Paris Knox is a 38-year-old Black mother. In 2007 she was sentenced to 40 years in prison for having killed her abusive ex-partner when he attacked her in her home in 2004. In early 2017, her conviction and 40-year sentence were vacated. Now she is presumed innocent and awaiting trial again. Her bail has been set at $500,000, requiring a $50,000 bond, which keeps her from being released and reunited with her mother, sister, and her child, who is now 14 years old.
Like so many other Black women, Paris is in prison for self-defense. Her family and community are rallying support, like the support built around the cases of Marissa Alexander, Cherelle Baldwin, and Bresha Meadows. These campaigns lift up the right of Black women to defend their lives, to survive without being punished for it. Visit the Survived and Punished website - survivedandpunished.org - to learn more about these cases and get involved in supporting them.
This video was conceived by Mariame Kaba with Holly Krig and narrated by CeCe McDonald. Directed and produced by Dean Spade and Hope Dector. Audio editing by Lewis Wallace. Protest photos by Sarah-Jane Rhee. Created by the Barnard Center for Research on Women and Survived and Punished.
TAKE ACTION!
Write to Paris! Expressing solidarity and fighting isolation are integral ways to support survivors:
Paris Knox
Inmate No: 20170120230
P.O. Box 089002
Chicago, Illinois 60608
Download the Survived and Punished toolkit for resources on starting a defense campaign:
http://bit.ly/LPSPtoolkit
Visit the Survived and Punished website to learn about ongoing campaigns for freedom:
survivedandpunished.org
