FLORIDA: YOU CAN KILL AN UNARMED TEEN BUT YOU CAN’T DEFEND YOURSELF AGAINST AN ABUSER What happens when you have a criminal record, fatally shoot a teenager armed with nothing more than a pack of skittles and an ice-tea and argue you were justified under Florida’s Stand Your Ground Laws? Nothing. The police believe you and it takes a national media campaign to actually get the criminal justice system to look into the case. What happens when you have no criminal record, don’t harm anyone, but fire shots to scare off an abusive husband, who has choked and punched you, and just threatened to kill you? You get sentenced to 20 years of prison, of course. This is justice in Florida, where Marissa Alexander was sentenced to 20 years of jail time on Friday. The 31-year-old mother of three said she had no intention of hurting anyone, but feared for her life, after her husband, who admits to abusive behavior, threatened to kill her. Change.org, which has a petition for Alexander, recounts what happened to her: Marissa’s husband has a documented history of violence and domestic abuse toward women. The history of Marissa Alexander and her husband includes an injunction for protection against violence and was active during August 2010. In a jealous rage, Marissa’s husband violently confronted her while she used the bathroom.  She was assaulted, shoved, strangled and held against her will. She was prevented from escaping and was not able to obtain her cell phone to call 911. Her husband was asked to leave repeatedly. He and his two sons (Marissa’s stepsons), were supposed to have exited through the front door but, did not. Her husband entered the kitchen which leads to the garage and saw that Marissa was unable to leave via the malfunctioning garage door. Her husband yelled “Bitch I will kill you!” and charged toward her. Marissa had retrieved her liscensed and registered gun which she owned for years before even meeting her husband – from her vehicle. She held the weapon in her right hand down by her side as he yelled, “Bitch I Will Kill You!” And charged toward her. In fear and desperation, Marissa Alexander lifted her weapon, turned away and discharged a single shot in the  ceiling. As she stood her ground – that single shot prevented him from doing that which he had threatened. He ran out of the house where he contacted police and falsely reported that Marissa Alexander shot at him and his 2 sons. Why was she charged, convicted and sentenced? Because State Attorney Angela Corey, the same prosecutor leading the Trayvon Martin case, said the gun was fired near a bedroom where two children were and they could have been injured. Did the bullet hit the children? No. Did Alexander point the gun at her husband and hit him? No. She simply fired a warning shot, and according to Florida’s shameful law, that’s enough for a minimum 20-year sentence. Florida’s Stand Your Ground law is a prime example of racism and misogyny.  It cannot go unchallenged.

FLORIDA: YOU CAN KILL AN UNARMED TEEN BUT YOU CAN’T DEFEND YOURSELF AGAINST AN ABUSER

What happens when you have a criminal record, fatally shoot a teenager armed with nothing more than a pack of skittles and an ice-tea and argue you were justified under Florida’s Stand Your Ground Laws? Nothing. The police believe you and it takes a national media campaign to actually get the criminal justice system to look into the case.

What happens when you have no criminal record, don’t harm anyone, but fire shots to scare off an abusive husband, who has choked and punched you, and just threatened to kill you? You get sentenced to 20 years of prison, of course. This is justice in Florida, where Marissa Alexander was sentenced to 20 years of jail time on Friday. The 31-year-old mother of three said she had no intention of hurting anyone, but feared for her life, after her husband, who admits to abusive behavior, threatened to kill her. Change.org, which has a petition for Alexander, recounts what happened to her:

Marissa’s husband has a documented history of violence and domestic abuse toward women. The history of Marissa Alexander and her husband includes an injunction for protection against violence and was active during August 2010. In a jealous rage, Marissa’s husband violently confronted her while she used the bathroom.  She was assaulted, shoved, strangled and held against her will. She was prevented from escaping and was not able to obtain her cell phone to call 911.

Her husband was asked to leave repeatedly. He and his two sons (Marissa’s stepsons), were supposed to have exited through the front door but, did not. Her husband entered the kitchen which leads to the garage and saw that Marissa was unable to leave via the malfunctioning garage door. Her husband yelled “Bitch I will kill you!” and charged toward her. Marissa had retrieved her liscensed and registered gun which she owned for years before even meeting her husband – from her vehicle. She held the weapon in her right hand down by her side as he yelled, “Bitch I Will Kill You!” And charged toward her. In fear and desperation, Marissa Alexander lifted her weapon, turned away and discharged a single shot in the  ceiling. As she stood her ground – that single shot prevented him from doing that which he had threatened. He ran out of the house where he contacted police and falsely reported that Marissa Alexander shot at him and his 2 sons.

Why was she charged, convicted and sentenced? Because State Attorney Angela Corey, the same prosecutor leading the Trayvon Martin case, said the gun was fired near a bedroom where two children were and they could have been injured.

Did the bullet hit the children? No. Did Alexander point the gun at her husband and hit him? No. She simply fired a warning shot, and according to Florida’s shameful law, that’s enough for a minimum 20-year sentence.

Florida’s Stand Your Ground law is a prime example of racism and misogyny. 

It cannot go unchallenged.

Source: feministing.com

15 May 76
Marissa AlexanderTrayvon Martinunjust legislationmisogyny

Notes

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  12. mslynn22 reblogged this from ohsosupreme and added:
    This is ridiculous!
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  16. nerddownand5 reblogged this from theelectricrelaxation and added:
    So Shyne (the rapper formerly of Bad Boy records) shot in a Manhattan club…in that shooting 3 people were hurt. He did...
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  27. the-furtonator reblogged this from blackmanonthemoon and added:
    Our justice system in Florida is fucked.
  28. box-ofrain reblogged this from internal-acceptance-movement
  29. pleaselookaftermyghost said: dorkward.tumblr.com/pos…
  30. thunder-mnet reblogged this from namwoohyun-mnet
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