A domestic violence case in Alabama has been making national headlines: Jacqueline Dixon, a Black woman from Selma, is being charged with murder for defending herself from her abusive husband.

Jacqueline's husband, Carl Dixon, had a track record of verbal and physical abuse--including one incident where he punched her in the face several times. She was granted an order of protection and custody of their two children--but that didn't stop Carl Dixon from charging at her in her own driveway, forcing her to shoot him in self defense.

It should go without saying that survivors of domestic abuse shouldn't be punished for defending themselves. But Dixon's case is a clear example of a Black woman neither protected nor believed by law enforcement: she lives in a "Stand Your Ground" state--which means that by state law, Dixon should have had the legal right to use deadly force in protecting herself.

But Dixon is a Black woman, and once again "Stand Your Ground" isn't used to protect a Black woman the way it protected men, like George Zimmerman and Michael Drejka, who used the law to justify murdering Black people.

The good news is the outrage sparked by Dixon's case might almost be enough to push Alabama authorities to reconsider her charges. The District Attorney has a lot of discretion about which cases to bring forward--especially in a clear-cut case of self defense. If thousands more help it reach a fever pitch, we could save Dixon from an unjust guilty verdict.