14 Feb NYSCASA Stands with Tracy: Statement on District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s Pending Decision Towards Survivor Tracy McCarter
The multifaceted trauma of surviving gender-based violence can be exacerbated by the judicial and law enforcement systems. When a survivor is criminalized for so-called “violent offenses,” this adds further psychological trauma that is almost incomprehensible to anyone who has not experienced it.
It is all too common for survivors of gender-based violence to be prosecuted for surviving violence. A national study found that 86% of women who have ever been jailed also report surviving sexual assault and 77% percent have experienced partner violence. According to another study, 90% of women incarcerated in New York prisons report being survivors of abuse. Black women experience higher rates of gender-based violence and criminalization as a result of surviving violence. These survivors are courageous individuals who deserve justice and respect, not punishment.
The New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault joins advocacy groups across New York State in urging Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to use his prosecutorial powers to immediately drop the charges against domestic violence survivor Tracy McCarter. We are also calling on DA Bragg to significantly adjust the Manhattan DA office’s policy on criminalizing survivors of gender-based violence moving forward. This matter must be addressed with swift urgency.
Take Action:
Here are three ways individuals and organizations can join the fight to #DropHerCharges and #StandWithTracy:
- Join Survived & Punished on social media on February 14th at 2pm ET, one month before Tracy’s next scheduled court hearing, to call on DA Bragg to drop her charges and free them all. You can find a toolkit with sample tweets and graphics here: bit.ly/DropHerChargesPowerHour.
- Survived & Punished NY have started a public petition calling on DA Bragg to drop Tracy’s charges immediately: bit.ly/DropHerCharges. Please sign and share the petition with your networks, friends, family, whomever so we can get as many individuals to sign on as possible!
- Sign this organizational sign on letter by March 1st requesting that DA Bragg use his prosecutorial discretion to drop the charges against Tracy. Sign on here: https://forms.gle/SCVEH2jznccVmLKz6