Too often Black Women are not seen as victims of violence. Whether it be Sandra Bland as a victim of State violence or Cierra Finkley, a victim of domestic violence.
Black Women's lives matter too!
Cierra Finkley will be charged with first degree reckless homicide
after stabbing her abusive boyfriend who was trying to kill her and
her 5-year-old daughter. Cierra's boyfriend had a history of regularly
abusing her and Cierra protected herself after he kicked her house
door in.
This is very similar to the case of Marissa Alexander, a Florida
resident who was facing over 60 years in prison for trying to protect
her and her children from an abusive partner.
Please support Cierra by donating money here to help pay for her
legal representation.
Also: please sign this petition to the Dane County District Attorney, asking that all charges be dropped:
In Solidarity:
https://www.facebook.com/justice4cierra
https://www.facebook.com/fergusontomadison
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Alix (608) 210-9623
Justice For Cierra: Surviving Violence is Not a Crime
Madison, WI - August 21, 2015
Cierra Finkley, a 24-year old Black woman from Madison,
Wisconsin, was arrested for protecting her own life and the life of
her 5-year old daughter. Today, she was released on a signature bond
with a GPS monitoring system as 30+ supporters protested on her behalf
and viewed her initial hearing. Her family and friends are thrilled,
but she’s not clear yet--the District Attorney’s office will introduce
its charges on Thursday at 8:30 am at the Dane County Courthouse (215
S. Hamilton). Supporters will meet at 8 am at the Courthouse. They
call on allies around the nation to #SayHerName and join in demanding
justice for Cierra Finkley by signing this petition (https://www.change.org/p/dane-county-district-attorney-ismael-r-ozanne-surviving-violence-is-not-a-crime-drop-the-charges-against-cierra)
demanding that District Attorney Ismael Ozanne refuse to press charges.
Finkley is one of many Black women in this country who has
survived violence, defended herself from her abuser, only to face
extreme charges in the criminal justice system. On Tuesday, Terrence
L. Woods, a man with a history of abuse toward Cierra Finkley and with
a court order demanding he stay away from her, tried to run over
Cierra and her daughter with his car. Finkley tried to call the police
three times without receiving an appropriate response as Woods
continued to threaten her in her apartment. He kicked down the door
and lunged at her. Fearing for her life and for her young daughter in
her own home, Cierra stabbed Woods in self-defense. He later succumbed
to his wounds. She now faces tentative reckless homicide charges for
defending herself and her child.
“When we say Black Lives Matter, we mean all Black Lives -
including Black women,” charged Alix Shabazz, an organizer with Young
Gifted and Black. “Defending ourselves from violence is not a crime!”
“We know this story,” added Kabzuag Vaj, longtime domestic
violence advocate with Freedom, Inc. “Black women are routinely
criminalized for defending themselves from domestic violence, like
Marissa Alexander in Florida. We stand with Young Gifted and Black to
call for Justice for Cierra.”
“My daughter fought for her life and to save her child,”
insisted Cierra’s mother, Carla Finkley. “There’s no crime for that.
This is a tragedy, but her life might be ruined because she decided to
fight for her life and her child.”
In recent months, #SayHerName has been used on social media to
bring attention to the violence Black women and girls face. Such
violence includes Sandra Bland, who was found in her jail cell in
Texas; Marissa Alexander who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for
defending herself from domestic violence; and the numerous black
trans-women brutally murdered every year. #SayHerName because Black
women’s lives matter too.
For more information on how to support
efforts in Madison, WI, visit: ygbcoalition.org or facebook.com/fergusontomadison
#Justice4Cierra #SayHerName #BlackLivesMatter
