Maribel Cuevas, a small 11-year old girl in Fresno who speaks mostly spanish, was being harrassed by neighborhood boys who threw water balloons and rocks at her in late April. She grew frustrated and attempted to scare the boys by acting like she was going to throw a rock at the boys, when the rock slipped. One of the boys, 9 year-old Elijah Vang, needed stitches as a result of being hit by the rock. A neighbor called 911, but before 3 police cars and a helicopter had arrived, Maribel had already ran over hysterically crying in an attempt to apologize to the boy's family. The Fresno police, who only spoke English, attempted to put Maribel in handcuffs and ended up throwing her to the ground and putting their knee in her back after she struggled in confusion and fear. She was incarcerated in juvenile hall for five days, after cops told an eyewitness and Maribel that she would be out of jail in 2 hours; and was made to wear an ankle monitoring bracelet for a month.

Elijah Vang and his family have reportedly moved out of the neighborhood. The boy admitted to officers that he started the fight and was quickly released from the hospital after getting his head stitched up. The boy's family stated they did not want to press charges. Regardless, 11-year-old Maribel is now being charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon, and her trial will begin on August 3rd. Her lawyer has accused the police of criminalizing childhood behavior. Women's rights activists are encouraging people to write to the District Attorney, Elizabeth A. Egan, and ask her to drop the charges against Maribel. Contact info for local officials

Pictures and Reportback from Vigil | Video | Free Maribel Website | PDF of Informational Flyer for Vigil and Court Date
original story posted on Indybay's Womyn's News Page