Florida State Attorney Angela Corey wants to send Marissa Alexander — a domestic violence survivor and Black mother of three — to prison for the rest of her life.Tell Gov. Rick Scott to suspend Angela Corey and condemn the charges against Marissa:

Florida State Attorney Angela Corey is best known for failing to secure murder convictions for the killers of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis. Now, she intends to send Marissa Alexander to prison for 60 years — for firing a warning shot in self defense to stop her abusive husband.¹

In 2012, Marissa was unjustly sentenced to 20 years in prison, and after immense public outrage by Black folks and our allies around the country, she won her appeal and was set free last September.² Rejecting persistent calls to drop the case once and for all, Corey is ramping up her prosecution. It’s cruel and unacceptable. Now is our time to make it clear to Gov. Scott that national outrage over Marissa’s case is growing and unless he takes action to hold Corey accountable, there will be a political price to pay in his tight re-election campaign for Governor.

Demand that Governor Rick Scott suspend Angela Corey from office, condemn the charges brought against Marissa, and defend the just application of the law. It only takes a moment.

Known as the “killingest prosecutor,” Angela Corey has a long legacy of biased and overly harsh prosecutions when the defendant is Black.³ Over the past 5 years, Corey has sent 21 people to death row — more than any other FL prosecutor — 66% of which have been Black despite the fact that Black people account for only 16% of Corey’s district.⁴ Additionally, Corey’s refusal to acknowledge racial bias in the murder trials of George Zimmerman and Michael Dunn led to accusations of prosecutorial misconduct including withholding evidence, failing to prepare key witnesses, and ultimately derailing the case.⁵

Florida’s constitution gives Governor Scott the power and responsibility to intervene and ensure justice for Marissa and Florida as a whole.⁶ Black women are significantly more likely to be convicted for defending themselves against an abuser, and as long as Corey remains at her post we can expect Florida’s criminal justice system to continue to fail Black survivors of violence.⁷  By demanding that Gov. Scott hold Corey accountable for her actions and increase political pressure to free Marissa, we can take important steps to move forward a national conversation on the ways in which Black people are mistreated in our criminal justice system — and secure systemic change.

Please join us in demanding that Gov. Rick Scott suspend Angela Corey from her position and condemn the charges against Marissa Alexander.

Thanks and Peace,

–Rashad, Matt, Arisha, William, Lyla and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team March 17th, 2014

Help support ColorOfChange’s campaign to hold Angela Corey accountable by contributing today.

References

Image art by DignidadRebelde.com

1. “Marissa Alexander’s sentence could triple in ‘warning-shot’ case,” The Florida Times-Union, 03-01-14 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3359?t=9&akid=3336.1174326.lLcS3M

2. See reference 1.

3. “Florida’s killingest prosecutor,” Washington Post, 03-13-14 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3361?t=11&akid=3336.1174326.lLcS3M

4. See reference 4.

5. “Zimmerman Prosecutors Duck the Race Issue,” The New York Times, 07-15-13 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3366?t=13&akid=3336.1174326.lLcS3M

6. “Constitution of the State of Florida”  http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3374?t=15&akid=3336.1174326.lLcS3M

7. “Women’s Experiences of Abuse as a Risk Factor for Incarceration,” VAWNet.org, 12-01-02 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3373?t=17&akid=3336.1174326.lLcS3M

Regional Administrator Calvin W. Goings

Self-Employed? Sign Up for Health Care Coverage by March 31st

With only a couple weeks to go during the Affordable Care Act open enrollment period, now is the time for self-employed business owners to sign up for a plan.

With new Health Insurance Marketplaces (also referred to as Exchanges) open, self-employed business owners and other consumers can purchase private insurance coverage from a range of options and depending on income and residency, potentially qualify for additional subsidies like Medicaid or tax credits.

Coming up, there are some important dates self-employed business owners need to know if they want to sign up for coverage for this year.

Open enrollment for 2014 coverage ends March 31, 2014.  An exception would include a qualifying life event that provides you with a special enrollment period such as marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of a child, or loss of a job.

If you don’t have health coverage in 2014, you may have to pay a penalty.

The next Open Enrollment period is proposed to begin on November 15, 2014 for health insurance coverage that begins January 1, 2015.

To browse coverage options, assess potential subsidies, and purchase your plan online through the individual marketplace, simply go to www.healthcare.gov.

CAP Action War Room

The ACA’s Impact On African American Men Goes Unnoticed

We frequently use this space to highlight, explain, push back against, celebrate, or summarize issues that are discussed a lot in the news. Today, we want to do the opposite: call attention to an issue that is missing from our national dialogue.

It’s easy to get caught up in the daily political debates over the Affordable Care Act, but the stakes are higher than that: this is a real (and historic) law that has real impacts for real people. African American men, in particular, are a group that will benefit an enormous amount from the law. And they are a group for whom the current health system is failing. The infographic from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation below sheds light these challenges and on the importance of reducing disparities in health care access and building a culture of health among all Americans.