Fighting for Our Lives, Marissa Alexander & Stand Your Ground

Black Women In Conversation

Every case such as this one, involving a Black woman--and one who has identified herself as a survivor, witnessed by the American public and the media, represents a microcosm of the systematic miscarriage of justice and failure by the institutions and overseers of justice to uphold the human rights of victims and survivors. Marissa Alexander, the 31-year-old mother of three was denied a “Stand Your Ground” defense against her abusive husband, and now faces a 20-year prison sentence. Via Florida New Majority: On August 1, 2010, Marissa's estranged husband violated a protective order that stated he was to have no violent contact with her. She had given birth a few days before to a baby girl who was still in the intensive care unit. The man brutally attacked Marissa, and she ran into her garage to get away. After realizing she left her keys and the garage was malfunctioning (her husband stated this in a sworn deposition), to save her life, Marissa retrieved her permitted gun and entered the house so that she could flee out of another exit. Her husband saw the gun and became so enraged he lunged at her and threatened to kill her. Marissa fired ONE SHOT INTO THE AIR. No one was hurt, and she remained safe for that moment. However, in the twisted logic of Florida law enforcement it was Marissa that was arrested, tried in court, and is now facing 20 years in jail under Florida's 10-20-Life law.