{"id":43632,"date":"2016-10-05T21:11:48","date_gmt":"2016-10-06T02:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=43632"},"modified":"2016-10-05T21:11:48","modified_gmt":"2016-10-06T02:11:48","slug":"rally-domestic-violence-survivors-stand-in-solidarity-with-bresha-meadows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/rally-domestic-violence-survivors-stand-in-solidarity-with-bresha-meadows\/","title":{"rendered":"Rally: Domestic violence survivors stand in solidarity with Bresha Meadows"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Anna Foley<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Ohio teen Bresha Meadows heads to a pretrial hearing<\/a> Thursday, accused of shooting and killing her allegedly abusive father, she\u2019ll be on the minds of dozens of Chicagoans who have been touched by domestic violence.<\/p>\n

On July 28, Bresha, 15, allegedly shot her father<\/a>, Jonathan Meadows, in the head as he slept in the family\u2019s living room. Bresha\u2019s aunt, Sheri Latessa, said the man had been abusing and threatening<\/a> the family for years.<\/p>\n

The Bresha Meadows case is a timely example of the high-stakes situations families face when living with an abuser. As part of a kickoff for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Bresha\u2019s story stood at the center of a \u201cfree to survive\u201d rally Wednesday outside the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, we want to address the root causes that give rise to domestic violence and the challenges victims face with the criminal justice system while coping with and surviving violence,\u201d said Bethany Gomillion-Thompson a spokeswoman for the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women\u2019s Network.<\/p>\n

The rally focused on the intersection of domestic violence and the incarceration of women using personal testimony, poetry and public demonstration, including stories like Bresha\u2019s. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, nearly 60 percent<\/a> of women in state prisons have experienced sexual or domestic violence. Rally Organizers said exposure to violence in the home predisposes women to incarceration. Moreover, more than 10 million<\/a> men and women experience domestic violence each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here to galvanize support for local and national campaigns organized around women and girls incarcerated for surviving abuse,\u201d Gomillion-Thompson said. \u201cWe stand with Bresha.\u201d<\/p>\n

They aren\u2019t the only ones: Wednesday\u2019s rally was part of national #FreeBresha<\/a> movement that has sprung up including vigils, community walks and even drumming circles.<\/p>\n

\u201cCriminalization of defending oneself inherently implies that women are worth nothing,\u201d said Monica Cosby, an organizer with Moms United Against Violence and Incarceration. \u201cIf we are told to wait until something happens, then we defend ourselves, then we go to jail. All that says is we are a piece of property to be abused and disposed of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Domestic violence sparks chain reaction<\/h4>\n

The rally overtook the the square outside the Thompson Center with a large public demonstration. Dozens of women held large brightly colored paper chains that told fictionalized stories of women experiencing domestic violence. Each story ended with the woman facing incarceration.<\/p>\n

The emblematic stories grappled with the difficult decisions people affected by domestic violence face, such as this one about a woman named \u201cJackie\u201d who finally reaches out for help: \u201cOne day, she finally has the nerve to call. She is told that since time has passed since she left home, she is not \u2018directly fleeing\u2019 domestic violence and does not qualify for a bed in a domestic violence shelter. The worker directs her to the city\u2019s homelessness intake. Jackie doesn\u2019t want to stay in a shelter, but she doesn\u2019t know where else to turn at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the center of the demonstration, all of the paper chains converged to create a specific place for Bresha. Rally participants were able to sign a petition for her release from juvenile detention, as well as send letters of support. According to rally organizer Lillian Cartwright, support for Bresha is crucial now more than ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were notified that Bresha Meadows was placed on suicide watch,\u201d Cartwright said.<\/p>\n

For these women, surviving domestic violence sends a powerful message.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to remember to celebrate survival,\u201d said Holly Krig of Moms United Against Violence. \u201cWe have to remember to fight for the right to defend survival.\u201d<\/p>\n

Women hold paper chains showing fictionalized stories of domestic violence outside the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago (Anna Foley\/MEDILL).<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Anna Foley When Ohio teen Bresha Meadows heads to a pretrial hearing Thursday, accused of shooting and killing her allegedly abusive father, she\u2019ll be on the minds of dozens of Chicagoans who have been touched by domestic violence. 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