MAKING CONNECTIONS: Domestic Violence <-> Mass Incarceration

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Marissa Alexander saved her own life four years ago. Now she needs our help in another fight for her life. 

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and it is also the Month of Resistance to Mass Incarceration.  Marissa Alexander’s case shows us how these issues are connected. 

We call on anti-domestic violence activists and victim advocates, anti-prison/police violence activists, feminists, racial justice organizers, reproductive justice activists, survivors of prison and domestic violence, and all people who believe that #blacklifematters to join the movement to FREE Marissa Alexander!  

DOWNLOAD THIS NEW BROCHURE (pdf) about Marissa Alexander's case and how it connects the dots between domestic violence and mass incarceration. Make copies and circulate at October events to build the movement for her freedom!  

Read the press release for more info!

Marissa Alexander's trial is on December 8th.  
Here's how we can help win her freedom:

Domestic Violence <-> Mass Incarceration
FACTS:
  1. Donate & fundraise for the Marissa Alexander Legal Defense Fund.  Legal costs are estimated to be $250,000, even with a pro bono legal team. Donations have been critical, paying off her bond and the cost of her ankle monitor.  If you are an organization or business, aim to raise at least $200 before the trial!  DONATE at tinyurl.com/MarissaDonate, or SHOP at the Free Marissa store: tinyurl.com/MarissaStore  

  2. Make your solidarity visible!  Create a Free Marissa sign and put it in your window, your organization, or your workplace.  Change your profile picture on social media to reflect your support.

  3. Organize rallies, teach-ins, speak outs, vigils, and court watch gatherings to engage communities about Marissa’s case and what 60 years will do to the right of domestic violence survivors to defend themselves.

  4. Organizational Statements: Urge local or state domestic violence organizations, anti-mass incarceration/police violence groups, reproductive justice & health organizations, and others to release statements to the press and community that support Marissa’s freedom.  Examples here.

  5. Make Media: We must make some noise.  Blog, tweet, facebook, and write op/eds.  Make sure Florida knows that the world is watching. Use the hashtag #freemarissa.

  6. Write to Marissa, let her know that you are with her! Address:  Marissa Alexander, PO Box 23872, Jacksonville, FL 32257

  7. Local/Global Court Watch: We are working with social justice journalists and the local Jacksonville community to engage in a court watch for Marissa’s trial.  We plan to engage supporters around the world through live-tweeting the trial, doing daily updates, and analysis.
  • The United States is the world's leader in incarceration with 2.2 million people currently in the nation's prisons or jails — a 500% increase over the last forty years. (The Sentencing Project, 2014)

  • 85-90% of women in prison have a history of being victims of vio-lence prior to their incarceration, including domestic violence, sexual violence, and child abuse. (ACLU, 2011)

  • Incarcerated domestic violence survivors report engaging in criminalized activity in response to experiences of abuse, the threat of violence, or coercion by a male partner. (Beth Richie, 1996)

  • Black women are about three times more likely to die at the hands of a current or ex-partner than members of other racial backgrounds.  In 2010, black women were incarcerated at nearly three times the rate of white women. (Violence Policy Center, 2011; The Sentencing Project, 2012)

  • In California, a prison study found that 93% of the women who had killed their significant others had been abused by them. That study found that 67% of those women reported that they had been attempting to protect themselves or their children when they wound up killing their partner. (California Sin by Silence Bill, 2012)

  • 70% of people in women’s prisons are mothers. The number of mothers in prison in the US increased by 122% between 1991 and 2007. (Council on Crime and Justice, 2006; The Sentencing Project, 2009)
PictureFree Marissa Rally at Duval County Courthouse, 7/28/14
STAY IN TOUCH!
Website: freemarissanow.org; E-mail: freemarissanow@gmail.com
Social Media: FACEBOOK, TWITTER, TUMBLR