We've got unfinished Troy Davis business 21SEP12

TROY DAVIS was executed one year ago today. An innocent man, or at least a man who did not get a fair trial, was murdered by the state of Georgia with full approval of the American government. Too many questions remain unanswered, too many violations of police and judicial protocol have been ignored. Please join Amnesty International's request for the Justice Department into Troy Davis' case so justice will actually be served.

	I am still Troy Davis and I am still committed to taking the death penalty system down!
	Georgia -- we've got unfinished business. One year ago today, you did the unthinkable. You executed a man even though the case against him had fallen apart. You had the chance to commute his sentence to life to avoid the risk of executing someone for a crime he may not have committed, but you dashed that option. Add to that, you carried out the execution in my name. For the rest of our lives, we are left to wonder: Did Georgia kill an innocent man?   I remember the intense mix of emotions I felt on September 21, 2011. I remember the anger and horror. But most of all, I remember feeling a strong resolve come over me to take the death penalty system down! Georgia officials -- we're not letting you off the hook, but this time we're also involving the U.S. Department of Justice to give Troy Davis' case -- and others -- the scrutiny they deserve. Investigate the execution of Troy Davis and patterns of government misconduct in death penalty cases. We've been busy over the past year -- building a stronger case for why the death penalty system must be abolished. You see, all of the alarms we sounded in the case of Troy Davis -- including alleged police coercion of witnesses -- are many of the same alarms we've sounded before in other instances where people's lives are on the line. In far too many cases, death and doubt go hand-in-hand: from Troy Davis to Robert Waterhouse, who was executed in Florida on Feb. 15 of this year, despite the fact that evidence from the crime scene had been destroyed before it could be subjected to DNA analysis. Let's not forget Reggie Clemons, who is fighting for his life right now, despite the fact that the case against him was likely built on police brutality and an abusive prosecutor. That's why Amnesty International, along with the NAACP, is taking 10 well-documented capital cases, including Troy's, to the very top of the justice system -- and demanding not just answers, but accountability. Help us put the justice system in check! The death penalty is fundamentally flawed because it's fallible -- it makes mistakes. Since 1973, 140 people have been released from death row due to evidence of innocence. When the death penalty system gets it wrong, there's no going back. Guilty or innocent, the death penalty is a terrible power that shouldn't belong to government. It's okay to remember the sadness and anger we felt one year ago, but it's more important that we remember Troy's dying wish -- "to not give up the struggle for justice…to keep fighting for the other Troy Davises on death row." With your support, we intend to do just that. Keep Troy Davis' struggle for justice alive! In Solidarity, Laura Moye Death Penalty Abolition Campaign Director Amnesty International USA P.S. Please share this image with your friends and family today. Tell them all about Troy Davis.		What if he was innocent? One year ago today, the state of Georgia executed Troy Davis, despite issues of unfairness and overwhelming doubts about his guilt. Today, we’re taking our case for accountability to the top of the justice system!
© 2012 Amnesty International USA | 5 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001 | 212.807.8400

We Are All Eyewitnesses 21SEP11

DESPITE all the evidence and calls for clemency by over 800000 people from around the world, most in the U.S., Troy Davis was murdered by the state of Georgia last night. Another man, who didn't receive as much attention from the world, although he deserved it too, was murdered in Texas yesterday. The world mourns the government murder of Troy Davis. I am guilty for not being as concerned as I should have been about the execution of Lawrence Russell Brewer in Texas. He, along with Troy Davis, never deserved the death penalty. I believe the person convicted of murder should receive a life sentence without parole, and the ultimate punishment for their crime should be left to that day when they meet God face to face. Their relationsh­ip with Him will determine their fate. A Christian nation should be able to accept that. Read the article( http://www­.reuters.c­om/article­/2011/09/2­1/us-texas­-execution­-son-idUST­RE78K35B20­110921 ) about the family of James Byrd Jr, murdered by Lawrence Brewer, their forgivenes­s of him and their opposition to Brewer's execution. Then add you name to the Amnesty Internatio­nal call to end capital punishment­, the death penalty in the U.S at http://www­.kintera.o­rg/TR.asp?­a=ioJKIPNr­FgJKJZK&s=­7oJCLNPpG8­LKJXNzGqH&­m=jvLVI7MS­JnJ0KkI 
From HuffPost.....
As I write this, Troy Davis is just a few hours away from his death.
By the time you read this, he may well be gone. In just a few weeks, I fear his case, the profound problems with it and the wrong-headed rush to his execution will be fast-fading memories, as well.
At least that's the way it always happens here in Texas, where citizens like me -- like it or not -- live with death on a regular basis.
In fact, we are killing someone tonight. We often are.
About the same time Troy Davis dies in Georgia, Lawrence Russell Brewer will be led to the Texas death chamber, home of the world's busiest gurney -- prayed over, poisoned and poured into a body bag.
There is no outcry about the Brewer execution, unlike the Troy Davis case, even from people who traditionally oppose the death penalty. Governor Rick Perry received no pleas for mercy on Brewer's behalf.
Jimmy Carter hasn't said a word.
There hasn't been a peep from the Pope.
The silence seems richly deserved. Brewer was convicted in a horrifying case, the 1999 racist dragging death of James Byrd in Jasper, Texas. I covered the trial and the unremittingly cruel details of the crime were beyond imagining. Byrd was killed by three yahoos simply for the fun of it, simply because he was black, simply because they were drunk, simply because.
Now Brewer, who is unapologetic, unsympathetic, unblinkingly stupid, hateful and vile will be put to death for the same reason -- simply because.
There is no way to equate these two cases and these two men, except in the most obvious way.
Us.
We all, in the form of our flawed and illogical legal system, have chosen to kill both of them.
And as long as we insist on killing the Brewers of the world, we will keep screwing up and killing the Troy Davises, the Gary Grahams, the Karla Faye Tuckers, the Cameron Todd Willinghams and every other condemned inmate who suffered at the hands of bad science, bad police or prosecutors, bad eyewitness testimony, bad attorneys or bad luck.
Our system, too often, is as fundamentally unfair as we are -- as cruel as any one person can be, as riddled with hypocrisy, confusion and mistakes as any other human endeavor.
Tonight, as all eyes are on Georgia, as prayers are delivered and hopes are dashed, we should resolve to finally, finally do something about our addiction to execution.
If we believe in civil rights, we should abolish the death penalty because it invariably takes the lives of a disproportionate number of minorities.
If we believe in helping the poor, we should abolish the death penalty because there never have been and never will be rich folks on death row.
If we believe in human rights, we should stop dripping toxins into living human beings and carefully recording what happens next.
If we care about people with crippling personal issues, we should stop killing people who are schizophrenics, drug addicts, alcoholics or mentally disabled.
I was once interviewing the overworked chaplain at Texas's death row when a naive out of state reporter asked what the chaplain would do if "they led someone into the death chamber and inmate was clearly mentally disabled or mentally ill." He answered bluntly, "Well, dear, that happens all the time."
We are once again at a new moment in the death penalty debate when the lines are drawn so clearly that even Blind Justice can see them.
A recent GOP debate audience cheered the number of executions that Rick Perry, Texas governor and preening presidential candidate, has personally overseen. Though it should be noted, he has never bothered to witness one. He has always had better things to do, I guess, than actually watch the disturbing details of his version of justice carried out.
The Tea Party audience that whooped at Perry's world-class execution scorecard (234 that night, 236 after tonight) never asked any questions about the cases or the crimes -- the process or the police work, the makeup of the jury or the system of justice that led to those convictions.
They don't care why or how the executions happened, only that these killings made them feel better, stronger, braver.
They were just hooting and hollering exultantly over the body count.
Which, of course, makes no sense. This is the same crowd that doesn't trust government involvement in anything from HPV vaccines to safe hamburgers. Killing people? That's apparently another story.
Tonight, when two bodies are carried out of two death rows, when the hearses drive past the two crowds in Georgia and Texas -- one mourning, the other probably celebrating -- we should remember that justice is just that.
Just us.
Once again, we have all been eyewitnesses to a questionable execution.
Isn't it time we did something about it?

Victim's son objects as Texas sets execution in hate crime death 21SEP11 & Georgia killed Troy Davis 22SEP11

DESPITE all the evidence and calls for clemency by over 800000 people from around the world, most in the U.S., Troy Davis was murdered by the state of Georgia last night. Another man, who didn't receive as much attention from the world, although he deserved it too, was murdered in Texas yesterday. The world mourns the government murder of Troy Davis. I am guilty for not being as concerned as I should have been about the execution of Lawrence Russell Brewer in Texas. He, along with Troy Davis, never deserved the death penalty. I believe the person convicted of murder should receive a life sentence without parole, and the ultimate punishment for their crime should be left to that day when they meet God face to face. Their relationship with Him will determine their fate. A Christian nation should be able to accept that. Read the article about the family of James Byrd Jr, murdered by Lawrence Brewer, their forgiveness of him and their opposition to Brewer's execution. Then add you name to the Amnesty International call to end capital punishment, the death penalty, in the U.S.

Wed, Sep 21 2011

By Karen Brooks

AUSTIN, Texas 

(Reuters) - As Texas prepares to execute one of his father's killers, Ross Byrd hopes the state shows the man the mercy his father, James Byrd Jr., never got when he was dragged behind a truck to his death.
"You can't fight murder with murder," Ross Byrd, 32, told Reuters late Tuesday, the night before Wednesday's scheduled execution of Lawrence Russell Brewer for one of the most notorious hate crimes in modern times.
"Life in prison would have been fine. I know he can't hurt my daddy anymore. I wish the state would take in mind that this isn't what we want."
Brewer is scheduled to die by lethal injection after 6 p.m. local time in Huntsville, Texas.
His pending execution comes 10 years after Governor Rick Perry signed into law the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act, strengthening punishments for hate crimes.
An avowed white supremacist, Brewer, 44, was one of three white men convicted of capital murder in the kidnapping and killing of Byrd Jr., in June 1998.
John King, another white supremacist, is on death row awaiting an execution date. Shawn Berry is serving a life sentence.
Brewer would be the 11th man executed in Texas this year. In Georgia, the execution of Troy Davis, convicted of killing a police officer, is scheduled for the same night.
If both executions go forward, Brewer and Davis would be the 34th and 35th executions in the United States in 2011.
In Texas, a vigil in Huntsville began at midnight with civil rights activist Dick Gregory.
PROTESTS
Gregory has joined Ross Byrd and Martin Luther King III in the past to publicly protest Brewer's execution.
Ross Byrd, a recording artist studying for his MBA at nearby Stephen F. Austin University, said Tuesday that he wouldn't attend the execution but will "be there in spirit."
He says he doesn't want to "waste my time" watching anybody die, even a man who killed his dad.
"Life goes on," said Byrd, who has a son. "I've got responsibilities that I have every day. It's not on the front page of my mind. I'm looking for happy times."
In a crime that touched off a nationwide effort to tighten punishments for hate crimes, Brewer, King and Berry were convicted of offering Byrd Jr. a ride on his way home from a party, and then attacking him while they were standing outside the truck smoking on a country road near Jasper, Texas, according to a report by the Texas Attorney General's Office.
They beat him, and then chained his legs to the back of their pick-up and dragged him for several miles, the report said. By the time they stopped, his head and arm had been ripped off. They left his body on the country road.
Brewer maintained his innocence, saying Berry had killed Byrd Jr. by cutting his throat. But prosecutors said Brewer and King were prison buddies bent on starting a racist organization in Jasper and "intended the killing to be a signal that his (King's) racist organization was up and running."
The crime touched off a firestorm of support in Texas and the United States for laws that would enhance punishments for crimes motivated by race, religion, color, disability, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry.
The jury sentenced the three men as the nation was still reeling from a second hate crime that same year -- the October 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, beaten and left to die on a fence in Wyoming because he was gay.
'WATERSHED MOMENT'
In 2001, Texas passed its hate crimes bill named after Byrd Jr., and its symbolic signing by Perry was a "watershed moment" in Texas and one of Perry's "finest moments in office," said Texas state Senator Rodney Ellis, a Houston Democrat, who helped move the bill through the Texas Senate in spite of staunch Republican opposition.
Eight years later, President Obama signed into law a similar federal bill named after Byrd Jr. and Shepard.
"James Byrd's murder certainly changed Texas and, in many ways, the nation," Ellis told Reuters.
"It was a wake-up call that evil and hate, while no longer considered mainstream views, are more prevalent and virulent than we pretend."
Ellis said the death sentence in Brewer's case "will close a chapter in this tragic story."
"I cannot say for certain that it is a requirement in order for justice to be served but, as Mr. Brewer was a ringleader in the most brutal hate crime in the post-Civil Rights era, it is certainly a very appropriate sentence," he said.
Unlike Byrd's children and wife, all of whom oppose the use of the death penalty against his killers, other family members have been supportive of it.
"I'm not down on them at all for the fact that they support the death penalty," said David Atwood, a good friend of Ross Byrd's and founder of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. "They've gone through a traumatic experience, and there's a history in our country of horrible things happening to African Americans, so it's understandable that a number of them would say finally we're getting some justice."
He called Ross Byrd's stand "powerful."
Byrd says the execution of Brewer is simply another expression of the hate shown toward his father on that dark night in 1998. Everybody, he said, including the government, should choose not to continue that cycle.
"Everybody's in that position," he said. "And I hope they will stand back and look at it before they go down that road of hate. Like Ghandi said, an eye for an eye, and the whole world will go blind."
(Editing by Jerry Norton)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/21/us-texas-execution-son-idUSTRE78K35B20110921 

	The state of Georgia has executed Troy Anthony Davis.
	Dear Craig, I've been down here at death row, and we just heard the horrific news. After a torturous delay of more than 4 hours, the state of Georgia has just killed Troy Anthony Davis. My heart is heavy. I am sad and angry. The state of Georgia has proven what we already know. Governments cannot be trusted with the awful power over life and death. Today, Georgia didn't just kill Troy Davis, they killed the faith and confidence that many Georgians, Americans and Troy Davis supporters worldwide used to have in our criminal justice system. Wende, on our Abolish the Death Penalty Campaign team, met with Troy Davis yesterday to convey the support that he has had from all of you. He asked us to deliver this message back to you: "The struggle for justice doesn't end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davises who came before me and all the ones who will come after me. I'm in good spirits and I'm prayerful and at peace." Let's take a moment to honor the life of Troy Davis and Mark MacPhail. Then, let's take all of our difficult feelings and re-double our commitment to abolition of the death penalty. Please pledge to continue this fight because it is far from over. This Friday at 7 pm EST, please join us for a special call to discuss Troy Davis' case, what your work means for the death penalty abolition movement as a whole and what we can do next. I am Troy Davis. You are Troy Davis. We will not stop fighting for justice. Thank you for everything you have done to make your voice heard. In Solidarity, Laura Moye Director, Death Penalty Abolition Campaign Amnesty International USA		Not in my name The state of Georgia may have taken one life tonight, but they cannot stop our struggle for all the Troy Davises of the world.
© 2011 Amnesty International USA | 5 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001 | 212.807.8400

Standing in Solidarity with Troy Davis from THE ACLU 16SEP11

AN update on the actions to stop the execution of Troy Davis on Wednesday 21SEP11. You can still sign the petition to Chatham County D.A. Larry Chisolm to ask the judge to reverse his sentence here 
http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/chisolm?referring_akid=2226.1239195.jlHXBz&source=taf 
This from the ACLU....

Next week, the state of Georgia plans to execute Troy Davis despite lingering doubts about his guilt. Today is a Global Day of Solidarity when people all over the world stand together to proclaim that there is too much doubt to execute Troy Davis. Davis finds himself facing death for the fourth time on Wednesday, September 21.
But this execution date is different. This time, Troy has no pending appeals and nothing new to file; it's the end of the line. Only five people can stop the execution: the members of the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles. You can still urge them to act.
Yesterday, activists delivered to the Board over 650,000 signatures -- including 40,000 by local Georgians -- from petitions created all over the world, calling on the Board to stop the execution. Add to that more than 200,000 signers from Change.org and thousands of other online action alerts, emails, letters, faxes and phone calls, and nearly one million people have taken a stand for Troy Davis.
One of those million is Bob Barr, the former prosecutor, Georgia Attorney General, and congressional Representative who nicely articulated the Parole Board's dilemma. So is William Sessions, another conservative Georgia native who used to serve as Director of the FBI.
According to these pro-death penalty prosecutors, Troy was required to prove his own innocence — an impossibly high burden. In 2010, the judge acknowledged the presence of doubt in Troy's guilt and called the case "not ironclad," but said this doubt is insufficient to stop the execution — at least for the courts.
The Board of Pardons and Paroles, on the other hand, is not bound by the same legal standard. They exist as a stopgap between legal procedures and exactly this kind of grave injustice. They pledged in 2007 never to allow an execution unless they were "convinced that there is no doubt as to the guilt of the accused."
Today, all over the world people will be chanting "I Am Troy Davis," the mantra that has run through the heart of the movement to save his life. "I Am Troy Davis" is a statement of solidarity, an affirmation that when one innocent man's life is taken by the state, we are all victims of injustice.
I'll arrive in Atlanta tomorrow to join the activists there doing everything possible to urge the Board of Pardons and Paroles to stop the execution. The clemency hearing is on Monday, and, if they decline to act, the execution is scheduled for Wednesday.
I'll be posting regular blogs, so check back here for my updates from Georgia and follow my live tweets of what's happening at @ACLU.
Learn more about Troy Davis: Sign up for breaking news alerts, follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.

ANOTHER WAY TO HELP TROY DAVIS AND STOP HIS EXECUTION ON 21SEP11

ANOTHER WAY TO HELP SAVE TROY DAVIS.....PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION TO CHATHAM COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LARRY CHISOLM AND SHARE WITH ALL YOU CAN.

"The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; [the Lord] upholds the orphan and the widow." - Psalm 146:7-9

"Allowing our government to kill citizens compromises the deepest moral values upon which this country was conceived: the inviolable dignity of human persons." - Helen Prejean C.S.J.

Call on Chatham County District Attorney Larry Chisolm to help stop Troy's execution. Click the button to automatically sign the petition: "Based on the major, persistent doubts about his guilt, I call on you to seek a withdrawal of the death warrant against Troy Davis and to support clemency in his case."

There could be one more avenue to help save Troy Davis from execution on Wednesday September 21 — but to take advantage of it, we need you to speak out now, and ask your friends and family to take action as well.

We've learned that Chatham County District Attorney Larry Chisolm, who asked a judge to issue Troy's death warrant, can also ask the judge to take it back. This move would be a game-changer — but it'll only happen if he feels more pressure from us to do the right thing than he feels from all those in Savannah calling for Troy's death.

Click the link below to automatically sign the petition to District Attorney Larry Chisolm, which reads:

"Based on the major, persistent doubts about his guilt, I call on you to seek a withdrawal of the death warrant against Troy Davis and to support clemency in his case."

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/chisolm

Thank you for continuing to fight for Troy. We'll keep you up to date with ways to make an impact.

Thanks and Peace,

-- Rashad, James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
   September 16th, 2011

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU--your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don't share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/donate

--

Troy Davis Execution: Former FBI Chief William S. Sessions Calls On Georgia To Stay Order 15SEP11

WE have 6 days to stop the execution of Troy Davis. More and more people with influence, like William Sessions and Bob Barr r GA realize this execution will be murder by the state of Georgia and are calling on the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute his sentence. We can only hope and pray the people serving on the board will hear all our pleas and will take the right action and stop this execution. This from HuffPost.....
The execution of Troy Davis, a Georgia death row inmate scheduled to die in less than a week, should be halted because of "pervasive, persistent doubts" about his guilt, said William S. Sessions, a former federal district judge in Texas and FBI director under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, in a sharply-worded editorial on Thursday.
"Serious questions about Mr. Davis' guilt, highlighted by witness recantations, allegations of police coercion, and a lack of relevant physical evidence, continue to plague his conviction," Sessions wrote. He urged a state pardons board to commute the sentence to life in prison.
The unusual plea from Sessions, which appears in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is the latest high-profile call for clemency for Davis, whose looming execution has become a lightning rod for national and international criticism. Among those who have called for a halt to the execution, scheduled for Sept. 21 at 7 p.m., are Pope Benedict XVI, former President Jimmy Carter and the leadership of the NAACP and Amnesty International.
Davis, 42, was convicted of murdering Mark MacPhail, an off-duty Savannah police officer shot to death while coming to the aid of a homeless man being assaulted in a parking lot in the early morning of Aug.19, 1989. The murder weapon was never recovered and no physical evidence was found linking Davis to the crime, and he has always maintained that another man at the scene was responsible for the shooting.
Since the original trial in 1991, seven of nine prosecution witnesses that linked Davis to the shooting have either recanted or materially altered the stories they told the jury, but Davis' attempts to secure a retrial have been persistently rebuffed by state and federal courts.
In an extraordinary hearing in June 2010 ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court, Davis' attorneys were finally allowed to present evidence of his innocence to a federal judge. In statement after statement, witnesses from the original trial avowed that they had been coerced by police to implicate Davis in the shooting or had lied in order to secure lenience for their own troubles with the law.
"I am not proud for lying at Troy's trial, but the police had me so messed up that I felt that's all I could do or else I would go to jail," one key eyewitness told Davis' attorneys in an affidavit.

Legal experts familiar with the case said the recantations and allegations of police coercion badly undermined the state's case against Davis.
"The record is shredded," said Russell Covey, a law professor at Georgia State University. "What was presented to that jury is no longer valid evidence."
But the judge overseeing the hearing, William T. Moore Jr., decided that in order to overturn the original jury verdict, Davis needed not only to cast doubt on the evidence against him, but to provide "clear and compelling" proof of his innocence. In an August 2010 ruling dismissing Davis' appeal, he declared that while the state's case "may not be ironclad," Davis failed to make a showing of "actual innocence" and thus should not be granted a new trial. The evidentiary hearing was the first such legal proceeding in more than 50 years.
"A federal court simply cannot interpose itself and set aside a jury verdict in this case absent a truly persuasive showing of innocence," Moore wrote. "To act contrarily would wreak complete havoc on the criminal justice system."
The decision was welcomed by state prosecutors and family members of MacPhail, the murdered police officer. But some legal experts said the judge had set the bar for a retrial far too high and had overlooked the weakness of the state's original case against Davis.
At the original trial, for instance, several eyewitnesses that prosecutors used to identify Davis as the shooter had actually seen pictures identifying him as a suspect before being asked to select the shooter from an array of photos, according to Moore's 172-page decision. Another key eyewitness originally told police that he had not seen the shooter's face; at the trial, two years later, he told the jury he was confident Davis was the killer.
This August, the New Jersey Supreme Court issued a landmark decision setting new strict rules on eyewitness identifications. Under the rules, judges must inform jurors of factors that may be responsible for the misidentification of a suspect. Such misidentifications have been linked to numerous false convictions.
"The identifications are really incredibly tainted," said Anne Emanuel, a death penalty expert and law professor at Georgia State University.
Emanuel also noted the prosecutors' reliance on two hearsay confessions at the original trial, including one allegedly given by Davis to a cellmate shortly after his arrest. Both confessions were later recanted by the witnesses in affidavits.
"At the original trial, you've got very dubious eyewitness identifications and a lot of hearsay," Emanuel said. "It's appalling for a death case."
But after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a new appeal in March, Davis’ state and federal appeals are essentially exhausted. His last chance for clemency is now in the hands of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles.
The board granted a stay of execution to Davis in 2007, showing a willingness to hear evidence of his innocence. But in 2008, the board voted to deny a second request for clemency without comment.
The board, now comprised of several new members, has granted clemency only three time since 1991, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
Bob Barr, a former federal prosecutor and four-term Republican congressman from Georgia, urged the board to grant clemency for Davis in an editorial published in the Savannah Morning News on Wednesday.
In 2007, the five-member board pledged that “it will not allow an execution to proceed in this state unless and until its members are convinced there is no doubt as to the guilt of the accused,” Barr noted in the editorial.
“I am a longtime supporter of the death penalty. I make no judgment as to whether Davis is guilty or innocent. And surely the citizens of Savannah and the state of Georgia want justice served on behalf of Officer MacPhail,” Barr wrote. “But imposing an irreversible sentence of death on the skimpiest of evidence will not serve the interest of justice.”

Urgent: Troy Davis to be executed September 21 8SEP11

THE execution of Troy Davis will be murder by the state of Georgia. Please donate to PR campaign if you can to help generate enough public opposition against his execution that the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole will stop it. For more information on his case see my earlier post on this blog "VIDEO: SEPTEMBER EXECUTION DATE FOR TROY DAVIS?" 26AUG11 and "URGENT: SAVE TROY DAVIS' LIFE" 20APR11.

Despite major questions about his guilt, Georgia just scheduled an execution date for Troy Davis. Everyone in Georgia needs to know about this injustice. Help us tell Troy's story:

The day we’ve dreaded is finally here. On Tuesday, a Georgia judge issued a death warrant for Troy Davis. It shocks the conscience, but despite all the doubt hanging over the case — all the evidence that Troy is likely innocent — Troy is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection as soon as September 21.¹

At this point, the last body capable of stopping the execution is the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole. There’s no doubt that we need to keep them in the national spotlight to help save Troy’s life. But the Pardon Board will likely be most swayed by the voices of Georgia citizens, many of whom either aren't aware of Troy’s story or haven't been asked to speak out.

In the coming weeks, we will buy ads that will reach thousands of Georgia residents and create a critical new level of scrutiny on the Pardon Board's actions — but we need to raise at least $10,000 to buy enough space for our message to make a difference. Can you chip in $10, $20, or $50 to help save Troy Davis’ life?

https://act.colorofchange.org/donate/troydavis

The same judge who rejected Troy’s innocence claims in a hearing last year conceded that the case against Troy is not “ironclad.” But ironclad is exactly what the case should be in order to put someone to death.

When the case isn’t totally solid, the process is prone to human error, and innocent people may die. That’s what evidence suggests happened to Cameron Todd Willingham, a Texas man who was sentenced to die after being accused of starting a fire that killed his children. A new review of the evidence used to convict him shows that Willingham was executed despite overwhelming evidence that he was convicted on false pretenses. But now it’s too late to do anything about it.²

It will take all of our combined efforts to make sure Troy Davis isn’t the next Cameron Willingham. It starts with a donation of whatever you can afford.

https://act.colorofchange.org/donate/troydavis

Thanks and Peace,

-- Rashad, James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
   September 8th, 2011

References:

1. "Order Signed for Sept. Execution of Troy Davis," ABCNews.com, 9-7-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/957?akid=2181.1239195.Ho5AJF&t=6

2. "The Haunting of Rick Perry," The New York Times, 6-22-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/958?akid=2181.1239195.Ho5AJF&t=8

--

VIDEO: September execution date for Troy Davis? from AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL 26AUG11

I have always been against the death penalty. Yes, some people commit heinous, brutal crimes taking the life of another person. But I have always believed that when it comes to the death penalty the convicted person should be sentenced to life without parole, and when they die God will decide if they are to be punished. I am not without sin and so can never judge a person and sentence them to death. IT would seem the state of Georgia is going to execute a possibly innocent man. Troy Davis' trial and conviction and death sentence seem to be based on poor evidence, coerced witnesses and a biased trial, and the state of Georgia Pardons and Parole Board needs to stop the execution of Troy Davis and grant him a new jury trial if there is enough credible evidence to justify it, and if not then set him free and find the real killer of Officer Mark MacPhail. Even the widow of Officer MacPhail doubts Troy Davis' guilt. Watch these videos from Amnesty International, and share with family, friends, everyone....Go to http://www.justicefortroy.org for more information and please e mail Pres Obama and ask him to pardon Troy Davis before Georgia executes him here http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

	"This person could die for something they didn't do." - Human rights attorney
	As early as September, we're bracing ourselves for the worst - another execution date for Troy Davis. In March of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court, despite having ordered a special hearing, flat-out refused to hear Davis' appeal! That decision has led us to this very moment when we wait for Georgia authorities to set an execution date. Make no mistake about it - we're in the calm before the storm. Over the years, the case of Troy Davis has inspired so many of us to take action. It is a painfully clear example of the many flaws of the death penalty. Serious doubts about guilt have persisted, yet many people have still not heard about this incredible case more fit for a legal thriller than reality: A flawed investigation, alleged witness coercion, police "tunnel vision", flimsy evidence, and a clumsy legal system that cannot seem to do the right thing. Before an execution date is announced, please help us educate more people about the doubts that plague the Troy Davis case. The more people who learn about this injustice, the more who will join us in fighting it. 1) Watch and share this video with everyone you know 2) Sign up to help educate others about Troy Davis: Remember: An execution date may be inevitable, but execution is not. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles will soon hold Troy Davis' life in their hands - quite literally. The have said that they will not allow an execution to proceed unless there is “no doubt” about guilt. We will hold them to this statement. There is just too much doubt in this case, and too many questions that have not been answered. Things may move quickly in September, and we'll keep you posted as events unfold. Stand ready to act! In Hope and Solidarity, Laura Moye Director, Death Penalty Abolition Campaign Amnesty International USA  Share this action:
© 2011 Amnesty International USA | 5 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001 | 212.807.840

Urgent: Save Troy Davis' life 20APR11

HERE is a thought appropriate for this Easter season....God didn't take revenge on the world when Christ, His Son, was executed, he showed mercy and grace. Shouldn't we try to do the same? I am against the death penalty, and if Troy Davis is executed, in spite of all the doubt about his trial and conviction, it may turn out that Georgia will have executed an innocent man. Please sign the petition to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole to save his life. 

Troy Davis is about to be executed -- even though he may be innocent. Tell Georgia to spare Troy Davis' life.

In 1991, Troy Davis was convicted of murdering a white police officer. Though there's major evidence that Davis didn't commit the crime, Georgia is prepared to put him to death. We have a good chance of stopping this -- but only if we speak up now.

The fact is, no physical evidence connected Davis to the murder. Seven of the original nine witnesses have recanted, with many saying their testimony was a result of law enforcement pressure. Of the remaining witnesses, one is highly suspect and the other could be the actual culprit in the officer's murder.

Now, despite these and other facts, the state of Georgia has taken the first steps toward Davis' execution -- and only the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole stands between Davis and the lethal injection chamber.

Georgia may be about to kill an innocent man. That's not justice. Please ask the Georgia Parole Board to spare Troy Davis' life, before it's too late -- and it's critical that you ask others to do the same:

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/troy/

Since Troy Davis' 1991 conviction, numerous facts have emerged that introduce significant doubt as to his guilt. These facts include:

• All but two of the original witnesses against Troy Davis have signed affidavits recanting their earlier testimony. Most claim that their testimony was coerced by police officers.¹
• Multiple witnesses say that another man -- one of the original witnesses against Davis -- has claimed to have slain the fallen officer.²
• The weapon used in the murder was never found. The only physical evidence connecting Davis to the crime was indirect, circumstantial -- and new testimony disputes Davis's connection to that evidence.³

In light of this evidence, the Supreme Court granted Davis another chance. But instead of an actual new trial before a jury, which would mean the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt is on the prosecutor, he got an evidentiary hearing before a single federal judge where Davis' lawyers had the burden to meet an impossibly high and undefined legal standard.

In light of this, it was sad -- but no surprise -- when the judge rejected the new evidence and cleared the way for Davis' execution. However, even he acknowledged lingering doubt, noting that the case against Davis was not "ironclad."

But "ironclad" is exactly what the evidence should be in order to put someone to death. If the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole doesn't act to stop Davis' execution, they'll run a serious risk of putting an innocent man to death. That is not acceptable.

Please join us, along with our partners at Amnesty International and the NAACP, in asking the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole to save Troy Davis' life by commuting his sentence to life in prison. And when you do, please ask your friends and family to do the same.

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/troy/

Thanks and Peace,

-- James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
   April 20th, 2011

References:

1. “Troy Davis – Finality over Fairness,” Amnesty International USA
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/808?akid=1957.1239195.ln6X4R&t=7

2. See Reference 1

3. See Reference 1