Fwd: Join us: Rally Th 6/15/17, 1 PM @ Daley Plaza in Solidarity with Neha Rastogi and all Abused Women

[Jae Jin Pak]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Radhika Sharma <rsh...@apnaghar.org>
Date: Tue, Jun 13, 2017 at 5:16 PM
Subject: Join us: Rally Th 6/15/17, 1 PM @ Daley Plaza in Solidarity with Neha Rastogi and all Abused Women
To: AAAJ volunteer <volu...@advancingjustice-chicago.org>, "abrarq...@gmail.com" <abrarq...@gmail.com>, Agnes Meneses <amen...@cfw.org>, "Agom...@cps.edu" <Agom...@cps.edu>, "ai...@icah.org" <ai...@icah.org>, Alex Andre <aandre...@gmail.com>, "Alpa Patel (Public Guardian)" <alpa....@cookcountyil.gov>, Ami Gandhi <a...@saapri.org>, "Andra....@cps.edu" <Andra....@cps.edu>, Archana Potters <archana...@gmail.com>, Ashima Jaiswal <ashima....@gmail.com>, Azher Quader <azher...@yahoo.com>, Be Alright <bealrigh...@gmail.com>, "besimacausevic@yahoo. com" <besimac...@yahoo.com>, Betsy Jones Hemenway <ehem...@luc.edu>, Christine George <Cge...@luc.edu>, "dmar...@life-span.org" <dmar...@life-span.org>, Elena Quintana <equi...@adler.edu>, Elvin Y Chan <eyc...@uic.edu>, "Equi...@my.adler.edu" <Equi...@my.adler.edu>, Fash Khan <fa...@communitiesunited.org>, Harish Patel <harish...@gmail.com>, ICE Brother Rahul Sharma <funkades...@gmail.com>, "in...@ywcachicago.org" <in...@ywcachicago.org>, "ishalabi@aafsil. org" <isha...@aafsil.org>, Jae Jin Pak <jaeji...@gmail.com>, "Je...@communitiesunited.org" <Je...@communitiesunited.org>, JP Jael <jpj...@gmail.com>, "jvs...@uic.edu" <jvs...@uic.edu>, "K. Sujata" <ksu...@saapri.org>, Kulsum Ameji <kam...@lafchicago.org>, "kyrajo...@u.northwestern.edu" <kyrajo...@u.northwestern.edu>, Leslie Landis <leslie...@cookcountyil.gov>, Marlita White <Marlit...@cityofchicago.org>, Megan Blomquist <educ...@rapevictimadvocates.org>, Mohini Lal <mlal...@gmail.com>, Mona Noriega <Mona.N...@cityofchicago.org>, "ngoan. le@illinois. gov" <ngoa...@illinois.gov>, Niala Boodhoo <NBoo...@wbez.org>, "ntaha@aafsil. org" <nt...@aafsil.org>, "ovil...@life-span.org" <ovil...@life-span.org>, Promila Kumar <promila...@gmail.com>, RADHA MODI <rad...@sas.upenn.edu>, Ranjana Bhargava <ranj...@yahoo.com>, "rash...@argosy.edu" <Rash...@argosy.edu>, Raya Stoicheva <RSTO...@depaul.edu>, Rebecca Levin <RLe...@luriechildrens.org>, "rsh...@indoamerican.org" <rsh...@indoamerican.org>, sameera mirza <sameer...@hotmail.com>, Sharmili Majmudar <Executiv...@rapevictimadvocates.org>, Sioban Albiol <SAL...@depaul.edu>, Sufyan Sohel <sso...@cair.com>, Tuyet Le <T...@advancingjustice-chicago.org>, "VRayMazumder@advancingjustice-chicago. org" <vrayma...@advancingjustice-chicago.org>, "womensprojectluc@gmail. com" <womenspr...@gmail.com>, Yesenia Maldonado <ymald...@betweenfriendschicago.org>
Cc: Ashley Moy-Wooten <amoy-...@napawf.org>

Please join the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, Apna Ghar, and sister agencies as we stand in solidarity with Neha Rastogi, a survivor of domestic abuse, at 1 PM on Thursday, June 15th at Daley Plaza. Contact Ashley Moy-Wooten (copied amoy-...@napawf.org) for details:

For more than a decade, Neha Rastogi suffered regular violence at the hands of her abusive husband, Abhishek Gattani. In her words, “I felt terrorized and controlled; held hostage by the fear of pain, humiliation, and assault on my being and my daughter’s.” (Read Rastogi’s full victim-impact statement.) Despite seeing a 5-minute recording of that abuse, the Santa Clara District Attorney’s office agreed to a deal that reduced the top charge against Abhishek from felony assault to felony accessory (a “non-violent” crime), with an accompanying misdemeanor of “offensive touching.” Under this plea agreement, Abhishek could serve less than two full weeks in jail. Neha asked the court to change the terms of the prosecutor’s deal – a deal she never agreed to. The next hearing will be Thursday, June 15th at 1:30 PM PST in Palo Alto, California. We urge you to be in solidarity with Rastogi to find justice for her and her family. 

WHY DOES NEHA’S CASE MATTER NOW MORE THAN EVER?

Neha’s case impacts the AAPI community as a whole, where sexual and reproductive health, mental health, and relationship safety are intertwined. In her powerful victim-impact statement, which she was only allowed to deliver after the plea deal was made, Neha talked about the awful impact of ten years of abuse. She said Gattani had started to threaten to kill her when she expressed fear or feeling unsafe, calling it her “self inflicted depression.” The intersections are significant for our communities in which AAPI women, trans, and gender non-conforming people report disproportionately high rates of depression and suicidal thoughts and are less likely to seek professional mental health services and report experiences of violence.

CORE MESSAGE

We stand with Neha Rastogi and all gender-based violence survivors. In standing with Neha we stand with all survivors who are currently fighting to be heard and to live safe and full lives. We call upon the criminal and civil justice systems, community, and faith based organizations, employers, and public agencies to support the right to be free from violence in one’s home.

SOCIAL MEDIA GRAPHICS & POSTER SUGGESTED MESSAGING

We Stand With Neha Rastogi, Justice for Neha Rastogi, End Gender-Based Violence, Speak OUT against gender-based violence

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES

Facebook: www.facebook.com/NAPAWF Twitter: @napawf Instagram: @napawf

LINKS

NAPAWF National Action: (Sign up to receive instructions & a script to call the Santa Clara Superior Court and receive special alerts about Neha’s case!) http://bit.ly/NehaAction

I want justice for Neha Rastogi. bit.ly (content warning: domestic violence) For more than a decade, Neha Rastogi suffered regular violence at the hands of her abusive husband, Abhishek Gattani. In her words, “I felt terrorized and controlled; held hostage by the fear of pain, humiliation, and assault on my being and my daughter’s.” (Learn more about her case and read Neha's vicitim-impact statement.) Despite seeing a 5-minute recording of that abuse, the Santa Clara District Attorney’s office agreed to a deal that reduced the top charge against Abhishek from felony assault to felony accessory (a “non-violent” crime), with an accompanying misdemeanor of “offensive touching.” Under this plea agreement, Abhishek could serve less than two full weeks in jail. Neha asked the court to change the terms of the prosecutor’s deal – a deal she never agreed to. The next hearing will be Thursday, June 15th at 1:30PM PST in Palo Alto, California. We urge you to be in solidarity with Rastogi to find justice for her and her family. Contact the

CHANGE Petition: Long: https://www.change.org/p/honorable-allison-marston-danner-hon-ble-danner-please-reject-the-plea-deal-to-abishek-gattani Short: http://bit.ly/JusticeforNeha

Honorable Allison Marston Danner: Hon'ble Danner- Please reject the Plea Deal to Abishek Gattani bit.ly People vs. Abhishek Gattani (Case No. B1687324, Santa Clara Superior Court, California). According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, between 2009 and 2011, while other types of homicides decreased, domestic violence fatalities in California increased by 11%. Domestic violence homicides...

Neha Rastogi’s full victim-impact statement: http://www.thedailybeast.com/here-is-the-powerful-statement-a-wife-read-aloud-to-the-court-and-her-abusive-husband?link_id=0&can_id=7631adb5ac324c47d78989221da4023f&source=email-tell-your-senator-to-protect-our-care-2-2&email_referrer=tell-your-senator-to-protect-our-care-2-2&email_subject=justice-for-neha-rastogi

HASHTAGS

#JusticeforNehaRastogi

#JusticeforNeha

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Jae Jin Pak

c: (773) 418-0353

e-mail: jaeji...@gmail.com

"All that is necessary for evil to succeed is
for good men to do nothing."
Edmund Burke

Life is Simple...
Living is Complex.