Attacks against minorities are on the rise, but experts disagree when it comes to how much.
Adam May reveals why state and federal statistics are different and why hundreds of local cases might go unreported.
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On her way to buy some orange juice, 26-year-old Pamela Brown, who started living as a woman three years ago, said she was viciously attacked because she is transgendered.
"I saw five guys blocking the storeway. They called me a [expletive deleted] and then I was hit. Then I was attacked by two more guys from the back and my fiance ran over," she said. "I probably could have been killed if I was by myself."
Brown is now recovering while in protective police custody.
Meanwhile, two young men have been arrested near the Old Town Mall in Baltimore where the beating occurred.
Police commented on the attack last week.
"More than likely it will be upgraded to a hate crime, simply because of the things that were being said," said Troy Harris, Baltimore City Police spokesperson.
But now the city state's attorney's office is not pursuing hate crime charges. Why?
A spokesperson says while there was provocative language, it is free speech and there's no evidence of premeditation.
<a href="http://wjz.com/local/pamela.brown.hate.2.636503.html">http://wjz.com/local/pamela.brown.hate.2.636503.html</a>
Rating: User: autumn59 2008-01-27T19:16:06.75Z
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transwoman | woman | hate | crime | hate | crimes | Baltimore | Maryland | attacks | minorities | assaults |