Finally! Marissa Alexander Receives a New Trial.

Marissa Alexander before her arrest. 

A Miscarriage of Justice

While many were enthralled with the Travyon Martin and George Zimmerman fiasco, there was another injustice taking place in Florida at about the same time. Marissa Alexander, a black woman from Jacksonville, FL was sentenced to 20 years in prison for just discharging a gun to scare off her husband who she felt had threatened her. Alexander had never been arrested before and was a documented victim of domestic violence. Nor did she even strike him or anyone for that matter, nevertheless she was charged and sentenced to what most rational people considered an excessive and overtly cruel amount of time.


Despite not receiving much media attention, many people around the world became aware of this travesty of injustice with thousands of them signing petitions for Alexander to receive a new trial. Thankfully the will of the people prevailed and she will be receiving a new trial after the 1st District Court of Appeal ruled that a judge did not properly instruct the jury handling the case of Marissa Alexander, which is a minor technicality.


Though this is great news; it is hardly cause for celebration yet. What the Alexander case did bring attention to was the need to address mandatory sentencing and how such sentences are often inequitable in who is often on the receiving end. The United

States judicial and prison systems are in serious need of revamping due to many laws being too broad with vast disparities that affect the poor and people of color at staggering rates. It is a shame that Marissa Alexander's life had to be an example of what is wrong with the American judicial system.