Date: October 4, 2021
From: The Campaign to Free Maddesyn George
Contact: freemaddesynevents@gmail.com
Activists Call on the Department of Justice to Drop the Charges Against Incarcerated Native Survivor Maddesyn George
Maddesyn George is a young Native mother, a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes in Washington State, and a survivor of sexual and domestic violence. She has been incarcerated since July 2020 for acting in self-defense against a white man who raped her and threatened her life. Instead of receiving support after suffering a traumatic experience, Maddesyn was incarcerated and denied bail, and separated from her infant daughter and community. She accepted a plea deal in late July that includes a minimum of 5 years in federal prison; the prosecution has recommended a 17-year prison term. Maddesyn will be sentenced in the Eastern District of Washington Federal Court on October 20.
Today, organizers with the Campaign to Free Maddesyn George delivered a petition to the U.S. Department of Justice that calls for the charges against George to be dropped. The 6,100 signatories include individuals from all 50 U.S. states and 47 different countries around the globe. More than fifty organizations working for Native liberation, sexual and domestic violence survivors, and racial and gender justice have also endorsed the petition.
Washington State ranks second highest in the country for missing and murdered Indigenous people, according to the Urban Indian Health Institute. Maddesyn survived an attack on her life only to face charges by the same U.S. Department of Justice that just two weeks ago reiterated its commitment to addressing sexual and domestic violence against Indigenous women. Indeed, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco acknowledged in remarks at the Symposium on Missing or Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives on September 16 that “domestic violence and sexual assault are some of the largest root causes of missing or murdered Indigenous women.”
Maddesyn’s supporters are outraged by the treatment that Maddesyn has had to endure at the hands of the criminal legal system. For too many Native survivors, the criminal system neglects or exacerbates interpersonal harm rather than provides support and reparation.
The petitioners urge the Department of Justice to redress this grave injustice by vacating the charges immediately so that Maddesyn can return home to her family and community and get the support she needs to recover and rebuild after more than a year in jail.
#FreeMaddesynGeorge
#SurvivedAndPunished
#ViolenceAgainstIndigenousWomen
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