called out Connecticut Gov. Malloy, who said on May 9 that immediate action should be taken to get Jane Doe out of solitary confinement but has done nothing in the month since.
Aaron Romano, Jane’s attorney, addressed the crowd with updates: “The progress we’ve made since the beginning is because everyone here has spoken out… If she’s not out by the end of the week there will be big problems in this state and across the country.”
The rally on the June 16 was originally planned to be a court support event where Jane Doe would testify about her treatment at the hands of DCF, including years of neglect. A last-minute promise by DCF to transfer Jane Doe by June 20 cancelled the hearing. The community responded immediately by shifting the demonstration to hold DCF to their promise.
