Abused Wife Faces 20 Years In Prison After Failed Stand-Your-Ground Defense

Via The Huffington Post: "It took nearly a year's worth of violent physical abuse before Marissa Alexander decided to stand her ground against her husband. On Aug. 1, 2010, her husband cornered her in their Jacksonville, Fla., home. Alexander said she ran to the garage to escape, but the garage door was jammed, so Alexander grabbed a pistol. Her husband, Rico Gray, 36, saw the gun and threatened to kill her, Alexander would later say in court documents. Fearing for her life, she raised the pistol above her head and squeezed the trigger, the crackle of gunfire pelting the kitchen ceiling. While the shooting may have gotten Alexander out of one jam, it put her in another: She has been in a Florida jail since 2010 awaiting a mandatory sentence of 20 years in prison for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon...".* Ana Kasparian and Richard Eskow discuss on The Young Turks.

*Read more from Trymaine Lee: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05...

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• Category

  News & Politics

[xensor]

Currently, there are a number of efforts, including:

Site: justice4marissa . com

Facebook: SupportForMarissaAlexander

Twitter: FreeMarissa

The petition I previously linked to here received 17,147 signatures for Marissa before closing. You may have seen a similar but separate effort that tallied up 283 before it closed.

People have actually made a huge difference so far. We just all have to keep doing what we can.

So thanks, and thanks to everyone who cares enough to be a part of that difference.

[xensor]

Marissa holds a master's degree. She was a positively contributing member of society, and she was law-abiding, with no previous arrests.

Yes, she's guilty of a crime, and deserves a sanction, but not prison for two decades over a single violation in which no one was hurt.

Laws which are no longer effective as their original drafters intended, that instead have become obstructions to our application of justice, must either be stricken or changed, and the injustices leveled in their name reversed.

[reachforacreech]

im in the girls favor.but why did she stay with him so long?

dont matter if you love him and have kids with him.he beat you you get out!

[PATRICK FRENCH]

WOW!!!

[ega6991]

"Southern justice"

My God, the US is fuuuucked

[Ayinde Nurse]

And your point is? If it was flipped the other way I would have stood in defense of the guy ,no one deserves to be sent to jail for genuinely defending themselves from domestic abuse man or woman and if your skull is to thick to understand that concept without insulting some one for stating his point then I guess I've said all I can.

Good Day Sir

[feelingthefunk]

SHE SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD THAT GUN!!!1 WHY WAS SHE HIDING A GUN IN THE GARAGE WHERE KIDS COULD FIND IT? THANK GOD BABY-DADDY DIDN'T TAKE THE GUN AND SHOOT HER AND THE KIDS! GUNS CAUSE MURDERS!!!

[MrIamtrolling]

Fuck off mangina, men get arrested all the time when they get assaulted by their wifes.

[betatalk357]

The State of Florida condemned her; I didn't. Overall, both of those shootings would've been better handled by society in a court of law rather than politicans keep enacting pointless laws to make people "safe."

The State of Florida however emphasized stand your ground law rather than emphasizing getting Protection From Abuse Orders.

Maybe she would have more legal traction to say "I felt endangered because he still wanted to attack me even after I had the courts tell him not to attack me."

[lerinnenatalia]

1. I would say 20 years def counts as condemning her.

2. Woman in prison for 20 years after a situation that is clearly self-defense is sexist.

3. Zimmerman taking nearly 4 months to even get arrested for a situation that HE initiated is racist.

Im not about to blame a law that was likely written by a white male. In a state like Florida where they probably still have segregated proms or something, It makes perfect sense that she would not be in prison if she woulda just took the ass whipping.

[betatalk357]

I'm not condemning her for what she did, but a person not suitably trained in using a firearm can hurt themselves or others. The point of the firearm is self-defense and she wanted to defend herself. Nothing sexist or racist about that.

Florida just wants to fuck with gun owners any which way they can, and unfortunately, she did by not shooting the guy, as fucked up as that stand your ground law is.

[lerinnenatalia]

When "microwaves or something" becomes a selling point in your argument about self defense, racism and sexism, its time to go take a debate class. What the HELL does that have to do with the fact someone was actually able to stand their ground without injuring anyone? If she accidentally shot her baby, you might have a leg to stand on. She hurt noone while trying to defend herself, 9 DAYS after giving birth...and got 20 years. It's not like we're in the Twilight Zone. She doesn't belong in jail.