Posts Tagged Marissa Alexander

By Katie Halper • 11 years ago

Florida: You can kill an unarmed teen but can’t defend yourself against an abuser

What happens when you have a criminal record, fatally shoot a teenager armed with nothing more than a pack of skittles and an ice-tea and argue you were justified under Florida’s Stand Your Ground Laws? Nothing. The police believe you and it takes a national media campaign to actually get the criminal justice system to look into the case.

What happens when you have no criminal record, don’t harm anyone, but fire shots to scare off an abusive husband, who has choked and punched you, and just threatened to kill you? You get sentenced to 20 years of prison, of course. This is justice in Florida, where Marissa Alexander was sentenced to 20 years of jail time on Friday. ...

What happens when you have a criminal record, fatally shoot a teenager armed with nothing more than a pack of skittles and an ice-tea and argue you were justified under Florida’s Stand Your Ground Laws? ...
By zerlina • 12 years ago

How do “Stand Your Ground” laws apply to victims of domestic violence?

Over on her new website, CNN HLN anchor Richelle Carey asks a very interesting question: Does ‘Stand Your Ground’ apply to domestic abuse?

The ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws that have become well-known in the wake of the killing of Trayvon Martin.  The laws are supposed to allow an individual to use lethal force if they reasonably believe they are in imminent harm. So what about victims of domestic abuse?  On August 1, 2010, Marissa Alexander, a 31 year old Florida mother of 3 is about to be sentenced for aggravated assault after firing a warning shot at her husband.  The shot she fired missed him, but the charges stuck.

Alexander’s friends and family claim that if the ‘Stand Your Ground’ law applies in ...

Over on her new website, CNN HLN anchor Richelle Carey asks a very interesting question: Does ‘Stand Your Ground’ apply to domestic abuse?

The ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws that have become well-known in the wake of the ...

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