PARDON Abused Mother Marissa Alexander for Standing Her Ground
- signatures:
- signature goal: 35,000
- Target: Florida Governor Rick Scott
- Sponsored by: Susan Vaughan
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 recanted. There's no excuse for Florida to deny this responsible mother her freedom.
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.
However, since the courts have again failed Alexander, sentencing her to 20 years in prison last week, it is now up to you, Florida's governor, to intervene.
We respectfully request that you pardon Marissa Alexander at once. Don't let her children spend another day without their mother.
FROM THE GOVERNOR'S WEBSITE:
clemencyweb@fpc.state.fl.us
"Executive Clemency
The clemency function is an act of mercy that absolves an individual from all or any part of the punishment that the law imposes. This is a power to grant full or conditional pardons, or commute punishment. There are rules for these lengthy procedures, and these powers are vested in the Governor only with the agreement of two Cabinet members who are also statewide elected officials."
The Rules of Executive Clemency can be obtained online at https://fpc.state.fl.us/PDFs/clemency_rules.pdf
Thank you for your prompt response to this request.
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