We, the undersigned, call on newly elected Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to drop all charges against Tracy McCarter. Tracy McCarter is a Black mother, grandmother, and nurse who is being prosecuted for defending her life against her abusive ex-husband. 

It has been nearly two years since Tracy McCarter was wrongfully arrested in March 2020. That night she survived a domestic violence assault during which her abuser died. Despite evidence that she was defending her life, and was providing her abuser with medical care after immediately calling the police, she was arrested and charged with murder. This is not an anomaly. It’s all too common for survivors of domestic violence to be prosecuted for experiencing domestic violence and daring to survive it. According to one study, 90% of women incarcerated in New York prisons report being survivors of abuse. 

After Tracy’s arrest, she was jailed on Rikers Island for seven months without an option for release during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to outside pressure, in September 2020 the Manhattan DA office finally consented to her release on GPS monitoring through an electronic shackle. However, e-incarceration has made it impossible for Tracy to work, seek mental health treatment, or visit her family (including her first grandchild who was born while Tracy was in jail). The shackle has left severe burns and scars on her leg. Despite Tracy proving that she is not a flight risk and wants to fight her case, the DA and judge will not change her conditions so she no longer has to be on the monitor. 

While campaigning, DA Bragg himself tweeted his support of Tracy and that it is unjust to prosecute survivors of domestic violence. We implore DA Bragg to stand by these statements, correct the former DA’s unjust decision to prosecute Tracy, and acknowledge the evidence and history of domestic violence that support Tracy’s self-defense claims against abuse. 

Stand with Tracy McCarter, a Black survivor of domestic violence in Manhattan, by using your prosecutorial discretion to drop her charges TODAY.

Learn more about Tracy’s story and case:

Stand With Tracy Facebook Page 
“Attorneys Raise Body Camera Evidence Questions In Manhattan "Self-Defense" Murder Case” by Victoria Law in Gothamist
“Prosecutors Ignored Evidence of Her Estranged Husband’s Abuse. She Faces 25 Years in Prison for Murder.” By Lauren Gill in The Intercept
“Murder Case Exposes Bail System’s Flaws, Advocates for Abuse Victims Say” by Deanna Paul in The Wall Street Journal 

You can support Tracy’s healing & fight for justice by donating to her fundraiser or purchasing #StandWithTracy merch at the SWT online store.