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| Art by Dignidad Rebelde |
The criminalization of blackness is a disastrous and ongoing legacy of our society. It is actively killing and maiming our sisters and brothers, and the massive events in Ferguson have demonstrated the great lengths we will go to in protecting this tradition.
It is in this context that Marissa Alexander is currently fighting for her freedom in Florida. She was sentenced with 20 years in prison after having fired a warning shot into the air to avoid an attack from her ex-husband. In stark contrast to George Zimmerman, Alexander was denied a 'Stand Your Ground' defense. She has been granted a chance at a retrial, but she faces an expensive and grueling uphill battle.
I'll be posting more details here in the coming weeks from myself and other voices. But in the meantime, @KilljoyProphets is organizing a series of opportunities to speak up and take action. In particular, there is a call for Christian voices to "proclaim good news to the poor...to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free" (Luke 4:18). Thus, it's rallying cry: #Marissa418.
As part of that campaign, we are gathering #30SOL testimonies from Christian voices speaking boldly against injustice. You don't have to be an expert. You don't have to be highly trained orator. Just share what Marissa Alexander's struggle and #Marissa418 mean to you--in 30 seconds or less.
Be sure to check out these amazing sample submissions from Emily Rice, Suey Park, Sarah Moon, Mihee Kim-Kort, Micky Jones, and Christena Cleveland.
Send your submissions to ByTheirStrangeFruit@gmail.com by August 24th to be included.
I must remember to pray for Marissa she has truly gotten a raw and messed up deal. I pray that she gets justice.
ReplyDelete"In stark contrast to George Zimmerman" Yes that's it exactly Zimmerman was a murderer she didn't kill anyone, "Stand Your Ground" is a double standard in regards to black people. Something is truly rotten in Denmark. In this case Stanford. Florida. "Justice for Marissa"
ReplyDeleteThere are 9,000 blacks killed by eachother each year. Why don't you blog about that?
ReplyDeleteThe rush to judgement is appalling - people have already made up their mind without any confirmed facts - strictly on assumption on what may, or may not, have happened. When anyone is killed, it is a tragedy, but you have to put your biases aside and wait for all the evidence. Unfortunately, people are allowing their biases to cloud their reasoning.
ReplyDeleteLet's wait for all the evidence, and all the witnesses to be presented before a judgement is made. It is wrong to jump to conclusions before this happens - doing so is simply being ignorant.
A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out.. praying for Marissa, and for the dismantling to systems which perpetrates this injustice.
ReplyDeleteMary, your voice would be a welcome addition to the #30SOL project. Do consider making a quick recording. Maybe of your prayer itself?
ReplyDeleteGood word. It would be wonderful to hear your thoughts in a #30SOL!
ReplyDeleteThank you,Yen Lee!
ReplyDeleteuh, really? execution style? you know about that how?
ReplyDeleteSo wonderful - thank you!!!!!
ReplyDeleteA very important question is, how will the murder of Michael Brown galvanize citizens? Furthermore what are the implications of realizing the very real fact that within our society a free unarmed citizen can be stopped, gunned down and murdered in the streets of America by an officer of the “Law”. Will this criminal act of violence be a call to citizens throughout the nation that our government and the system of laws we are under no longer and possibly have never served our true interest? Citizens may begin to ask, how did such a environment come into existence. Revolution may be required.
ReplyDeleteRead more at http://damonbell.info/blog_post_0274.php#hRlYSmO7TZBeyZQm.99
"It is in this context that Marissa Alexander is currently fighting for her freedom in Florida. She was sentenced with 20 years in prison after having fired a warning shot into the air to avoid an attack from her ex-husband."
ReplyDeleteShe's in jail because she shot at her ex-husband, and she didn't fire a "warning shot." You might want to bother reviewing the facts of the case which directly dispute Marrisa Alexander's claims of self defense:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/89763280/Order-Denying-Defendants-Motion-for-Immunity-and-Motion-to-Dismiss
http://mediatrackers.org/florida/2013/07/16/no-marissa-alexanders-conviction-was-not-a-reverse-trayvon-martin-case-in-florida
A few key points:
1) Alexander had a prior conviction for domestic abuse against Rico Gray, who was no saint himself, and was violating a court order by being in the home in the first place.
2) She has no claim to stand your ground because stand your ground merely allows you to defend yourself without attempting to flee. Alexander had every opportunity to flee the house, as demonstrated by the fact that she went to the garage, retrieved a gun, and went back to shoot at her husband. She claimed the garage door was broken, yet investigators found it in operating condition. This also does not give any credence to the idea her life was in any danger, as would be required under self defense law.
3) She didn't fire the supposed warning shot in to the air. Court documents show that the only bullet holes were in the kitchen wall, at head height. There were no holes in the ceiling, save the one that passed through the kitchen where the shooting took place and entered the ceiling of the living room. Her claim that she fired a warning shot "in to the air" is false.
4) Rico Gray and his sons fled the house and called 911. Alexander stayed in the house and never called police. Why would a woman in fear of her life stay where she had been attacked, not attempt to flee, and not call the police?
If you want to be taken seriously when it comes to true racism, you should start by knowing the FACTS about claimed instances of racism. Supporting a criminal like Marissa Alexander just makes you look like a fool.
Facts not to your liking? SPAM!
ReplyDeletethere is NO evidence brown made any type of threat on any level......ALL the witnesses say wilson was the aggressor and brown was trying to get AWAY from wilson.........there is NOT one shred of evidence wilson was even hit one time in fact he walked around for a good while after the shooting and is seen on video perfectly fine.......NO indication of any injury and with so many folks watching closelt NOT ONE person saw any injury to wilsons face.
ReplyDeleteNO there were no felony charges against brown EVER.....why do you insist on LYING?????i have seen your lies other places.
ReplyDeleteSo I was wrong there, I took some info as the truth that was stated by someone else without verifying it, wouldn't be an issue if they were not fighting to keep his juvenile record closed to hide whatever they don't want getting out. It does not change the fact that Browns state of mind was reacting as a person that had just robbed a store and he was not willing to go down for it.
ReplyDeleteNothing changes though with that, I never said that was why Wilson shot him. Let me put it like this if he had grabbed me in my store like he did the guy on that video I'd of put an entire clip into him right there at the front of my store the cops wouldn't have had to protect themselves and other citizens from the animal.
My name was Antonio West.
ReplyDeleteI
was the 13-month old child who was shot in the face at point blank
range by two black teens, who were attempting to rob my mother, who was
also shot.
I think my murder and my mommy’s wounding made the news for maybe a day, and then disappeared.
A
Grand Jury of my mommy's peers from Brunswick, Georgia ruled the black
teens who murdered me will not face the death penalty... too bad it was
me who got the death sentence from my killers instead, because Mommy
didn’t have the money they demanded.
See, my family made the mistake of being white in a 73% non-white neighborhood, but my murder wasn’t ruled a ‘hate crime’.
Oh, and President Obama didn’t take a single moment to acknowledge my murder.
He couldn’t have any children who could possibly look like me - so why should he care?
I’m one of the youngest murder victims in our great Nation's history,
but the media didn’t care to cover the story of my being killed in cold
blood.
There isn’t a white equivalent of Al Sharpton, because if there was he would be branded a ‘racist’.
So no one’s rushing to Brunswick, Georgia to demonstrate and demand ‘justice’ for me.
There’s no ‘White Panther’ party, either, to put a bounty on the lives of the two black teens who murdered me.
I
have no voice, I have no representation, and unlike those who shot me
in the face while I sat innocently in my stroller - I no longer have my
life.
Isn’t this a great country?
So while you’re out seeking ‘justice for Trayvon Martin or Michael Brown’, please remember to seek ‘justice’ for me.
Tell
your friends about me, tell you families, get tee-shirts with my face
on them, and make the world pay attention, just like you did for Trayvon
and Brown.
I won’t hold my breath.
I don’t have to anymore.