Who is Marissa Alexander & why was she threatened with 60 years in prison?
Marissa Alexander is a proud African American mother of three, a loving daughter and sister, she has earned an MBA, she’s a woman of faith, and she’s a survivor of domestic violence. In 2012, Marissa was sentenced to twenty years in the Florida criminal correctional system for defending herself from her abusive estranged husband. Nine days after giving birth to a premature daughter, she fired a single warning shot upwards into a wall to halt her abusive partner during a life-threatening beating. Despite the fact that Marissa caused no injuries and has no previous criminal record, and despite the fact that Florida’s self-defense law includes the right to “Stand Your Ground,” she was arrested, prosecuted, and incarcerated. Her sentence was set at 20 years in part due to the state’s mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Marissa successfully appealed the trial, overturning the guilty verdict on 9/26/13. On 11/26/13, Marissa was finally released on bond and is currently under house arrest. Her new trial was scheduled for 12/8/14, but she accepted a plea on 11/24/14, which includes time served and 65 additional days in Duval County Jail and 2 years of probation and house detention. More details here.
What is Free Marissa Now?
Free Marissa Now is an alliance of organizations and activists working to free Marissa Alexander. The Free Marissa Now Mobilization Campaign engages people in the US and all around the world with projects that help support the call to free Marissa Alexander and organize towards ending domestic violence and mass incarceration. More details here.
Get in touch with Free Marissa Now at freemarissanow@gmail.com or here.
Marissa Alexander is a proud African American mother of three, a loving daughter and sister, she has earned an MBA, she’s a woman of faith, and she’s a survivor of domestic violence. In 2012, Marissa was sentenced to twenty years in the Florida criminal correctional system for defending herself from her abusive estranged husband. Nine days after giving birth to a premature daughter, she fired a single warning shot upwards into a wall to halt her abusive partner during a life-threatening beating. Despite the fact that Marissa caused no injuries and has no previous criminal record, and despite the fact that Florida’s self-defense law includes the right to “Stand Your Ground,” she was arrested, prosecuted, and incarcerated. Her sentence was set at 20 years in part due to the state’s mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Marissa successfully appealed the trial, overturning the guilty verdict on 9/26/13. On 11/26/13, Marissa was finally released on bond and is currently under house arrest. Her new trial was scheduled for 12/8/14, but she accepted a plea on 11/24/14, which includes time served and 65 additional days in Duval County Jail and 2 years of probation and house detention. More details here.
What is Free Marissa Now?
Free Marissa Now is an alliance of organizations and activists working to free Marissa Alexander. The Free Marissa Now Mobilization Campaign engages people in the US and all around the world with projects that help support the call to free Marissa Alexander and organize towards ending domestic violence and mass incarceration. More details here.
Get in touch with Free Marissa Now at freemarissanow@gmail.com or here.
