Justice for Troy Davis

Yvonne Liu

Justice for Troy Davis

Troy Davis was convicted of killing a police officer in Savannah, Georgia nearly two decades ago. He sits on death row waiting for execution tonight, even though evidence points to his innocence. Seven out of the nine witnesses have recanted their testimony or implicated another person at the murder scene as the shooter. No murder weapon was ever found and no physical evidence links Davis to the crime, according to Amnesty International.

The courts refuse to hear the new evidence. Davis was due to be executed three times before, but each time was granted stays. The last one expired this Saturday. Georgia’s Governor Sonny Perdue (Republican) is the only one now that can grant Davis clemency and commute the execution.

Today is the Global Day of Action for Troy Davis. Find an action in your community. Ask Governor Perdue to support clemency for Davis. Don’t let another black man, who may be innocent, die by the hands of our structurally racist criminal justice institution.

Posted at 12:14 PM, May 19, 2009 in Criminal Justice | Permalink | View Comments

Comments

Depressing...

Everyday I'm reading, writing or engaging with allies around issues like healthcare, education and employment. And through that work I get to be in the belly of the best, seeing the underhandedness and the twisted politics of the various systems at work. But it's situations like these that sour me, like vinegar in milk. This is an innocent man, whom despite the evidence, the media attention and groups supporting him, could be murdered by a criminal justice system hell bent on reinforcing the idea of Black men as predators. It makes me mad enough to spit fire!

Does anyone know the latest about Troy's case? I've tried searching and not finding anything.

I just found this: a group of judges & lawyers, etc wrote to urge the US supreme court to order the Georgia Supreme Court to honor his appeal. Georgia DA has stated that s/he will not schedule Troy's execution until Troy's Appeal options have been exhausted.
http://www.examiner.com/a-2026355~Judges__prosecutors_support_Troy_Davis_appeal.html

Posted by: James Macallister | May 28, 2009 5:17 PM