PARDON Abused Mother Marissa Alexander for Standing Her Ground
- by: Susan Vaughan
- recipient: Florida Office of Executive Clemency & Prosecutor Angela Corey
The Stand Your Ground Defense failed domestic abuse victim Marissa Alexander - who didn't shoot anyone.
Only after enduring a year of violence from her husband Rico Gray, who has a documented history of abuse, did she arm herself for protection.
The next threat came just nine days after giving birth to their daughter. Gray, in a rage, cornered her and threatened to kill her. But instead of shooting him, she aimed upward. The only thing she hit was the ceiling.
Gray ran into the street, claiming she threatened to kill him and his boys. Marissa, on his word alone, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
For protecting her life and children she was just sentenced to twenty years in prison, even though Gray has since admitted his intention to harm her. There's no excuse for Florida to deny this responsible mother her freedom.
Marissa is currently in the process of appealing her conviction. Tell Governor Scott to PARDON Marissa NOW!
We, the undersigned, believe there is more than sufficient evidence to warrant granting Marissa Alexander a new trial. And, since her right to a defense under Florida's Stand Your Ground law has been denied, the governor should pardon her.
Whether she was acting under the Stand Your Ground Law or other laws, she had a right to protect herself from what she reasonably believed, and what documentation shows, appears to have been an obvious threat to her life or well-being. She did so without causing harm to anyone, and yet she's in jail, while police officers who claim they felt threatened have killed many people and never faced any penalty at all.
Given the details of the case revealed in the news media, her husband's record of violent abuse and the flimsy excuse provided from the courts for not accepting her appeal for the Stand Your Ground Defense, we believe that Marissa Alexander should not spend another day in jail.
The fact that this law has been successfully used as a defense for those who have in the past actually shot and killed another person, under much more questionable circumstances, makes the court’s response to Alexander’s appeal appear as a double standard application of Stand Your Ground Defense.
We see no reason for further argument on this matter. We request that, as long as this law remains on the books, the courts apply it fairly and without discrimination, and certainly in a case such as Alexander’s involving a history of domestic abuse.
We respectfully request that you pardon Marissa Alexander at once. Don't force her children to spend another day without their mother
Good News for Thanksgiving Day! First Coast News reports today that Marissa has been released from jail on bond to be with her family while awaiting her new trial next year! Thanks for your support and helping to make this happen. Please continue to request that the charges against Marrisa be dropped.
Many thanks again to all who have signed this petition. It has just been reported that Marissa Alexander is going to receive a new trial! This is amazing news, but we must keep the pressure on so she can be pardoned and released. Please share this petition widely and we can send a strong message that the hypocrisy of "Stand Your Ground" laws will not be tolerated. Thank you!
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