Siwatu-Salama Ra — the Detroit activist who was forced to give birth in jail last year after she was sentenced to prison for brandishing a registered, unloaded firearm to defend herself — had her felonious assault and firearm convictions reversed by the Michigan Court of Appeals on Tuesday, according to the offices of her attorney, Wade Fink. It's the latest chapter in a case that drew local and national attention, including outcry from the National Rifle Association. Ra's sentence stemmed from a 2017 altercation in which Ra used the unloaded firearm to defend herself, her 2-year-old daughter, and her unborn son during an argument with Chanell Harvey, the mother of a schoolmate of Ra's niece, who allegedly tried to use her car as a "battering ram" to threaten Ra. The other woman drove off and went to Detroit Police, and Ra was later charged with assault and a felony firearm conviction, which carries a mandatory minimum two-year sentence. A judge denied Ra's requests for a delayed sentencing so she could give birth, and Ra was forced to give birth to her son while wearing ankle shackles.
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