It has been well over 100 days since Brittney Griner was detained and imprisoned by Russia as she made her way through an airport to come home. Her arrest came after officials allegedly found cannabis in her luggage.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee organized a rally and prayer vigil outside the Toyoat Center in Houston on Monday.
“We are not gonna back down, because we want Brittney to come home,” Lee said.
U.S. officials have declared Griner as wrongfully detained.
Former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed and his family traveled to Houston for the rally on Monday. His mother, Paula Reed, said it was important for Trevor to be there despite only being home for six weeks. Trevor was released from Russian prison as part of a prisoner swap in April.
“We need to all speak out for these Americans, because every single one of us is an American,” Trevor said. “Every day that you’re in prison there, it’s like you’re waking up to a nightmare. There is no justice in Russia. Brittney and Paul [Whelan] will not receive justice in Russia… they will not receive a fair trial in Russia.”
Reed calls his experience of waking up in Russia each morning a “nightmare.”
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral WNBA stories via Google! Follow Us
“We need to all speak out for these Americans, because every single one of us is an American,” Reed said, via TMZ Sports. “Every day that you’re in prison there, it’s like you’re waking up to a nightmare.”
Reed continued by saying Griner will not receive justice or a fair trial as long as she’s in Russian custody.
“Brittney and Paul [Whelan] will not receive justice in Russia,” he said. “They will not receive a fair trial in Russia.”
Boston Celtics players like Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart have been rocking special made shirts to pay tribute to the WNBA star in an effort to raise awareness about the troubling situation.
Griner’s detention was extended through June 18, 2022.
