Marissa Alexander: a Poetic Justice and Freedom Fighter

This morning of January 31, 2015 Marissa Alexander was interviewed on Melissa Harris-Perry. Most know the story of Marissa, but if not here is a short overview of the last five years of her life:

• In 2010, Marissa fired a warning shot when her estranged husband came to the home threatening her life
• The Florida 10-20-Life mandatory minimum statute and jury that convicted her in 12 minutes resulted in her being sentenced for 20 years
• September 2013 a court ordered a retrial, where prosecutor Angela Corey planned to have Marissa serve three 20 year sentences consecutively
• November 2014 Marissa accepts plea deal and is to serve two years of house arrest.

Marissa Alexander is one of the many women who have been domestically abused. 1 in 4 women are subject to this, which is at the least to say an alarming rate. With most acts of domestic abuse happening in the evening/nighttime and over 60% of the incidents being at the home, it is hard to catch an abuser in the act. Marissa had been victim to her husband Rico Gray for years, and fired one shot at the wall in self defense. This should have been enough to charge Gray instead but the courts focused on the fact that Marissa fired a single shot and although no one was injured, many thought this was enough to stand under the Florida 10-20-Life statue. While Stand Your Ground was the argument Marissa presented that did not stand in the court of law. So the firing of a weapon was more criminal than a woman's abuse. Or at least that is what many will take away from this occurrence which is unacceptable, especially for the many women who suffer from it along with the woman who refuse to remain in it and fight back.

There is always taboo and victim blaming when it comes to abuse in general. This leads for women to blame themselves and remain in the viscous and secret cycle of domestic abuse. It is disappointing to see the justice system fail them. Marissa had to take a plea deal; so she is still being monitored by the law and has this charge on her record. A woman who defended herself against an abusive husband is now a criminal. That goes beyond irony.

With this I hope we as a society can learn to be more open to talking about domestic abuse. I recently lost my cousin to this right before Christmas, a pain that still haunts our entire family. I will write more extensively about her when I have the courage to. I bring her up because Marissa is a lucky one, in the sense that she lives on and her children are safe. Maggie wasn't. Now there is shock, guilt and hurt left. There cannot be continued silence on these matters. There is a hotline that you can call if you or someone you know is in danger 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.

There's a complexity that is hard to understand with domestic abuse. The same person who appears loving at one instant becomes violent the next. The way a woman (or man) is lured into a domestically violent relationship is with manipulation. This makes it harder to suspect, accept and express to yourself and others.

During her interview, Marissa Alexander urges the community to get educated and law officials to implement better ways of handling these situations. She also noted how the end result is usually a fatally and grieving. Marissa wants actions taken so this is avoided entirely. There is a way to get there, but the first thing is to talk about it. You never know who is suffering within your own life and you can help save them. While the court system failed Marissa, she can at least now be home with her kids, which is all she wanted in the first place.