#FreeGrace

BLM

Jul 27

UPDATE

SUCCESS! Grace is Home; A Message from Grace's Mother

Andrea Kelly and Anna GarciaAnn Arbor, MI, United States

AUG 3, 2020 —

“Hi everyone!

Thank you all for your efforts the past couple of weeks. In case you have not heard, Grace has finally returned home. We are so happy for Grace and her mother. That being said, there is still much work to be done.

We've been asked to share the attached thank you and statement from Grace's mother:

GRACE’S MOM THANK YOU AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT STATEMENT

"On Friday, July 31, 2020, the Michigan Court of Appeals granted my request for the immediate release of my daughter Grace. The Michigan Court of Appeals acknowledged that it was wrong for Judge Mary Ellen Brennan to detain my daughter in the juvenile detention center because she did not do her online schoolwork during a pandemic. My daughter Grace is home and we will resume the process of getting her the support that she needs. This support now includes counseling for the trauma that Grace experienced during the recent court proceedings and while detained in the juvenile detention center.

While I am grateful that Grace is home with me, we must remember the systemic problems with the juvenile justice system. Grace is 15-years-old with special needs. Instead of the juvenile justice system providing Grace with the appropriate resources, it treated her like an adult and a criminal. Grace’s case is not unique but symbolic of what can happen to a child, particularly a Black, Brown or disenfranchised child, in an unjust system. In Oakland County, 42% of the youth in the juvenile detention center are Black, while only 15% of the youth in Oakland County are Black. So although Grace is home safely with her mother and her village, we must continue to focus on the other children who need our support as we dismantle the unjust School-to-Prison Pipeline.

Grace and I are grateful to each and every person who supported my efforts to bring her home. Specifically, we would like to thank:

• Judi Cohen and ProPublica;

• Jonathan Biernat and Saima Kahill of Grace’s Legal Team;

• The American Civil Liberties Union;

• Andrea Kelly and Anna Garcia, Change.Org Petition Organizers;

• Tim Christensen and Marjon Parham of Michigan Liberation;

• Vivian Anderson and Julia Dawson of EVERYBLACKGIRL, Inc.;

• Angelique Strong Marks of 1STRONGSISTER;

• Allison Folmar, Legal Consultant;

• Karen Dumas, Communications Consultant;

• Tracee Patterson and Michelle Sherman, Community Advocates;

• Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Reps. Andy Levin (MI-09), Reps. Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), Haley Stevens (MI-11), and Rashida Tlaib (MI-13); and

• Peaceful Protest Organizers: Sheri Crawley of Pretty Brown Girls and Michigan Liberation; Birmingham Black Parent Network, Tylene Henry, Monique Campbell, Melissa Durity, Andrea Cartwright and 1StrongSister; Detroit Will Breathe; and High School Student Organizers Ama and Eva of BLMIAI and Nia and Sam of Birmingham Groves and EVERYBLACKGIRL, Inc.

I am committed to the health and well-being of my daughter and our healing and growth. I am also committed to supporting the Community Collective’s “Oakland 15-42” project that will focus on dismantling Oakland County’s School-to-Prison Pipeline. I encourage each of you to remain committed to criminal justice reform on all levels. Again, Grace and I are forever grateful."

Thank you all again. This is a reminder that your individual and collective voices matter, and it's imperative that we continue to speak out against injustices.” - SOURCE -

ACTIONS TO HELP #FREEGRACE