Dave Zirin: Tomorrow, Georgia Murders Troy Davis

[marmar]

from The Nation:



Tomorrow, Georgia Murders Troy Davis
Dave Zirin on Tuesday, September 20, 2011 - 10:22


It’s with shock that I report that the George Board of Pardons and Paroles on Tuesday denied clemency for Troy Anthony Davis. The 42-year-old Davis is now due to be executed tomorrow, Wednesday September 21, at 7 pm. For those unfamiliar with the case, let’s be clear: Davis’s execution is little more than a legal lynching. This is a demonstrably innocent man that the state is about to execute in the premeditated manner of a murder.

The facts speak for themselves. Back in 1989, nine people testified that they saw Troy Davis kill Officer Mark MacPhail. Since that time, seven have recanted their testimony. Please allow me to repeat: of the nine people who testified that Troy killed Officer Mark MacPhail, seven have recanted their testimony. Beyond the eyewitnesses, there was no physical evidence linking Troy to Officer MacPhail’s murder. None. Three jurors have signed affidavits saying that if they had all the information about Troy, they would not have voted to convict. One juror even arrived in person to the Board of Pardons and Paroles to say to their faces that she would not have voted to convict if she’d had the facts. Another woman has even come forward to say that a different man on the scene that night, Sylvester “Redd” Coles, bragged afterward about doing the shooting. Of the two witnesses who still maintain that Troy was the triggerman, one is Sylvester “Redd” Coles.

From day one, Troy has maintained his innocence. But he was the wrong color, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong bank account and the wrong legal team, so he was thrown into the death house with little fanfare. Yet the tireless work of Troy’s family, particularly his sister Martina, brought international attention to the case. From former President Jimmy Carter, to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, to Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Norman Fletcher, to Pope Benedict XVI, to Reagan’s former FBI Director, William Sessions, to the more than one million people who signed petitions, the call has gone out to spare Troy’s life. But the Board of Pardons and Paroles didn’t care. Previously the Board issued a statement that they would only allow the execution to go through, if there was “no doubt” as to his guilt. They lied. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blog/163498/tomorrow-georgia-murders-troy-davis

[ixion]

1. state sanctioned murder

and yet these people like to call themselves 'civil'. They're nothing of the sort. They're barbarians, pure and simple.

[NightWatcher]

2. MacPhail's family (and mine) is foaming at the mouth over getting to kill Davis

I want to ask them, how long after the state kills Davis does MacPhail get resurrected?

I also want to ask them, what if he didn't do it? Do you want your dad's killer to go free?

My family's Christian Bloodlust is driving me crazy. I've got to stay off FB today and tomorrow. I am (by marriage) related to his family down in Savannah.

Luckily I'm out of town for the month.

[Avalux]

7. I listened to an interview with McPhail's mother on CNN this morning.

She is chomping at the bit for his execution. She is so blinded with the 'eye for an eye' mentality that she won't even consider he shouldn't be put to death, and said anyone who supports clemency doesn't have all the facts and are only supporting it because they're against the DP.

A very narrow-minded, vengeance-filled woman. I wonder if she'll be surprised to find out that Troy Davis's death won't lessen her grief.

[Puregonzo1188]

3. The number in the article has been disconnected, but you can send an email

here http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=516533&msource=W1109EADP04D&tr=y&auid=9522343

[cali]

4. this is so horrific.

[kenfrequed]

5. I have always been against capital punishment.

And this is one of the biggest reasons why.

[TorchTheWitch]

6. Oh DAMMIT!

This is just wrong wrong WRONG. I have no idea whether or not the guy is guilty, but he certainly deserves a new trial and he absolutely should not be executed with all the info that's come out over the years.

Shit, this really pisses me off.