Updated:
We received this information from Detective Mark Jamieson:
Earlier: Just about two weeks ago, Tad and Cindy Anderson’s daughter, Tiva, was attacked with a baseball bat near the skate park at Ballard Commons Park the intersection of 28th Ave NW and NW 67th Street. She suffered a serious head injury, but Tiva is expected to make a full physical recovery. However, her parents say she’s emotionally fragile since the attack.
“She has learning disabilities that can make it hard to interact with her, and she is transgender (biologically male but considers herself female and sometimes dresses that way),” the parents write in an email to neighbors. “It probably should have been obvious to us a long time ago, but this turns out to be a dangerous combination. Transgender people are the most likely to be harassed and Tiva is particularly vulnerable due to her limited social skills.”
As of right now, there are few leads. The attack happened on Tuesday, August 16th, and she went to the hospital a few days later, according to the police report. “The on duty nurse at [the hospital] stated to me that [she] sustained a subdural hematoma. The symptoms appear slowly and is fatal if not attended to. A portion of [her] skull was removed for treatment of the injury,” the detective writes in the report (.pdf).
“Tiva is very reluctant to talk about the incident to us (her parents),” Tad Anderson tells us. “We have learned through others that the woman who attacked her was also harassing her from dressing in female clothing, saying, ‘You should not be wearing those clothes’ (or words to that effect).”
The only thing the parents know is that the attacker is a white female, and they believe she may hang out around the skate park. “The female came up along side [of her] and told her, ‘I don’t want to see you around the skate bowl anymore,'” the police report states. “The female then struck [her] on the right side of the head with the baseball bat.”
Seattle Police spokesman Detective Mark Jamieson says the case is not being investigated as a hate crime because Tiva did not tell police she was attacked because she’s transgender. Jamieson says a detective interviewed Tiva after surgery and she was “drifting in and out of sleep during the interview,” the police report said. Jamieson said he did not know if there are any plans to interview her again.
Her parents reached out to My Ballard with the hope that someone has information about the crime. If you have any details, please email the family and call the Seattle Police at (206) 625-5011 and reference case number 2011-273665.
Meanwhile, Tad and Cindy say they have a lot of work ahead of them. “Cindy and I are trying to assemble a team to help with her recovery,” says Tad Anderson. “To keep her safe in the future, and, generally, to try to rebuild her self-confidence and trust in others.”
