For Jessalynn Graham, a domestic violence victim

Thank you for taking the time to read this. One of the biggest blows to any family is domestic violence.  It has unfortunately wreaked havoc on mine.  My sister, Jessalynn Graham, was in a domestic violence situation that she was preparing to leave.  She had to defend herself one last time and it saved her life and injured her assailant. Unfortunately, she is in jail  (not convicted) due to saving her life and now her domestic violence stance must be proven in a court of law in Los Angeles, CA.  She has been in jail since May 2017 waiting on the system that has proposed only injustice so far. She has not been convicted and has recently chosen to be a Pro Per (Pro Se) inmate, which means she is acting as her own lawyer. This is greatly frowned upon in the court system, as it is nearly impossible to represent yourself properly without the knowledge from a law degree and the strains of living in confinement while doing so.  But due to the inactivity on her case, Jessalynn had to choose this route.  Since being on Pro Per status she has been met with many more unsafe and dangerous situations. Her life has been threatened and her continued medical needs are not addressed. The judicial and penitentiary system also is making it difficult for her to try her own case not giving her access to much-needed information and Pro Per privileges while in jail.  Jessalynn is waiting to hear from the court about resources for Pro Per status privileges and it has been weeks since her inquiry. Since she is having difficulty as a Pro Per defendant funds are needed immediately to obtain an attorney.

The system has failed her so far, but Jessalynn’s family and friends have tried to help to prevent this injustice by being present in every form possible while she is in jail in Los Angeles, CA. Jessalynn’s previous public defender refused to help her prove her innocence. The public defender refused to do any work on the case for the past 12+ months.  Jessalynn has experienced unfair treatment from the judicial and penitentiary branches of Los Angeles County.  This case will go to trial due to her public defender not properly representing her in front of Los Angeles County judges on many occasions.

Our family and Jessalynn have exhausted much of our financial means by trying to attend as many court appearances as possible, trying to take care of Jessalynn’s personal business, and medical needs since May 2017.  Living nearly 3,000 miles away from Jessalynn has made this an expensive and exhausting journey to endure for Jessalynn, her family, and friends, but we are not giving up!
Jessalynn has gracious friends in Los Angeles, CA who have for the most part tried to show up to court when Jessalynn’s family has not been able to make it to Los Angeles, CA from Florida. Her friends have regularly sat in court all day awaiting answers and visited her in jail. Jessalynn’s friends have shared in some of the emotional and financial expenses as well. The family and friend support is important in this situation.  The phone calls can be expensive but are necessary due to the level of physical threats to her life and other issues Jessalynn is experiencing while in jail.  
We humbly would like to raise $50,000 to get the search started for a lawyer to properly help prove Jessalynn’s domestic violence stance, for her medical care, personal expenses, as well as travel, room, and boarding funds for the family for when they are in Los Angeles, CA to help Jessalynn.  When she goes to trial she will need the support in the courtroom of her family traveling from 3,000 miles away. We anticipate the attorney fees to be higher than our modest goal of $50,000 and will adjust the goal if needed. We need funds to start the process. Thank you for what you can give. God bless.