Victoria Mendoza may have taken a life, but she has also saved many lives. She helped save me, in particular, from an extremely abusive, dangerous, life-threatening relationship. Without her pushing me to do what was right for myself, who knows where I would be right now, but I don’t think I’d even be here to type this out. And I am not the only one. There are others like me who she has helped, in other ways, but also the same ways, probably without even being fully aware of how helpful she’s been. I truly believe that good people can do bad things sometimes, just like bad people can be caught doing good things on occasion. She has taken more accountability for what she has done more than anyone else I’ve ever met in my life, and never not once have I ever heard her even attempt to tell any excuses. I have witnessed more than enough remorse from her as well. I want to make it clear Victoria never asked me to create this petition, nor has she ever asked me for help. I volunteer my help and am writing this because I want to. I feel as if it’s the least I can do to attempt to help someone who has helped me and so many others so much.

On October 18th 2014, Victoria Mendoza was arrested and charged with first degree murder for the fatal stabbing of her girlfriend. They were together for around 5 years, and it was a very toxic relationship. The media only tells a few details of the story, and does not touch base on everything that actually happened leading up to the night of the crime. Although those details that have been withheld are not mine to share, I would still like to say this; The media paints Victoria to be the primary aggressor who attacked someone completely unprovoked. In reality, she was provoked, and her partner was often the instigator, not just that very night, but many many times over the years and the course of the relationship. This is NOT me trying to excuse what happened to the victim. There are no excuses, and everyone involved knows that. But it is not a whole black and white situation like the media has painted it to be, it is a story with many, many shades of gray. It was a crime of passion, Victoria even had injuries of her own that were noted after the initial arrest, including a busted lip; and while a bloody lip is, of course, NOT an excuse for what happened that night, it further proves that Victoria had been a victim of domestic violence and mental abuse as well, multiple times throughout the years. I do not support her crime, however, I do support her future and her dreams. Since being in prison she has never shown any other traits other than being a good person who has never been given the equal amount of love in return that she has always given others. the US has far more people incarcerated than any other country in the world and the vulnerability of racial and ethnic minorities within the prison system is huge. The United States is one of the only first world nations that uses prison as a form of punishment instead of using it for rehabilitation. Once someone has committed a crime and served their sentence in a US prison they are not helped to become supported members of society. Instead they are stuck in a never-ending cycle of reoffending due to the systems failure to rehabilitate. Millions of Americans are incarcerated in overcrowded, violent, and inhumane jails and prisons that do not provide treatment, education, or rehabilitation.

In conclusion, please sign, and help Victoria be granted clemency. She is not a dangerous person, in fact she makes me & many others feel safe. She has grown and healed immensely.

What is Clemency?

Leniency or mercy. A power given to a public official, such as a governor or the president, to in some way lower or moderatethe harshness of punishment imposed upon a prisoner. Clemency is considered to be an act of grace. It is based on the policy of fairness, justice, and forgiveness. It is not a right but rather a privilege, and one who is granted clemency does not have the crime forgotten, as in Amnesty, but is forgiven and treated more leniently for the criminal acts. Clemency is similar to pardon in as much as it is an act of grace exempting someone from punishment.