#misogynoirkills

Days of action are planned for 10/5 & 10/6 for #BreshaMeadows a 15 year old girl being held in a detention center on suicide watch after shooting her abusive father in self defense. Much of the advocacy around freeing Meadows is rooted in efforts to end mass incarceration, especially of young black people, and in efforts to provide justice for victims of domestic abuse. Meadows is among the up to 10 million children in the United States who are exposed to domestic violence annually, and among the black children who are detained at a rate 4.5 times higher than white children.

“Criminalizing Bresha in this context sends a harmful message to survivors and their children — that even in the most desperate of situations, they will be punished instead of helped,” the OrganizeFor petition reads.

Experts say that children who experience domestic violence are more likely to have depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Meadows’ incarceration only adds to that emotional toll.

Prior to shooting her father, Meadows had run away from home at least twice, and even reported the domestic abuse to the police. She told authorities that her father, 41-year-old Jonathan Meadows, threatened to kill her family and constantly beat her mother, Brandi Meadows, who filed a protective order against him in 2011. She later withdrew the order, as is common with domestic violence cases.

“The United States incarcerates more children than any other country,” Nnennaya Amuchie, law fellow at Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, wrote in an open letter to prosecutors Tuesday. “Is this what justice looks like? Bresha should not be punished for surviving abuse. Bresha should not be punished for protecting herself and her family.”

Meadows’ next hearing is scheduled for Thursday. #FreeBresha #BlackLivesMatter #BlackGirlsMatter #BlackWomenMatter #MisogynoirKills #DomesticViolence #EndTheCycle #TheWholeSystemIsGuilty