UPDATE!!!!!!
U.S. SUPERME COURT STAYS GEORGIA EXECUTION
this just in from Laura Kagel at Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty:
We will know on Monday whether the Supreme Court will hear his appeal or if the execution will go forward. Check www.gfadp.org and www.troyanthonydavis.org for updates.
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many of you may have read my recent post entitled forensic innocence in which i brought to your attention the number of individuals currently caught in the tangled web of the united states justice/correctional system that not only continue to proclaim their innocence,, but who could be,, and are being,, exonerated due to the presence of forensic evidence that will in fact prove that they are innocent of the crimes that they have been wrongfully convicted of by our faulty/over zealous judicial system….
today i would like to bring your attention to a case in which unfortunately,, no such forensic evidence is available.. that of troy anthony davis, a black man,, convicted of killing a white police officer seventeen years ago in savannah, georgia… there was no physical evidence brought to light in the trial.. none.. thus the unavailability of forensic evidence to prove or deny his innocence at this late date… mr davis was convicted, strictly on what has come to be know as “eyewitness testimony”.. to date 7 of the 9 non corrections witnesses for the prosecution,, have recanted their testimony,, many stating “in sworn affidavits that they were pressured or coerced by police into testifying or signing statements against Troy Davis.”
and yet he is scheduled for execution today at 7PM eastern…. “how could that be???” you ask yourself.. (and if you are not,, i highly suggest you should be…)
rethabile masilo, the author of one of my favorite poetry (and much much more!!!!) sites on the web, poefrica,, brought this insanity to my attention just this morning.. he suggested that we write what has commonly come to be known as an american sentence a (17 syllable (often political) statement) “for troy, or about the failure of the justice system in the United States, and post it today on your blog. It may not save Troy from death, but it may raise some awareness about what is wrong with the picture of people dying for no reason.” he also sited numerous links to sites that have written posts in the recent past trying to bring troys case to the fore of the public consciousness…
as i read thru all of the posts i could not help but remember the immortal words spoken first by Martin Niemöller, in his poem, “first they came….”
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -
because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak for me.
i for one, am truly ashamed i was unaware of this case until today.. i find my ignorance unacceptable.. i might not be able to do more today,, or more for troy,, but i am going to spend some real time over the course of the next few days reading and assimilating information on the subject of wrongful death in the american justice system.. i can no longer deny the kinship i feel to those men and woman that stand wrongfully accused.. the time has come for me to get involved..
i believe the only real entitlement we as humans can lay claim to at birth,, is a little something called common sense.. and as i employ mine,, it becomes increasingly impossible for me not to realize that given the right set of circumstances,, it could (and very well might some day) be me,, for which they come…..
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my american sentance entitled, a fair trial…. is now available on just paisley……
