A message from Troy Davis, an innocent man who is scheduled to be put to death by the racist state of Georgia tonight. His last appeals for clemency seem to have been denied.
"To All:
I want to thank all of you for your efforts and dedication to Human Rights and Human Kindness, in the past year I have experienced such emotion, joy, sadness and never ending faith. It is because of all of you that I am alive today, as I look at my sister Martina I am marveled by the love she has for me and of course I worry about her and her health, but as she tells me she is the eldest and she will not back down from this fight to save my life and prove to the world that I am innocent of this terrible crime.
As I look at my mail from across the globe, from places I have never ever dreamed I would know about and people speaking languages and expressing cultures and religions I could only hope to one day see first hand. I am humbled by the emotion that fills my heart with overwhelming, overflowing Joy. I can’t even explain the insurgence of emotion I feel when I try to express the strength I draw from you all, it compounds my faith and it shows me yet again that this is not a case about the death penalty, this is not a case about Troy Davis, this is a case about Justice and the Human Spirit to see Justice prevail.
I cannot answer all of your letters but I do read them all, I cannot see you all but I can imagine your faces, I cannot hear you speak but your letters take me to the far reaches of the world, I cannot touch you physically but I feel your warmth everyday I exist.
So Thank you and remember I am in a place where execution can only destroy your physical form but because of my faith in God, my family and all of you I have been spiritually free for some time and no matter what happens in the days, weeks to come, this Movement to end the death penalty, to seek true justice, to expose a system that fails to protect the innocent must be accelerated. There are so many more Troy Davis’. This fight to end the death penalty is not won or lost through me but through our strength to move forward and save every innocent person in captivity around the globe. We need to dismantle this Unjust system city by city, state by state and country by country.
I can’t wait to Stand with you, no matter if that is in physical or spiritual form, I will one day be announcing,
“I AM TROY DAVIS, and I AM FREE!”
Never Stop Fighting for Justice and We will Win!
What a tragedy. My heart goes out to Troy Davis's family. Once again, the true nature of justice in America reveals itself.
From Soa-watch, via Kasama
UPDATE: As of 10:20 pm the execution has been temporarily stayed while it is reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
CODA: Alas, my update was just a moment too soon. After the Supreme Court refused to stay the execution, Troy Davis was murdered by the government of Georgia just after 11pm this evening. Rest in peace. Jesus wept.
i recall hearing this name before, but i remember nothing about it. hmmm...
ReplyDeletewhat makes you so sure that he is innocent? i'm genuinely curious, since you tend to be a skeptic and i know nothing about the case.
innocent or not, thoughts for his family. it is a tragedy to lose a loved one.
Here's some links on the story:
ReplyDeletehttp://colorofchange.org/
http://troyanthonydavis.org/
http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/cases/usa-troy-davis
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/21/troy-davis-case-appeal-execution_n_973471.html
When ever there is a shadow of doubt, we must err on the side of life.
ReplyDeleteDeath serves no purpose save being vindictive. It is also irretrievable.
Exactly Annie.
ReplyDeleteTroy Davis was just murdered by the state of Georgia.
ReplyDelete"He has had ample time to prove his innocence," said MacPhail's widow, Joan MacPhail-Harris. "And he is not innocent."
ReplyDeletethat is the best part, i think. it's from the huffington article. when people recant testimony and when new witnesses come forward, it should be an immediate matter of routine to hold a new trial or something of that nature. sure, he had ample time, and he did plenty with it, but he was blocked every step of the way. i've had ample time to learn to transform into a zebra, but saying it's my fault for not doing it is stupid.
what a sad case.
(my captcha code for this entry is 'wings.' how spiritual!)
From The Killing of Troy Davis by Will Wilkerson :
ReplyDeletehttp://bigthink.com/ideas/40312
"The point, I would submit, is to enforce and reinforce not only the good rules of liberal order, but also the humane ethos of liberal civilization. We punish to deter. We punish to acknowledge the harm brought to the victim, to their loved ones, to their community. We punish to shame and to publicly dishonor the criminal. But the way we do it should embody ideals of humanity, magnanimity, and improvement. Punishment thus should be as light as is consistent with the requirements of security and harmonious society. We must learn, against the grain of our vengeful retributive instincts, to find satisfaction in justice that leaves the thief with his hands, the murderer with his life."