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Justice For Cyntoia Brown—We Must End the Criminalization of Trauma

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON — Justice has failed Cyntoia Brown so many times. At the age of two, Brown was put up for adoption, and when she was 16 she was sold as a sex slave to a 43-year old Nashville man. This perpetrator held a gun on her and hit, choked and dragged her during her captivity. Fearing for her life, she shot the man when she thought he was reaching for a gun.

Although she was still 16, Brown was tried as an adult, and a jury convicted her of first-degree murder, with a sentence of life in prison. Under the then-Tennessee law, she would only be eligible for release after serving 51 years of her sentence.

The law in Tennessee has since changed—in part because Cyntoia Brown’s case so horrified the public and lawmakers. Now, anyone 18 or younger cannot even be charged with prostitution.  But Cyntoia Brown is imprisoned with no hope of release for the next half-century.

It’s time for justice for Cyntoia Brown. NOW supports her appeal and also the lawsuit challenging her sentence as unconstitutional under the U.S. Supreme Court’s challenge to mandatory life sentences without the chance of parole for juvenile offenders.

NOW further supports Cyntoia Brown’s bid for clemency from Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.  It shames us as a society if we are to consign a life that has known nothing but abuse to a life sentence in prison—all before she was even old enough to vote.

We must end the criminalization of trauma.  Cyntoia Brown inspires us to push even harder for justice, fairness and healing—but first, Cyntoia Brown must be heard.

Contact

NOW Press, press@now.org , 202-628-8669

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Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta Must Resign For Allowing Serial Child Molester Jeffrey Epstein To Escape Justice

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON — Jeffrey Epstein is a serial child molester who used his wealth, power and influence to escape serious penalties for his crimes. The charges brought against him could have resulted in Epstein spending the rest of his life in prison —but instead, he played “let’s make a deal” to subvert justice and escape punishment.  Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, who as U.S. Attorney in Miami cut the deal with Epstein, must resign.

Jeffrey Epstein plays by the same rulebook as Donald Trump, Les Moonves, Harvey Weinstein, Eric Schneiderman and other powerful men who have been revealed as serial abusers of women. Epstein’s scant 13-month stay in a county jail—where he was even allowed to spend twelve hours a day, six days a week, at his office—was made possible by a culture of powerful men enabling each other, while dismissing, excusing or demeaning the women and children they brutalize with physical and sexual violence.  

But this toxic culture must end. We cannot allow our legal system to be hijacked by rich men and those who stand by idly while profiting from their abuses of power. Those in law enforcement, politics, and business who defend and protect these abusers are also complicit. They used their privilege to shred the law and make a mockery of justice.  But the #MeToo movement is shining a light on their conduct, and that light must not fade.

Alexander Acosta, like Donald Trump, sees legal protections against sexual assault not as indestructible safeguards, but as flexible and even optional suggestions. Every day he remains in office makes a mockery of our system of justice that should protect underage girls from monsters like Jeffrey Epstein.

#EnoughIsEnough.  Alexander Acosta must go.

Contact

NOW Press , press@now.org , 202-628-8669

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NOW Celebrates Native American Heritage Month

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON – As we wind down the month-long observation of November’s Native American Heritage Month, the National Organization for Women celebrates the history and legacy of the first American feminists. Native American women were more than just mothers of the tribes’ children—they were builders, warriors, farmers, and craftswomen. Many Native American tribes believed that women had more healing power and a deeper connection to the spirit world. And in many tribes, the families were matrilineal—instead of women leaving their families to join their husbands, it was the opposite. Men joined the families of the women they married and their sons left to join their wives’ families.

It’s only fitting that the first two Native American women were elected to Congress during this year’s Native American Heritage Month. NOW honors the rich culture, traditions, and accomplishments of indigenous people, and we recommit ourselves to working with Native people to meet the challenges and overcome the obstacles faced by this vibrant, diverse community. We are all enriched by Native American heritage—this month, and every month.

Contact

NOW Press, press@now.org, 202-628-8669