Kenosha, WI – As the semester approaches, members of the UW-Parkside chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) have been hard at work. Kicking off the new year, SDS is leading a rally in support of the release of Chrystul Kizer, a Milwaukee teenager accused of killing her sex trafficker, Randall Volar III.

Upon learning that Kenosha’s district attorney, Michael Graveley, would be teaching a class at their campus, the students of the organization knew they had to act.

“I felt angry knowing that Graveley will be showing his face at Parkside,” said Lana Akindes, a member of SDS. “He’s proudly vouching for this child rapist and trafficker. He’s willing to put Chrystul in prison for life, like it’s nothing.”

Within recent months, activists rallying around Kizer’s case have seen a massive rise in support across the country including that of Cyntoia Brown, a woman who famously fought a similar case. However, with this swell of support, District Attorney Graveley has also taken to social media to express his beliefs and urge people to remain skeptical.

This unethical social media campaign has come to assert that Kizer was not a victim but rather a premeditated murderer. In a lengthy Facebook post, Graveley ends his statement with, “I cannot condone vigilante justice and when presented with evidence of premeditated murder, I do not believe it is appropriate for prosecutors to weigh the value of the victim's life.”

Graveley’s stand on social media has concerned many who support Kizer and even brought the attention of Harvard’s National Lawyers Guild. The organization criticized Graveley’s persistence on prosecuting the case as “bizarre” and “negligent.” They go on to encourage the DA “bring your conduct in line with professional standards.”

Graveley has also been criticized for insisting that safe harbor laws, which protect victims of sex crimes from being charged with murder or assault, do not apply to Kizer.

Though a 2016 winner of the Wisconsin District Attorney of the Year award, many are perceiving Graveley as unjustly pursuing a case that would set a precedent in Wisconsin to criminalize victims of abuse defending themselves against their perpetrators.

Despite Graveley’s persistence, activists with SDS and the #FreeChrystul Campaign continue to fight for her release. For those looking to show their support, SDS will be holding a rally at UW-Parkside’s student center on Wednesday, February 5, at 5:30 p.m., directly outside where Graveley will be teaching his first class of the semester. Kizer’s next court date will also be held on Thursday, February 6 at 8:45 a.m. at the Kenosha County courthouse.

#KenoshaWI #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #PoliticalPrisoners #KenoshaSDS #ChrystulKizer #UWParksideSDS

Only 17 years old at the time of the incident, Kizer’s case is incredibly similar to Cyntoia Brown’s. Even more concerning is the fact that they were young, Black teenagers, charged with killing older white males who had sexually assaulted them.

At the time of his death, Kizer’s perpetrator was under investigation for child pornography, sexual conduct with minors and human trafficking. Kizer's attorney, Carl Johnson, filed a motion to gain access to that evidence; evidence that includes explicit videos and photos of Kizer and other young girls.

Human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery. It involves coercion, power and control, and often physical and sexual violence. Over half of suspected victims of trafficking are Black women and girls. Brown and Kizer were both under the age of 18 when these incidents occurred.

Kizer’s most recent court hearing on September 6 at the Kenosha County Courthouse was a push by her defense team to reduce her unreasonably high $1 million bond. Her legal team argued once again that there was overwhelming evidence that Volar III was a rapist, pedophile and sex trafficker. They urged the court to consider that Chrystul was a victim, protecting herself against further harm.

Prosecuting attorney Gravely attacked Kizer’s prior felony record as well as condemning the defense’s strategy of using coercion due to human trafficking. Gravely felt that this would lead to a dangerous precedent, where “serial killers” could use this defense to get away with murdering many people.

Although Judge Wilk did not engage with Gravely’s arguments, he did deny Chrystul’s bond reduction, stating that she has “no ties to the community” as well as citing her past record.

Members of UW-Parkside Students for a Democratic Society in Kenosha have been fixtures at Chrystul's pre-trial hearings over the last several months. The result of this session was a hard one for all of her supporters to swallow.

“Knowing our criminal justice system, I fear the jury’s verdict,” said Ethan Costello, a leader with SDS. “This system is not forgiving to Black and brown women, as it has always been for white men.”

Kizer will remain in prison until her trial in March 2020. A court hearing to discuss the defense’s use of Wisconsin State Statute will be held this November 15. Join her supporters and pack the courtroom to demand justice for Chrystul Kizer!

#KenoshaWI #StudentMovement #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Antiracism #KenoshaSDS #ChrystulKizer #JusticeForChrystulKizer

Kenosha, WI – Just in time for the new semester, Students for a Democratic Society at UW Parkside came out victorious in their gender neutral bathrooms campaign from the previous semester. Four bathrooms were converted on campus to support the trans and gender non-conforming community, a demand which some students have been proposing for several years.

Before, there were only two gender neutral bathrooms on campus located on the opposite ends of campus. This was an obstacle for transgender students taking classes in the central area of the university, as the only gender neutral bathrooms were inconveniently far. Many trans students had spoken up about this issue in the past, but to no avail.

The first step of concrete action began last October, during SDS’s protest of Brett Kavanaugh’s inauguration and a call for transgender rights. Members of SDS, with Rainbow Alliance, an LGBTQ+ organization on campus, marched to the administrative offices to put real pressure on administrators, who had been avoiding the bathroom proposal.

SDS put the fight for gender neutral bathrooms at the forefront and it became their campaign for the spring of 2019. After tabling events, petitions, and with a constant back and forth with the administration, they finally agreed to order new signs for the bathrooms. However, the school delayed the process.

Ariana Holmes, an associate member of the chapter, had her doubts about the administration’s promise to take action.

“At first, administration seemed keen on working with us. However, with it being March and them saying the signs would be up in 12 weeks at the latest seemed really sketchy, as that would fall at the end of the semester. Our concerns seemed to prove true.”

What should have taken a few weeks became several months. The signs were finally put up on August 21, after SDS threatened action against the administration for not following through on its promises.

This semester, SDS activists at Parkside are working towards getting a food pantry on campus to address the growing food insecurity of students, many of whom are from poor and working-class backgrounds.

#KenoshaWI #LGBTQ #PeoplesStruggles #TransRights #KenoshaSDS #GenderNeutralBathrooms