Jacksonville, FL – Activists, some coming from as far away as California, converged on the Duval County Courthouse bright and early on Jan. 27. Hopes were high, as Marissa Alexander was due for another day in court and faced the possibility of being released from jail.

Marissa Alexander gained national attention when she was prosecuted by State Attorney Angela Corey after firing a warning shot in self-defense against her abusive and estranged husband. No one was hurt in the incident, but that didn't stop Corey from taking Alexander away from her children and putting her through the failed and broken system that ruins so many Black lives.

At noon, a press conference was held in front of the courthouse to talk about Marissa Alexander and the case of the Jacksonville 19, who were unfairly arrested for protesting on a bridge after the racist Eric Garner verdict allowed killer cops to walk free. Several speakers, including some of the Jacksonville 19, spoke hopefully about Alexander's impending release from jail. Protesters demanded that Alexander be released without any further trouble from the state, and for the charges to be dropped against the Jacksonville 19.

A little after 4:00 p.m., applause broke out inside the courthouse when presiding Judge James Daniel announced that he did not approve of the prosecutor's request for an additional two years for Alexander and was releasing her from jail.

The verdict however, is not a fair one by any means. The criminal injustice system is placing Marissa Alexander on house arrest for the next two years, where she must wear a GPS ankle bracelet. Alexander, a mother who has already paid so high a price for defending herself and her family, is out of jail but not fully free yet.

Adding insult to injury, prosecuting attorney Angela Corey is the same attorney responsible for letting real criminals like George Zimmerman walk after killing Trayvon Martin, among other injustices.

“It's hard to get a job, it's hard to get housing, it's hard to qualify for anything. Her life has been destroyed for this,” Denise Hunt told reporters. Hunt is a local activist and member of the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition.

After walking out of the courthouse, Alexander read a statement, saying, “Today, after the sentence given by Judge Daniel, my family and I will be able to move on with our lives. Although the journey has been long and there's been many difficult moments, I could not have arrived here, where I am today, without the thoughts, many thoughts and many prayers of so many people who voiced their support and encouragement. Words can never express my gratitude for those who stood beside me, including my children and family.”

Activists from around the country vowed to keep fighting for justice, but are glad Marissa Alexander is home with her children for now.

#JacksonvilleFL #WomensMovement #MarissaAlexander

The plea deal includes three years in prison, but Alexander will receive credit for the almost 3 years she spent in jail during this case, leaving her with just 65 days left to serve. Alexander cited the interests of her children as a major factor in her decision to accept the plea deal.

Her trial highlighted the injustice system's targeting of African Americans and women. State Attorney Angela Corey seemed determined to demonize a survivor and paint Alexander as the criminal simply for defending herself, while Corey had no problem letting George Zimmerman walk after he murdered Trayvon Martin. The reality is that the justice system is the real criminal in this case – criminal for abusing a woman who has already fought for so long to get justice for herself and for her family.

Organizers around the country called for national protests throughout the trial demanding Free Marissa Now! Locally, the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition (JPC) distributed fliers calling for a rally on the steps of the Duval County Courthouse beginning on the first day of the trial.

JPC organizer Dennis Thomas said, “I think she fell victim to the injustice system – by accepting a plea deal when you know in your heart that you're innocent. We need to keep organizing against a corrupt system that forces people to make hard decisions like that. We need justice for Trayvon Martin, justice for Eric Gardner, justice for Michael Brown and we still need justice for Marissa, too.”

The Jacksonville Progressive Coalition will continue to organize for the immediate resignation of Angela Corey, who continues to lock up more Black and Latino youth in Jacksonville than anywhere else in Florida. For more information, join the Facebook group: Jacksonville Progressive Coalition.

#JacksonvilleFL #WomensMovement #MarissaAlexander #JacksonvilleProgressiveCoalition #AngelaCorey

Jacksonville, FL – More than 20 people gathered at Chamblin's Uptown, a bookstore and coffee shop, July 27, to attend a Jacksonville Progressive Coalition's (JPC) educational event where a panel discussed Angela Corey's war on Black women.

Angela Corey is the State Attorney in Florida responsible for letting George Zimmerman walk after murdering Trayvon Martin and for failing to get a conviction for Michael Dunn after he murdered Jordan Davis at a Jacksonville gas station. Angela Corey is also responsible for locking up Marissa Alexander for firing a warning shot to defend herself from an abusive man. Corey is trying to put Alexander away for 60 years.

The panel discussed how Marissa Alexander was being abused for being Black and a woman. One of the speakers said that this was not the first time Angela Corey had attacked a Black woman for defending herself. Organizers in the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition have recently uncovered another case, the case of Carolyn Barnes, which has striking similarities to Alexander's case. The common thread was that both women were targets of Angela Corey's war on Black women.

Action News Jax sent a camera and a reporter to cover the event. The reporter interviewed JPC organizer Wells Todd about the Coalition's ongoing “Angela Corey Out Now!” campaign.

Chrisley Carpio, an organizer with Gainesville Students for a Democratic Society and a speaker on the panel, recounted her experiences organizing rallies and marches for Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis, including two acts of civil disobedience undertaken with the Dream Defenders in Florida. “Only by organizing militant actions in the streets can we hope to get justice for Trayvon, Jordan, and now Marissa,” Carpio told the audience.

The discussion ended with a question and answer session for the panel. Activists vowed to keep fighting until Anglea Corey was out of office and justice was won for all her victims.

#JacksonvilleFl #JacksonvilleFL #PeoplesStruggles #AntiRacism #TrayvonMartin #MarissaAlexander #Florida #JordanDavis #AngelaCorey #ChrisleyCarpio #JacksonvilleProgressCoalition #JPC #AngelaCoreyOutNow #Campaign

Now, Judge Daniel delayed the trial's opening day by more than four months because of a recent amendment to Florida's controversial Stand Your Ground law. Alexander sought protection through Stand Your Ground, arguing that she acted in self-defense as her husband threatened and attacked her. The court's ruling that Stand Your Ground didn't apply to Alexander sparked national outrage from African Americans, woman’s rights activists and other progressive groups.

The new amendment to Stand Your Ground, passed by the Republican-dominated Florida legislature in the last session, extends the law's protections to include warning shots. The defense argues that Alexander should receive a new Stand Your Ground hearing in December after the amendment takes effect. At the time of writing, Florida Governor Rick Scott had not signed the amendment into law.

Florida's Stand Your Ground laws, passed in Florida in 2005 under right-wing Governor Jeb Bush, removes a person's duty to retreat if there is a reasonable presumption of a threat. The law was written by the reactionary corporate lobbying group, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC specializes in authoring and passing far-right laws through state legislatures.

Many critics of Stand Your Ground say that the law allows racist vigilantes to murder African Americans and Latinos with impunity, as in the not guilty verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman. However, Alexander's case reveals another racist aspect of the law's implementation. It shows the state's unwillingness to apply Stand Your Ground when African Americans or women exercise self-defense.

In the first trial, State Attorney Angela Corey accused Alexander of battering her husband, Rico Gray. Gray had two previous domestic battery arrests – the most recent from 2009 – and he bragged in a deposition that he has “five baby mammas, and I [hit] every last one of them, except for one.” Alexander said she fired the warning shot after her husband flew into a violent rage with her kids at home. Corey's claims flipped reality on its head and revealed the sexist and racist nature of the U.S. criminal injustice system.

Alexander's denial of basic self-defense rights is hardly unique to her case. An Urban Institute study from this year found that in states with Stand Your Ground laws, white-on-black shootings were ruled 'justified' in 17% of cases, while black-on-white crimes were only ruled 'justified' in 1% of cases.

Despite the news, activist organizations across Jacksonville pushed forward towards large, militant courthouse protests calling to “Free Marissa Now.” Local organizations like the Free Marissa Now network, the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition (JPC), the New Jim Crow Movement and Florida New Majority, are all preparing for massive rallies to support Alexander during the trial.

The Free Marissa Now network designated July 25 through Aug. 1 as “Standing Our Ground Week of Action.” The week of action will include courthouse protests, marches and a panel discussion on Black feminist organizing led by Professor Beth Richie of the University of Illinois-Chicago. Despite the date change of the court date, the network plans to push forward for the same week.

On May 28, the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition announced the kickoff of a citywide campaign to remove State Attorney Angela Corey, the politician responsible for re-prosecuting Alexander and seeking a higher sentence, from office. They say that Corey botched the prosecution of George Zimmerman and Michael Dunn, the killer of 17-year-old African-American Jordan Davis. The campaign demands “Angela Corey Out Now” and “Free Marissa Now” and it will meet regularly on the third Sunday of the month at the IBEW 177 union hall.

#JacksonvilleFL #PoliticalPrisoners #OppressedNationalities #Racism #MarissaAlexander #InjusticeSystem

Jacksonville, FL – 150 people attended the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's (SCLC) annual “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Dinner” on April 26. Hosted at the Sheraton in Deerwood, the dinner drew clergy, politicians and activists from across the Jacksonville community.

Reverend Dr. C.T. Vivian was the keynote speaker. Vivian, a close associate of King and a Freedom Rider, worked to integrate the South during the Civil Rights movement. In 1964, Vivian fought 'whites only' beach segregation with 'wade-ins' at Saint Augustine Beach. Ku Klux Klan (KKK) members physically attacked the brave waders in the water. The sheriff's office arrested the civil rights waders. Dr. Vivian's efforts contributed to passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Dr. Vivian delivered an impassioned speech at the dinner calling for activists to recognize the class struggle taking place in the U.S. and to renew the mission of Dr. King for a new generation. He also called on older activists to create a space for young activists to get involved and lead the modern struggle against racism.

During his speech, Vivian criticized politicians who promise the African-American community change but do not deliver when they are elected, “It's important that any time we have a gathering like this with politicians in the room, we talk openly about these issues.” He continued by directly addressing Jacksonville's Mayor Alvin Brown, who was present at the dinner, by saying, “We should support the mayor and the city council when they are on the right side, and we should throw them out when they don't follow through.” His comments drew huge applause from the audience.

At the dinner, the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition (JPC) received the “Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Award for Legends, Pioneers and Trailblazers.” The JPC, founded in 2012, worked closely with the SCLC to successfully change the name of Nathan Bedford Forrest High School. In 1959, white segregationists named Forrest High after the first Grand Wizard of the KKK.

Reverend Opio Sokoni, the President of the Jacksonville chapter of the SCLC, wrote of the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition, “Your organization helped to lead the fight which changed the name of Westside High School from the KKK's first Honorary Grand Wizard, Nathan B. Forrest. You also stood vigilant for justice against the killing of Jordan Davis, among other causes.” Sokoni continued, “This award is in response to the JPC's activist fight against racism in the City of Jacksonville, Florida. The SCLC of Jacksonville is proud to serve beside you.”

The SCLC and the JPC led the protests outside the trial of Michael Dunn, the racist vigilante who murdered 17-year-old African-American youth Jordan Davis in Jacksonville. Dunn was convicted on several attempted murder charges but received a mistrial for murdering Davis. Protesters led a night march demanding the resignation of State Attorney Angela Corey after the verdict.

Additionally, the JPC is working on a citywide campaign to pass a Human Rights Ordinance through the city council which extends civil rights protections to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

In addition to Vivian and the JPC, other important civil rights leaders and activists in the community were honored, including Pastor R.L. Gundy and J.T. Johnson, both with the SCLC, and Pastor Landon Williams, who distinguished himself with his staunch pro-worker activism.

The Jacksonville Progressive Coalition is planning protests in solidarity with Marissa Alexander, who is being retried by State Attorney Angela Corey in July 2014. Alexander is the 33-year-old African American mother originally convicted for firing a warning shot to fend off her abusive husband. There are growing calls nationwide for the resignation of State Attorney Angela Corey and freedom for Marissa Alexander.

#JacksonvilleFL #PeoplesStruggles #AntiRacism #KuKluxKlan #SouthernChristianLeadershipConference #MarissaAlexander #JacksonvilleProgressiveCoalition

Jacksonville, FL – Florida State Attorney Angela Corey announced on March 1, 2014, that her office is seeking a maximum 60-year sentence in the retrial of Marissa Alexander, beginning in late July.

Marissa Alexander, the 33-year-old African American mother who fired a non-lethal warning shot to fend off her abusive husband, was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2012. State Attorney Corey, who personally prosecuted the case, sought the maximum sentence of 20 years under Florida's mandatory sentencing laws, despite no injuries or deaths. The jury deliberated for 12 minutes before returning a guilty verdict. The judge ordered Alexander's 20-year sentences for the three charges to be served concurrently—at the same time.

However, in 2013, a 1st District Court of Appeals judge overturned Alexander’s conviction and called for a new trial. Corey's latest demand is for the judge to order consecutive sentences, meaning Alexander may serve three 20-year sentences, sixty years, if convicted again.

A statement from the Free Marissa Now Mobilization Campaign called the move by Corey, “A stunning abuse of power.” The statement continues, “As a consequence of winning the appeal to hopefully secure a more fair trial, Alexander now faces the alarming prospect that the original devastating sentence could be tripled in the new trial.”

Corey's prosecution of Alexander comes on the heels of two humiliating defeats for the State Attorney's office – the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin, and the mistrial in the case of Michael Dunn for the murder of Jordan Davis. In both cases, Corey's office mishandled the prosecution of two racist vigilante killers who shot and killed young African American men.

Corey's decision to overzealously prosecute Alexander, who neither killed nor injured anyone, has people across Jacksonville calling for the State Attorney's resignation.

“You can't go two blocks in Jacksonville without meeting someone who has a close friend or family member whose life was ruined because of Angela Corey,” said Estefania Galvis, an organizer with the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition and one of the leaders of the “Justice 4 Jordan Davis” protests. “Marissa's case shows how little the state cares about helping women suffering from domestic abuse. Corey has no problem mishandling the prosecution of Zimmerman or Dunn, but she's obsessed with handing Marissa a life sentence.”

Alexander was denied access to Florida's controversial Stand Your Ground law as a defense, despite responding to aggressive abuse. Critics of Corey and Stand Your Ground say that the law, written by the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), is unevenly applied to protect racist vigilantes like Dunn and deny the same defense to African Americans, like Alexander.

Women rights activists and domestic abuse survivors are harshly criticizing Corey's persecution of Alexander. Sumayya Fire, a member of the Free Marissa Now Mobilization Campaign, said that Alexander is “facing the very real possibility of spending the rest of her life in prison for that act of self-defense.” Fire continued, “That should send a chill down the back of every person in this country who believes that women who are attacked have the right to defend themselves.”

On the night of February 15, 2013, more than 70 protesters outraged by the mistrial in the Dunn case took to the streets and marched on Corey's Jacksonville office. Chanting, “Hey-Hey, Ho-Ho, Angela Corey's gotta go!” the protesters presented a giant petition signed by hundreds of people outside of the Duval County Courthouse.

Organizers plan to continue the campaign to force Corey's resignation. Jacksonville protests demanding “Free Marissa Now!” are scheduled for the first day of the trial.

#JacksonvilleFL #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #MarissaAlexander #InjusticeSystem #AngelaCorey

Jacksonville, FL – 40 progressive activists marched together in the city's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. parade on Jan. 20. These activists commemorated King's legacy by demanding freedom for Marissa Alexander, the 33-year-old African American mother whose conviction for resisting domestic abuse was recently overturned, and justice for Jordan Davis, a 17-year-old African American youth murdered in 2012 by a white vigilante in Jacksonville.

The MLK Parade is an important event that takes place in downtown Jacksonville every year. While the event commemorates the life and accomplishments of King, Jacksonville's activist community wanted to draw attention to modern day civil rights struggles taking place in the city.

“It honors his [King's] legacy and brings attention to the fact that we still have work to do,” said Terri Brown Neil, an activist with the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition and a participant in the parade. She continued, talking about the current campaigns to free Marissa Alexander and win justice for Jordan Davis, “These issues just keep coming back up. Every now and then, you have to ask yourself, what year is it now? These issues show how important it is to be involved and not just sit back and wait for someone else to do it.”

Activists from the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition, the New Jim Crow Movement and several other organizations marched together as a contingent in the parade. They held signs that featured little-known quotes from King, including, “We must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as 'right to work.' It is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights.” This quote in particular speaks to the continued struggle against anti-union laws, like the movement to stop right-to-work laws in Michigan last year.

Other important people in Jacksonville's growing people's movements attended, including Helen Jenkins, the mother of Marissa Alexander. Shirley Reed, the grandmother of Travis Swanson – an African American youth who was arrested at his high school without a warrant in 2009 – also marched in the parade, carrying a sign with her grandson's image.

As the parade progressed through the city, activists led chants including, “Hey hey! Ho ho! Angela Corey has gotta go,” referencing Jacksonville-based state attorney Angela Corey, who unjustly prosecuted Alexander, Swanson and countless other African-Americans in the city. Corey was also assigned by Florida Governor Rick Scott to prosecute George Zimmerman, the racist vigilante who murdered Trayvon Martin in February 2012. Activists widely blame Corey's lackluster prosecution of Zimmerman for that vigilante's acquittal in July 2013.

Governor Scott attended the Jacksonville parade and rode in the front of the procession, far from the activist contingent. Nevertheless, the sizable crowd that gathered to watch the parade nodded in agreement and chanted along with activists as they yelled, “Hey hey! Ho ho! Rick Scott has got to go!” and “Workers need a raise! Pay a living wage!”

“I'm very pleased with turnout,” said Neil. “This was the first MLK parade I participated in, and the first one in Jacksonville I've ever been to. It was inspiring to see that many people turn out. To see young people there was good, too. It's great to see a renewed presence of the SCLC [Southern Christian Leadership Conference] in Jacksonville, and the folks marching with the Free Marissa campaign. I think we brought attention to issues we still need to work on.”

#JacksonvilleFL #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #MarissaAlexander #JordanDavis #Antiracism #JacksonvilleProgressiveCoalition #MartinLutherKingDay

Jacksonville, FL – Protesters from across Florida gathered in front of the Duval County Courthouse on October 31 for the first status hearing in the retrial of Marissa Alexander, the 33 year old African American mother who fired a warning shot to fend off her abusive husband.

The status hearing lasted just a few minutes as Judge James Daniel set November 8 as the date of Alexander's bail hearing.

Although protesters tried to enter the courtroom to show support for Alexander, Jacksonville police locked them out. The group of protesters regrouped outside for a press conference, where they discussed future plans to win freedom for Alexander.

Alexander's case drew national attention after the murder of Trayvon Martin and the not-guilty verdict in the trial of racist vigilante George Zimmerman, Martin's killer. Prosecuted under Florida's mandatory minimum sentencing laws, Alexander received a 20-year prison sentence for aggravated assault in 2012 despite only firing a shot in the air to defend herself from a domestic abuser. Zimmerman, on the other hand, received a not guilty verdict after murdering Martin, an African American youth. Protesters contrasted the cases to show the racist and sexist nature of the criminal injustice system.

The Zimmerman verdict brought new attention to Alexander's case, launching nationwide protests demanding her release. The Southern Movement Assembly led a 126-mile walk from Jacksonville to Sanford in August demanding Alexander's freedom and the resignation of State Attorney Angela Corey, who prosecuted her case. On September 26, 2013, a Florida appeals court ordered a new trial for Alexander.

Over 30 people attended the press conference afterwards, bringing together members of the Southern Movement Assembly, the New Jim Crow Movement, Sisterhood of Survivors from the Miami Workers Center, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Dream Defenders, the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition, the New Black Panther Party, and Florida New Majority.

Speakers focused on domestic violence, the racist criminal justice system, the school-to-prison pipeline, and Florida's mandatory minimum sentencing laws, which disproportionately affect African Americans and other oppressed nationalities.

Shay Brown talked about domestic violence and pointed out that the state of Florida does not take the safety of women seriously. As a domestic violence survivor and victims' advocate, she pointed out that women and abuse survivors everywhere have an interest in seeing Alexander freed. Other speakers denounced the racist criminal injustice system for incarcerating Alexander in the first place.

“They had the white robes of the KKK in the 60s,” said Minister Richard Burton of the Epiphany Baptist Church in Jacksonville. “And they have the black and blue robes inside the Duval County Courthouse today.”

Florida State Senator Dwight Bullard sent a staff member to read a letter expressing his support for Alexander and demanding her freedom. “I urge you to drop the charges on Marissa Alexander,” read Bullard's letter, “and I urge you to drop the new trial.”

At the end of the press conference, chants broke out of “Free Marissa Now!” and “What do we want? Freedom for Marissa! When do we want it? Now!”

Protesters plan to rally at the courthouse for the November 8 bail hearing at 2:00pm and demand, “Free Marissa Now!”

#JacksonvilleFL #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #TrayvonMartin #MarissaAlexander #InjusticeSystem

Speaking about the movement to get justice for Alexander, Octavia Littlejohn, an organizer with the New Jim Crow Movement and the Southern Movement Assembly in Jacksonville, stated, “I truly believe it helped Marissa's case...I pray she gets her freedom soon and very soon.”

Alexander, 32, discharged her licensed firearm when her husband attacked her at home just a week after giving birth to her daughter. The jury ignored her claim to self-defense against domestic abuse and found her guilty after deliberating for only 12 minutes. Under Florida's racist mandatory minimum laws, Alexander was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Alexander's case drew national attention in the wake of the not guilty verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman, the white vigilante who murdered Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African American. After shooting Martin, Zimmerman was not arrested by police and a nearly all white jury found him not guilty of second-degree murder, sparking nationwide protests. Many protesters contrasted Alexander and Zimmerman's treatment by the legal system to highlight the racist nature of the criminal injustice system.

State Attorney Angela Corey, who was widely criticized for her lackluster prosecution of Zimmerman, prosecuted Alexander and sought the maximum 20-year sentence for her conviction. Several progressive and civil rights groups in Jacksonville have demanded that she resign for targeting Alexander and disproportionately prosecuting African American youth.

Protests in Jacksonville by the Southern Movement Assembly, the New Jim Crow Movement, Florida New Majority and others helped bring attention to Alexander's case. Shortly after the Zimmerman verdict, more than 500 people in Jacksonville marched to the Duval County jail, where Alexander was held, and demanded her release.

In late July, protesters with the Southern Movement Assembly walked 126 miles from Jacksonville to Sanford to demand the release of Alexander and the resignation of Angela Corey.

Littlejohn, one of those who participated in the 'Walk for Dignity' to Sanford, states, “We stood for what we believe in, and we didn't let anybody or anyone – not even Angela Corey – defeat us or scare us away. I feel we got what we wanted and justice will be served for her.”

Groups in Jacksonville and across the country plan to ramp up the pressure to free Alexander as she faces her new trial.

Reflecting on this people's victory, Littlejohn added, “Marissa will be very pleased in our hard work and dedication. Our voices were heard. We overcame all obstacles, even if it meant for me being in the media and speaking on the truth, not giving a damn what the jurisdiction said about her. We fought for her freedom and her rights.”

#JacksonvilleFL #OppressedNationalities #Racism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #MarissaAlexander #InjusticeSystem #NewJimCrow #SouthernMovementAssembly

Jacksonville, FL – With their fists and their voices raised, more than 450 people took to the streets of downtown Jacksonville on July 20 to protest the acquittal of George Zimmerman and demand justice for Trayvon Martin.

Led by the New Jim Crow Movement and other allied organizations, the march distinctly linked the Zimmerman verdict with other injustices committed against African Americans in Jacksonville. Protesters at the front of the march held a banner bearing the names and images of Trayvon Martin, Marissa Alexander, Jordan Davis and others below the phrase, “We will not be erased.”

The protest came six days after the last rally in Jacksonville, which happened the day after the verdict was announced. By all counts, the number of protesters had grown in less than a week.

Noting the importance of the protest, Keith Mack, an activist in Jacksonville, said, “There has never been a thing like Justice for Trayvon in the Jacksonville area. It drew such a young crowd.” Mack continued, “I believe we needed that boost in social consciousness. It’s way overdue.”

Beginning in Hemming Plaza, the protesters marched to the office of State Attorney Angela Corey, who Florida Governor Rick Scott chose to prosecute Zimmerman. Because of Corey’s notorious reputation for harshly prosecuting African-American youth in Jacksonville – some as young as 13 years old – and her failure to secure a guilty verdict in the Zimmerman case, protesters demanded that she resign from office. The crowd chanted, “Hey hey, ho ho, Angela Corey’s got to go!” as they congregated outside her office building.

From there, protesters marched to the Duval County jail and demanded they release Marissa Alexander, a 31-year-old African American woman who got 25 years in prison for firing a warning shot in the air to fend off an abusive husband. With Alexander held in a jail cell just feet from the protest, the crowd enthusiastically chanted, “Set Marissa free!” and “No justice! No peace!” Activists around the country have seized on Alexander’s case as a clear contrast with the Zimmerman verdict, showing the racist application of laws in the U.S. legal system.

After singing several Civil Rights era songs outside the jail, protesters returned to Hemming Plaza to hear a stack of speakers. Members of the New Jim Crow Movement, University Timbuktu, the Coalition for Justice for Trayvon, Florida New Majority, Dream Defenders, the New Black Panther Party and several other groups spoke.

#JacksonvilleFL #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #MarissaAlexander #InjusticeSystem

Jacksonville, FL – On May 11, students from the civil rights group Dream Defenders protested at the sentencing hearing of Marissa Alexander, a young black woman who was convicted of aggravated assault stemming from an episode in 2010 where she fired a warning shot at her abusive ex-husband Rico Gray, who had previously beaten her.

Dream Defenders burst out singing, “We who believe in freedom will not rest until it's won,” as the prosecutor read its last arguments. Cops inside the courthouse converged on the protesters and quickly escorted them out of the courtroom and the courthouse. But that wasn't before Dream Defender Ciara Taylor, senior at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University started the chant, “No justice, no peace!”

“We feel that this case shows the absurdity in our broken system in that a Black woman who is a victim of domestic abuse who defends herself is going to jail for 20 years while a killer like George Zimmerman is walking free,” said Dream Defender organizer Michael Sampson. “This is a clear episode of a racist criminal justice system choosing to make a victim of yet another person of color but as well, this shows also a sexist criminal justice system that doesn't care for the struggles of women and victims of domestic abuse.”

Alexander was sentenced by Florida Judge James Daniel to 20 years in jail under the state’s 10-20-life, mandatory-minimum law.

“Such a law seems to disproportionally affect Black and brown youth,” said Sampson. “The system needs changing and we're gonna organize and mobilize to demand freedom for Marissa Alexander and as well come back stronger and fight back against this tyranny.”

The Dream Defenders are the same student group that marched 40 miles from Daytona Beach to Sanford demanding justice for Trayvon Martin. The same group also shut down the Sanford police headquarters by blocking the doors on April 9. Two days later, Zimmerman was arrested due to public pressure.

“Dream Defenders is a student civil rights group dedicated to defending the dream of Black, brown and other oppressed peoples in this society who are often the victim of this corrupt system,” said Dream Defender Cecelia O'Brien. “We will continue growing and keep defending the dream of oppressed peoples in Florida and nationwide until our voices are heard. We cannot be drowned out.”

#JacksonvilleFL #BlackLiberationMovement #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #MarissaAlexander #DreamDefenders