Marissa Alexander's current fundraising campaign can be found HERE!

January 28, 2015 UPDATE: 

Marissa Alexander Released from Prison;

Supporters Celebrate, Demand FULL FREEDOM!

Supporters of Marissa Alexander in Jacksonville, across the US, and all around the world are overjoyed that she has been released from jail after serving 3 years behind bars for defending her life.  In 2010, Marissa Alexander, a black mother of three from Jacksonville, Florida, was forced to defend her life from a life-threatening attack by her estranged husband by firing a single warning shot that caused no injuries.  State Prosecutor Angela Corey prosecuted Marissa, pursuing a 60 year mandatory minimum sentence.  On November 24, 2014, Marissa accepted a plea deal that included time served of nearly 3 years in prison, 65 additional days in the Duval County jail, and 2 years of probation while under home detention.  January 27, 2015 marked the end of her time behind bars.

We are thrilled that Marissa will finally be reunited with her children, her family, and her community. Today’s hearing revealed that Marissa intends to attend school to become a paralegal and she is a wonderful mother to her children who urgently need her.  Amazingly, the State continued their campaign of punishment by trying to add two more years of probation on top of the two years of house detention included in the plea. Fortunately, they failed. Marissa and her family will need time to begin recovering from this arduous and traumatic experience. It’s been a long and painful journey and, though her release from jail is definitely a win -- no 60 years -- the journey of seeking ultimate freedom is not over.  Marissa will be forced to be on strict home detention while being under surveillance for two years.  This is by no means freedom in the sense we feel she deserves.  Our next agenda is to seek full restoration for Marissa and her family, including the expunging of her so-called criminal record, and a systemic transformation that prevents black women and all survivors of domestic violence from experiencing the hostile and brutal treatment from policing, prosecution, and prison systems that Marissa has endured. We will push for improved legislation and monitoring of systems that penalize victims of domestic violence who choose to save their lives by force. This is by no means a conclusion.  FMN's full press release is here, and we also recommend this reflection by Mariame Kaba, member of Chicago Alliance to Free Marissa Alexander.

We are filled with gratitude for the hundreds of people who have donated and organized fundraisers all around the world.  We want to be very clear: The reason Marissa is finally out of prison for good is directly because of your political and financial support.  Your donations were CRUCIAL in supporting her pro bono legal team to offer exceptional legal advocacy and your activism ensured that her case stayed in the public eye, which pressured Florida's politicians to pay attention.  Every one of us has a hand in this victory!  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

We're going to take a short break, but we'll be back with more specific thank you's and shout outs soon (there are so many!).  In the meantime, feel free to continue to donate to the CURRENT FUND and help Marissa Alexander cover the very expensive process of rebuilding her life.

Towards freedom, 

Free Marissa Now Mobilization Campaign

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Marissa Alexander is an African American mother of three and survivor of domestic violence from Jacksonville, FL.  In 2010, she fired a warning shot upwards into a wall to defend herself from a life-threatening beating from her estranged husband. Despite the fact that Marissa caused no injuries and has no previous criminal record, and despite the fact that Florida’s self-defense law includes the right to “Stand Your Ground,” she was subsequently arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced to 20 years in prison.  She won an appeal, but was then re-prosecuted and threatened with a 60 year sentence.  She accepted a plea deal in November 2014 that included almost 3 years of time served in prison, 65 additional days in Duval County Jail, and 2 years of house detention while wearing and paying for an ankle surveillance monitor.  On January 27, 2015, Marissa was finally released from jail and reunited with her family.  Free Marissa Now continues to demand her full freedom.

FULL ACQUITTAL: A Movement Behind The Trial

Free Marissa Now, an alliance of organizers and thousands of people all around the world, have been organizing for Marissa's freedom from prison and intend to keep going until she is free.  Because State Attorney Angela Corey refuses to drop the case against Marissa Alexander, continuing a pattern of unjust targeting and prosecution, our movement turns to supporting Marissa, her family, and her legal team in winning her full freedom.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?

This fundraiser is accountable to Marissa Alexander and her family.  All proceeds from this fundraiser go to the Marissa Alexander Legal Defense Fund which is administered by Marissa's family on her behalf. You can find the link to this fundraiser on the family's website:http://justiceformarissa.blogspot.com/.

Contact us at freemarissanow@gmail.com if you have questions.

THANK YOU!

Marissa's supporters are the greatest!  Every step of the way, you have shown up and given deep support and love.  Your donation is just one more way that you give life to the movement to free Marissa and highlight the need to support all survivors who have been criminalized while trying to navigate the conditions of violence.  Thank you so much for your donation!

PS:

If you want to send a donation via check, please make the check out to:

Global Alliance, Inc.
For: The Marissa Alexander Legal Defense Fund

Mail to:

Global Alliance, Inc.
P.O. Box 290956
Columbia, SC 29229

But please e-mail a note to us at freemarissanow@gmail.com so we can include your donation in our fundraising total!