Here is another very similar story of a young women of colour being abused by an older man which ended in violence.
#FREEChrystul: DROP ALL CHARGES AGAINST CHRYSTUL KIZER AND RELEASE HER IMMEDIATELY
BACKGROUND
Chrystul Kizer is a black teenage survivor of violence. At only 17-years old, she was charged with multiple felonies for defending herself from an older white man who has been accused of ongoing physical and sexual abuse of not only Chrystul, but multiple other young girls. A resident of Milwaukee, WI, Chrystul spent her 18th birthday incarcerated in the Kenosha County Jail, where she remains confined. If convicted, Chrystul could face a sentence of life in prison. Chrystul needs the opportunity to be supported in safe, healing spaces in the community – not the prospect of additional trauma, assault, and solitary confinement in a Wisconsin penitentiary.
Recent campaigns to free criminalized survivors have highlighted how gender-based violence such as sexual assault is linked to the prison industrial complex. Survived and Punished cites ACLU figures in reporting that almost 60% of people confined in women’s prisons across the United States and up to 94% of some women’s prison populations have a history of physical or sexual abuse prior to incarceration. In addition, we know that policing and prisons disproportionately impacts communities of color. However, these campaigns have illustrated the power of people to raise awareness, make demands, and free survivors.
Right now, District Attorney Michael Graveley is withholding evidence which supports the case for Chrystul’s self-defense. We refuse to allow the criminal punishment system to disappear Chrystul and further traumatize her.
ACTION
This is a call to demand that the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office drop all charges and release Chrystul immediately. Please direct your calls and emails to the DA’s office on January 9, the day before Chrystul’s next court date.
Contact Michael Graveley, Kenosha County District Attorney
Phone: (262) 653-2687
Email: [email protected]
www.facebook.com/events/220936935513503/
www.gofundme.com/free-chrystul-kizer
twitter.com/mariokart64ost/status/1073286705728405505?lang=en