While Batterers Go Free, Their Victims Get Prosecuted - 26:29
written by building bridges radio
at Wednesday, May 27, 2015
While Batterers Go Free, Their Victims Get Prosecuted
featuring
Marissa Alexander, survivor of and organizer in defense of legal rights for victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse
featuring
Marissa Alexander, survivor of and organizer in defense of legal rights for victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse
Sumayya Coleman, lead
organizer for the campaign to Free Marissa Alexander and the African-American/Black Women's
Cultural Alliance .
Marissa Alexander, the Florida mother whose case became a
rallying cry for anti-racism activists and survivors of domestic
violence, was released recently after three years of incarceration. Alexander,
in fear for her life had faced up to 60 years behind bars for firing a single
warning shot to
deter her abusive husband. The public outcry in support
of Marissa was successful in causing the sentence to be reduced, but
nevertheless Marissa was forced to plead guilty to assault in exchange
for credit for time served and received two years of electronic monitoring and
house arrest. Marissa whose case has drawn national attention should be
free and her case continues to raise larger issues of public interest
and social around the state’s criminalization of victims of domestic and
sexual violence. Marissa’s case has long sparked outrage about the unequal
application of the law for both Black Americans and women. Marissa was
prosecuted by Angela Corey, who was also the prosecutor in the trial of
George Zimmerman, who was acquitted in
the February 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin and who evoked “stand your ground” laws in his
defense, while Marissa who was in actual fear for her life was denied the
right to use that defense. Marissa granted us an exclusive interview where
she and her critical supporter Sumayya Coleman speak about the plight of and in defense of legal rights for victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.
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