Jail Zimmerman. Free Marissa Alexander & Cece McDonald!

26.10.13

Jail Zimmerman. Free Marissa Alexander & Cece McDonald!: Two cases in particular that have drawn more national attention since the Zimmerman verdict are of two Black women, Marissa Alexander and CeCe McDonald. Alexander is a 32-year-old mother of three children and a survivor of domestic violence, who, in an effort to keep her abusive ex-spouse from attacking her, fired a warning shot at a ceiling to scare him away in 2010. The warning shot worked, possibly saving her life. Just minutes before that, he had threatened to kill her.

Though he was never injured, Alexander was arrested and charged with “endangering her children” by firing the shot. It was thought that in the state of Florida, the now notorious “Stand Your Ground,” a k a “Shoot first, ask questions later,” law would be used to pardon her. Instead the jury took 12 minutes to deliberate and brought back a guilty verdict. So while Zimmerman was set free after admittedly killing an unarmed teenager who he stalked for looking “suspicious,” Alexander, who did not kill anyone, was sentenced to 20 years!

The same Florida state attorney, Angela Corey, who was a member of the prosecution team during the Zimmerman trial, is the same lawyer who argued that Alexander shot her warning shot in “anger,” not fear, and deserved the 20-year sentence.