FREE MARISSA NOW

Take action to end state and patriarchal violence against all Black women & girls. Join BYP100 and a coalition of organizers for the #SayHerName Week of Action, Jul 11-18, 2018.

"Marissa Alexander no longer wears an ankle monitor. She is now free to go to the park and play basketball with her children in her Jacksonville, Fla., neighborhood. She can ride a bicycle and stroll on the beach, which she dreamed about in prison.

Today is January 27, 2017, the day that Marissa Alexander isl finally freed from house detention and all forms of state confinement!! Here is a statement from Marissa and her family: 

"We are grateful to God that this chapter of Marissa's life will come to a close on January 27, 2017. We are sincerely thankful and appreciative to all who rallied, supported and prayed for Marissa's release. As she enters a new chapter, with endless possibilities, we ask that you will continue to support Marissa through her non-profit organization that was established to end domestic violence and injustice in the criminal justice system, The Marissa Alexander Justice Project. Without you, today would not be possible. Thank you again and again."

Free Marissa Now statement at the link above. Marissa Alexander Justice Project: http://forgottenmajority.net/index.php/category/marissa-alexander-justice-project/

#FreeBresha DAYS OF ACTION: OCT 5 & 6 

Bresha Meadows has an important court hearing on Thursday, Oct 6th when the prosecutor will determine if Bresha will be prosecuted for a crime (possibly charged as an adult) instead of given the support & safety that she needs.

We take action in solidarity with Bresha and demand that she is returned home to her family and that all charges against her are dropped.  We call on #SayHerName/#BlackLivesMatter supporters, victim advocates, feminists, racial justice activists, young people, and people of faith to take action in solidarity with Bresha and all survivors of domestic & sexual violence who are criminalized for surviving.

Events are being planned across the US! Visit here and here for an updated list. We want to help promote your event! Please send us info about your action.

WAYS TO PARTICIPATE (Download as PDF):

TAKE DIRECT ACTION! On Oct 5th & 6th, organize a march & rally, a speak out, a vigil, a flash mob dance party, a concert, a block party, or a fundraiser. Use media! Create zines, short videos, postcards, music, and poetry.

DONATE to the fund to support Bresha Meadows' freedom: https://www.gofundme.com/BreshaM

SIGN the petition to demand that Trumbull County Prosecutor, Dennis Watkins, drop the charges against Bresha and free her now: bit.ly/FreeBreshaNow

WRITE letters of encouragement and support to Bresha and send to: Bresha Meadows, c/o Ian N. Friedman, Esq., Friedman & Nemecek, L.L.C., The IMG Center, 1360 E. 9th Street, Suite 650, Cleveland, Ohio 44114

JOIN the “Open Letter to Dennis Watkins” project. Send us an open letter to Prosecutor Dennis Watkins who has the discretion to decide to drop charges against Bresha. https://freebresha.wordpress.com/open-letters/

EDUCATE communities about the criminalization of black girls and survivors of domestic violence! Organize discussions and workshops about domestic and sexual violence, explore community strategies for safety and support, resist the criminalization of our communities. Educational Resources: * #FreeBresha curriculum template *  fact sheet on domestic violence and the criminalization of girls * educational tools at survivedandpunished.org and No Selves to Defend

ENDORSE the call to free Bresha Meadows. Urge your campus, organization, union, faith community, or collective to endorse the statement posted by Love & Protect:  http://loveandprotect.org/bresha-meadows/

CONNECT WITH FAITH COMMUNITIES. If you are part of a faith community, join community prayer sessions for Bresha's freedom and mobilize your community. More here: https://freebresha.wordpress.com/faith/

SPREAD THE WORD with friends, families, communities, co-workers, and via social media. Write letters to the editor to your local news media. Blog, tweet, and spread the word on social media. #FreeBresha

Bresha Meadows of Ohio was 14 years old when she was incarcerated and threatened with a charge of aggravated murder for defending herself and family against the unrelenting terror and abuse of her father.

We stand in solidarity with Bresha and demand that she is returned home to her family and that all charges against her are dropped. Join us for the twitter chat and follow #FreeBresha updates here: 

https://freebresha.wordpress.com https://www.facebook.com/freebresha/ http://twitter.com/freebresha

April 12, 2016

After defending her life from her abusive husband by firing a warning shot, Marissa Alexander was unjustly charged and convicted of aggravated assault with a firearm. Though she caused no injuries, Florida's 10-20-Life mandatory minimum sentencing law required that she receive a sentence of 20 years.  The judge literally said the sentence was "out of my hands."

The past couple of months have seen some important reforms to this law:  

In February, Florida legislators REPEALED part of the 10-20-Life law, allowing judges to take into account mitigating circumstances (such as domestic violence) when determining sentencing in cases where a firearm is involved.

After Marissa successfully appealed her conviction in 2013, State Prosecutor Angela Corey announced that she would re-try Marissa and this time pursue a 60 year sentence.  Marissa was charged with three counts of aggravated assault, and Corey argued that the mandatory minimum law required that multiple sentences must be served consecutively rather than concurrently. This past March, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that mandatory minimum sentences can be served concurrently according to judges' discretion.

These reforms were, in large part, inspired by Marissa's case. However, if Marissa had been convicted in a second trial rather than agree to a plea in 2014, the first reform would not have impacted her mandated sentence retroactively.

The Free Marissa Now Mobilization Campaign released a response:

"We welcome the weakening of mandatory minimum sentencing and congratulate all who organized to secure this hard-won legislative reform. As we have argued, mandatory minimums have been a major contributor to the hyperincarceration of black people and the warehousing of tens of thousands of people in the U.S.  They are also particularly dangerous for survivors of sexual and domestic violence who are prosecuted because the context of the violence they experience from their abusers can have no impact on sentencing decisions.