Sunday, January 14, 2018

Can We Make 2018 The Year We Free Ky Peterson?

Ky Peterson. (Photo: Courtesy of Freedom Overground)
One of the things I would love to see happen in 2018 is for Ky Peterson to be freed from his unjust incarceration in Georgia for defending himself

If you haven't heard about Ky Peterson's story.   He was living in Americus, GA and minding his own business on a fateful October 28, 2011 day waiting for his brothers to come out of a convenience store when a man approached and started asking him questions about his gender identity. 

Peterson, having been sexually and physically assaulted, began to feel  uncomfortable with the line of questioning and the man standing over him. 

As a result of the first sexual assault, he began carrying a gun in his bag.  The man standing over him raised red flads, so he decided to head home.   While cutting through a trailer park, he felt something hit the back of his head before blacking out. 

Ky-peterson-bazant-sml_(1)
He awake to find himself in a trailer being raped by that man from the convenience store, screamed and hit his assailant.   The screams alerted his brothers, who pulled the man off Ky . 
The assailant ten charged at Ky who pulled his gun out of his bag and killed him.

Petersen ended up getting sentenced to 20 years in prison for basically defending himself from his rapist.  His first parole hearing isn't scheduled until July 2021 

Where is the NAACP on this case?   TBLGQ justice organizations?   Georgia gubernatorial candidates? I couldn't go a day without hearing about Chelsea manning, but there's silence about the unjust treatment of Jy Peterson.

Well, let's step up our human rights game. people   Let's work on getting Ky Peterson out of jail in 2018

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