Thread by @FreeMaddesyn

🧵 If you missed yesterday's #FreeMaddesynGeorge press conference, here are some highlights from our incredible panel of speakers that called on @USAO_EDWA to drop the charges against Maddesyn before her sentencing hearing on 11/17:

“Violence against indigenous women was and is an integral part of colonization. . . The fact that Native American and Alaska Native women have been dehumanized throughout U.S. history informs present day attitudes...”

“...It helps fuel the high rates of sexual violence perpetrated against them and the high levels of impunity enjoyed by their attackers who still operate with the sanction of a frontier mentality.” – Dian Million

“The prosecution has insulted those of us who stand for justice for Maddesyn. We are not naïve, ill-informed, ideological advocates. We speak as a collective of scholars, long-time practitioners, & dedicated community members who know these situations all too well..."

“...We ask [the prosecutors] to search [their] hearts and minds for resolving this tragic situation.” – Val Kalei Kanuha

“[Prosecutors] are not incentivized to advocate for victims of violence. They are incentivized to secure a conviction and to secure the longest possible sentence...”

“...Native & Black survivors, & other survivors who have identities that are particularly vulnerable to criminalization––vulnerable to being seen as criminals––are, unsurprisingly, at even greater risk of being criminalized for defending their lives.” – Alisa Bierria

“Even as settlers grapple with the recent history of the violence that Native children faced in boarding schools, US policies continue to promote family separation through the foster system & legal attacks on the Indian Child Welfare Act..."

“...Less publicly acknowledged is that criminal punishment is a rising source of family separation, especially for Black and Indigenous mothers.” – Megan Ybarra

“Most often the United States Attorney’s Office will not prosecute the sexual assault of a Native woman, a Native person, or a Native child. Why? It's not a priority to them...”

“...So long as our United States Attorney's Offices refuse to take these crimes seriously, refuse to investigate them or prosecute them, our women understand the message very clearly: Either you protect yourself or you will not be protected.” – Mary Kathryn Nagle

"Maddesyn’s case has inspired a grassroots movement of Indigenous & anti-violence organizers to fight for her freedom. Even though Maddesyn has accepted a plea deal, @USAO_EDWA can still drop the charges, & that is what we urge them to do..."

"...We want to highlight the importance of community organizing in cases like Maddesyn’s, where those most marginalized in our society are punished for defending themselves. Our collective organizing is an act of love that counters the cruelty of the state." –@FreeMaddesyn