ACTION REQUESTED: From Marissa Alexander-the Battered Woman Serving 20 Years /Firing a Warning Shot
It’s been a wicked week for most Americans. The Trayvon Martin injustice was a punch in the stomach. In Texas, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, we witnessed Republicans using sleazy backdoor tactics to chip away at women’s rights, introducing bills aimed to silence and control women. Women will ultimately win this war - but what a shame we have to witness such an unjust system, as well as watch them waste millions of tax dollars on congressional sessions, that debate unconstitutional bills which will ultimately be thrown out.
As the saying goes, something good often comes from something bad. As all of the above events were taking place last week, the story of Marissa Alexander re-emerged. In April 2010, Alexander, then 29, fired a warning shot to stop her abusive husband. She was a battered wife and he was coming towards again, fully intending to do her harm. She was frail at the time, having just given birth days earlier. Alexander did not fire the shot directly at her husband. The bullet ended up in the ceiling and no one was hurt. Her abusive husband even claimed he meant to ‘lay hands on her’ and that she did the right thing in trying to stop him. Yet, Marissa Alexander was arrested and is now serving a 20-year prison sentence.