Ultraviolet
The petition to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker reads:
We urge you to pardon Keshia Golden now. Her tragic case is sadly familiar to our community of survivors and allies. Our broken law enforcement and legal systems forced her into an impossible situation. Golden called the Chicago police more than 50 times to report her partner, Calvin Sidney, for domestic violence, but the police never charged him with a crime. Golden was left to fend for herself and endure frequent beatings. She feared for her life constantly, and then one day, she decided to fight back. She fatally stabbed Sidney in the leg in self-defense and was quickly charged with first-degree murder. These extenuating circumstances need to be considered seriously in Golden's case. Though she recently accepted a plea deal for involuntary manslaughter to avoid jail time, we, the UltraViolet community, are urging you, Governor Pritzker, to pardon Keshia Golden now. She should have NEVER been charged with murder in the first place. The police failed to protect her. The legal system chose to punish her. We urge you, Governor Pritzker, to step in now, defend Keshia Golden and correct this miscarriage of justice.
We urge you to pardon Keshia Golden now. Her tragic case is sadly familiar to our community of survivors and allies.
Our broken law enforcement and legal systems forced her into an impossible situation. Golden called the Chicago police more than 50 times to report her partner, Calvin Sidney, for domestic violence, but the police never charged him with a crime. Golden was left to fend for herself and endure frequent beatings. She feared for her life constantly, and then one day, she decided to fight back. She fatally stabbed Sidney in the leg in self-defense and was quickly charged with first-degree murder.
These extenuating circumstances need to be considered seriously in Golden's case. Though she recently accepted a plea deal for involuntary manslaughter to avoid jail time, we, the UltraViolet community, are urging you, Governor Pritzker, to pardon Keshia Golden now. She should have NEVER been charged with murder in the first place.
The police failed to protect her. The legal system chose to punish her. We urge you, Governor Pritzker, to step in now, defend Keshia Golden and correct this miscarriage of justice.