> > > Public Interest Forum > > > > When: 6:30 PM, Friday, November 14, 2014 > > Where: The Commons, 443 Main St., Norway, Maine > > > > Mainers are joining the national campaign for Marissa Alexander, an African-American mother of three facing unconscionable judicial persecution in Florida. Her trial begins on December 8, 2014. If she’s convicted, she goes to jail for 60 years. At issue is easy tolerance of violence against women, punishment of a woman who defended herself against abuse, and oppression of African-Americans through the courts. > > > > Learn what you can do to help secure justice for Marissa Alexander. Tom Whitney will lead the discussion. We’ll also talk about the use of prisons for regulating dissent, real and imagined. > > > > Here are the facts: Alexander’s estranged husband attacked her in 2012 and she fired a warning shot. He had beaten her before and assaulted other women. Facing three charges of aggravated assault (one for each of two children in the house and one for the assailant), Alexander refused a plea bargain involving three years in jail. She was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in jail, a mandatory minimum sentence. Alexander’s appeal was successful, but now, on home detention, she faces a new trial. The appeals court judge ruled that mandatory 20 - year sentences on each charge must be served sequentially. > > > > The prosecutor is Florida State Attorney Angela B. Corey, state attorney in the case of George Zimmerman, the accused murderer of Trayvon Martin. Corey has secured the execution of 21 defendants over five years, two thirds of them black. > > > > What’s being done for Marissa Alexander? > > > > Meetings, rallies, teach-ins, and vigils are being organized. Letters and opinion statements are circulating in the media. There’s an on-line petition for Marissa Alexander at: change.org/p/free-marissa-alexander-now. And, we have a printed petition to be signed and circulated. Contributions to the Marissa Alexander Legal Defense Fund are crucial. Write to Marissa Alexander, let her know that you are with her! Address: Marissa Alexander, PO Box 23872, Jacksonville, FL 32257. For information updates, go to: freemarissanow.org > > > > For information, call Tom Whitney at (207) 743-2183. We’ll have refreshments.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 15:43:35 +0000
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