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12-NOON, SATURDAY, Mar. 8: WORD International Women’s Day - On March 8, International Women’s Day, WORD (Women Organized to Resist and Defend) will hold actions in cities across the United States. We will be taking to the streets in defense of women’s rights, which are under attack on many different fronts.
In Los Angeles, we will be rallying in support of Marissa Alexander to build support for her upcoming trial and highlight her case in the broader context of struggling against violence against women.
The rally will be Saturday, March 8, 12NOON at Pershing Square (5th & Olive)
Violence against women is an epidemic in U.S. society. One in three women will experience violence from their partner in their lifetime. But the epidemic isn’t limited to sexual assault. 53 percent of anti-LGBTQ homicides are against transgender women. Domestic violence is a widespread problem that is not remotely addressed by the sexist, racist, and bigoted (in)justice system.
Marissa Alexander’s case—among many others—highlights the contradictions of a society that punishes victims of abuse when they defend themselves. Marissa Alexander is a 33-year-old African American woman, mother, and survivor of domestic violence. Under mandatory minimum sentencing laws, Marissa was sentenced to 20 years in prison for defending herself against an abuser in the same state that let George Zimmerman walk free. Though the original sentence was thrown out by the judge, Marissa is still being prosecuted.
All charges against Marissa Alexander should be dropped! We must stand with Marissa and CeCe, demand her freedom, and fight to end all forms of violence against women!
The society we live in not only condones and minimizes sexual assault and all violence against women, but blames and criminalizes the victims. Last year, in Stuebenville, Ohio, authorities covered up rape until the community protested. Two years prior, school authorities and the police colluded to punish 17-year-old Rachel Bradshaw when she reported being sexually assaulted. We must stand up against this system that protects the attackers and isolates the victims.
The treatment of women in a society is a direct reflection of their position in that society. In this society, women are not guaranteed full rights, either to equal pay or to control over our own bodies. At the same time that violence against women is condoned, reproductive rights are under heightened attack. The year 2013 nearly broke the all-time record for the most new restrictions on abortion passed in a single year.
http://www.defendwomensrights.org/events/la-rally-drop-charges.html
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