Dear Marissa Alexander supporters,

 

 

The Free Marissa Now Mobilization Campaign supports Marissa Alexander’s self-determination to make the best choices she can while navigating the violent and impossible circumstances created by her abusive husband, Angela Corey, and Florida’s judicial system.  The plea deal is a relief in some ways, but this is far from a victory. The deal will help Marissa and her family avoid yet another very expensive and emotionally exhausting trial that could have led to the devastating ruling of spending the rest of her life in prison.  Marissa’s children, family, and community need her to be free as soon as possible.  However, the absurdity in Marissa’s case was always the fact that the courts punished and criminalized her for surviving domestic violence, for saving her own life.  The mandatory minimum sentences of 20 years, and then 60 years, just made the state’s prosecution increasingly shocking.  But we have always believed that forcing Marissa to serve even one day in prison represents a profound and systemic attack on black women’s right to exist and all women’s right to self-defense.

 

We want to underscore the fact that Marissa has been able to avoid spending the rest of her life in prison directly because of all that you have done.  Your critical actions to keep her name in the public's consciousness, your fundraisers and generous donations that raised over $100,000 in one year, and your consistent outpouring of support have been crucial ingredients that have gotten Marissa this far.  You helped halt a crisis that seemed to just grow bigger by the day.  Thank you so very, very much.

 

The campaign intends to keep going until Marissa is free! It is vital that we keep the momentum of our support and love going until Marissa is restored to her family and community. Marissa has been consistent in her self-advocacy, including defending her life when attacked by her husband, rejecting a punishing three year plea deal offered to her in 2012, and taking the plea offered to her today.  As difficult as it is to see Marissa unjustly sent back to prison, her supporters around the world stand with her.  We are standing our ground that women have the right to defend themselves from violence, and that black women’s lives matter.

 

Follow the Free Marissa Now campaign on our website, facebook, twitter, tumblr, and e-mail listserv for updates. In the meantime, we are continuing to fundraise for Marissa Alexander because she will continue to face legal expenses.  For example, she will be forced to pay for the ankle monitor the state will force her to wear during her 2-year probation.  That alone will cost $26,000.  We will have a report about the enormous costs she's sustained to date and how you've helped cover them soon.  For now, we are raising the goal of this fundraiser to $50,000.  

 

We are in solidarity with the amazing uprisings against police violence and mass incarceration happening around the country.  We want to keep Marissa's name and the names of all black women whose lives have been impacted by police, court, and prison violence at the forefront of these important actions.  Thank you for your ongoing powerful support of Marissa Alexander, movements to end mass incarceration and domestic violence, women's right to self-defense, and black women's right to a safe and joyful existence!