Update from Shanesha:
Anyone interested in contacting me directly can contact me at [email protected]. Please do not ask the details of my case I will not provide that info. I am happy to accept your prayers, well wishes or general inquiries.

Thank you again
Shanesha Taylor

And so it was, just before midnight, I learned Shanesha Taylor would be released from jail in just a couple of hours. I don’t know her personally but still feel as though I’ve been living with her over the past few days. So I stayed up in anticipation of getting an email or Facebook message announcing that she was safely at home with family. Like a child who is desperate to stay awake on Christmas eve to catch a glimpse of Santa, I fell asleep at some point with the lights still on. I was jolted into consciousness a couple of hours later and immediately checked for the news: Shanesha was released from Estrella Jail early this morning. She’s with family. It’s a wonderful way to kick off the week and I am really grateful to every single person who has donated money, signed the petition, called the County Attorney to have charges against her dropped and more. Special thanks to Amanda Bishop who started the online fundraiser for Shanesha and has been working tirelessly for days. Thank you all.

Shanesha and her family have a long road ahead of them in the criminal punishment system. She’ll have to secure good legal representation, she’ll have to figure out how to reunite with her children, she’ll have to stabilize her financial and housing situation. There’s a lot to do.

In the meantime, supporters and those who want to help can do the following:

1. Send letters, cards, checks etc… directly to Shanesha Taylor at:
PO Box 5988
Glendale, AZ 85312

2. Sign the following petition to Bill Montgomery who is the County Attorney for Maricopa County. Share the petition with everyone you know. Can we gather 10,000 signatures by Friday? Let’s try.

3. After you have signed the petition, directly EMAIL Bill Montgomery to ask that he DROP THE CHARGES against Ms. Taylor.

4. It’s always great when Prosecutors also receive phone calls. Please call the Maricopa County Attorney’s office to ask them to drop the charges against Shanesha Taylor. Be polite about it but suggest that resources would be better spent providing Ms. Taylor and her children with help over punishment. They have already suffered enough.

Maricopa County Attorney’s Office
Phone: (602) 506-3411
Hours: 8am – 5pm Mon-Fri

5. Are you on Facebook? Post a message on Bill Montgomery’s Facebook Page explaining why he should DROP THE CHARGES against Ms. Taylor.

6. Are you on Twitter? Tweet Bill Montgomery directly @marcoattorney and ask him to #DropTheCharges against #ShaneshaTaylor.

7. If you are on Twitter? Contribute your thoughts to the #ISUPPORTSHANESHA because… conversation. Yesterday evening, the conversation trended on Twitter thanks in large part to support from Suey Park.

@prisonculture the 1st mention of #ISupportShanesha appears on your TL. Now is Trending Topic in United States! #trndnl

— Trendinalia USA (@trendinaliaUS) March 31, 2014

Below you can see a visual representation of the activity on Twitter:

8. Most importantly, Ms.Taylor and her family need funds. You can continue to donate to her Fundraiser and ask others to join you.