Troy Davis Denied Clemency, to be Executed Tomorrow

It is easy to remain in a state of Outrage at the injustice of our country's government and "justice" system. It is not so easy to remain Hopeful. Especially on a day like today, with the news that the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Troy Davis clemency and he is to be executed tomorrow, May 21, 2011. Here is my previous blog post about the Troy Davis case.


Click here to view the disheartening message I received from Amnesty International this morning.

If  you have not already done so, you can sign the petition to stop the execution of Troy Davis.

You can contact the Chatham County's District Attorney's office by phone or fax: Telephone: 912-652-7308 Fax: 912-652-7328.

Here is a new petition from NAACP to tell District Attorney Larry Chisolm to petition the judge to withdraw the death warrant against Troy Davis.

Today is a Day of Protest. Tomorrow is a Day of Vigil. You can organize events to have your voices heard, and send your prayers and hopes. There is power in Solidarity. Spiritual strength. I encourage everyone to do what you can to stand in solidarity with Troy Davis and his family.

Here is the event in Georgia:

Gather at the State Capitol at 7:00 pm to Demand that the State of Georgia halt their planned execution of Troy Davis!

Georgia State Capitol

206 Washington Street

Atlanta, GA 30334

United States

A few recent Acts of Solidarity:

(from cbsatlanta.com) An Atlanta pastor has chained himself to a flag pole in front of the building that houses the State Board of Pardons and Paroles in protest of the board's decision to deny clemency for death row inmate Troy Davis ... Rev. Marvin Morgan, of the First Congregational United Church of Christ, said he will remain chained to the post, fasting, as long as he can.

People Occupying Wall Street (which I can't believe I haven't blogged about yet!) are also showing solidarity with Troy Davis:

There is a huge protest in Atlanta right now, and others are protesting and organizing around the country:

Singing "we shall overcome"

About 500 marchers, led by Martin Luther King III, center, Larry Cox, Executive Director Amnesty International USA, right, and Georgia NAACP President Ed DuBose, second left, walk past Ebenezer Baptist Church, the spiritual home of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., in support of Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis on Friday, Sept. 16, 2011 in Atlanta.

Amnesty International activists demonstrates outside the U.S. Embassy in support of death row inmate Troy Davis in Rome

Italy

Paris, France

 It is easy to be Outraged, it is so very hard to remain Hopeful. But if we don't have Hope, what do we have? 

URGENT: Execution Date Set for a Man NOT Proven Guilty!

Twenty years ago, a cop, defending a homeless man, was shot and killed. The investigation by the police department was of course emotionally charged and more than anything they wanted to find the killer. As soon as Sylvester Coles told the police that Troy Davis was the shooter, they had wanted posters all over Georgia. He was tried and convicted and sentenced to death. But that's not the end of the story, not in the least. There was no material evidence. There were only witnesses. 7 out of 9 of these witnesses later admitted that they had been coerced, threatened, and harassed by police to falsely testify against Troy Davis, and that their testimony was not true. Nine people have signed affidavits stating that Sylvester Coles was the killer. One of the two who have not come forward about their testimony being false is Sylvester Coles himself. Here are the affidavits admitting that the testimony was false, and the affidavits stating that Sylvester Cole was the actual murderer: http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/affadavits.pdf. Please read these. It is enough to throw out the case. I believe, based on what I have read, that Troy Davis is innocent. But the point is that he has not truly been proven guilty. Georgia is set to execute Troy Davis on September 21, 2011. Injustice, indeed! People all over the world are in solidarity with Troy Davis, and oppose the execution of an innocent man.

 

  
Watch the four-part series "Examining the Troy Davis Case" here. It is very informative, very worth watching.

The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles will hold a clemency hearing for Troy Davis on Monday, September 19, two days before he is scheduled to be executed at 7 pm on September 21.

WHAT WE CAN DO:   
*This Friday, September 16, is the International Day of Solidarity for Troy Davis. This is 3 days before his Final Clemency Hearing, the last chance to stop his execution.
Here are some solidarity actions I have found information about so far:

• In Atlanta, GA there will be a march and rally at Ebeneezer Baptist Church.
• In Seattle, WA there will be a solidarity action 5-7pm at Westlake Park. http://amnestyseattle.org
• In New Orleans, LA there will be a rally and vigil from 7-8pm at the World Trade Center of New Orleans. Here is there Facebook Event page.
• In London, there will be an event outside of the US Embassy. Here is their Facebook Event page.
• In New Mexico, there will be a march and protest at UNM tomorrow 9/13. Facebook event page.
• On September 19, 2011, at the UCLA, they will have a booth set up with petitions and phone banking sessions at the Enormous Activities Fair from 10am to 2pm. More here at their facebook event page.

*Sign the Petition to oppose the death penalty (click here)

*Organize A Rally to Stop Troy Davis' Execution

*Make the weekend of the 17th-18th a time for reflection or prayer:  for the Davis family, for the MacPhail family, and for justice to prevail.

*AND SPREAD THE WORD!!!!

Just, PLEASE, don't sit by and do NOTHING.