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7 Witnesses Say Police Made Them Lie to help carry out Georgia’s Racist Killing: Now, Only Obama can Stop this Murder — by NormanB (“Deviations from the Norm”)
Urge President Obama to Halt Georgia’s Racist killing of Troy Davis. Seven witnesses against Davis said that they actually knew nothing about the crime, but that Police had intimidated them to falsely incriminate Troy Davis. No physical evidence ties Mr. Davis to the crime. Please, everyone who opposes Racist Premeditated Murder, call President Obama at 202-456-1111, and urge him to halt the Execution. –NB
Please call now, and on Friday. It’s not a very long wait on the phone. (The people working the White House telephones are volunteers, so take it easy on them.)
Friday is the National Day of Action on this case, with the Racist killing scheduled for next Wednesday, September 21, 2011. Though Friday is the Day of Action, many college students have no classes on Fridays, so, if you can, please get out to your local colleges and universities today and tomorrow, and place fliers to inform the students. Very large print, and bold where appropriate. You can use the wording of this article’s first paragraph if you want. Post it on your facebook page too, and email it to friends. Call people to tell them about it.
A man’s life is at stake. None of the Police who committed heinous crimes in this case has been charged with anything: Not Falsification of Evidence, not Obstruction of Justice, not what it is: The Hate Crime of Racist Attempted Murder. Of course, President Obama can theoretically make points with the far Right by letting the killing proceed. But he can stop it. Yes he can!
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Today I am writing to ask you to act. We have less than two weeks. There is simply too much doubt in this case to let the execution proceed. Here’s what you can do:
Background on the case:
Executing an innocent person is unconscionable. Troy Davis’ case started off shaky and has only deteriorated since. His 1991 murder conviction was based on the testimony of nine “eyewitnesses” – seven of whom have since recanted or contradicted their testimony. Many have stated in sworn affidavits that they were pressured or coerced into signing statements. Here’s an example of what one of them had to say: “I told them I didn’t know anything about who shot the officer, but they kept questioning me. I was real young at that time and here they were questioning me about the murder of a police officer like I was in trouble or something. I was scared… [I]t seemed like they wouldn’t stop questioning me until I told them what they wanted to hear. So I did. I signed a statement saying that Troy told me that he shot the cop.” No physical evidence connects Davis to the crime. It is a case based on a collapsed house of cards. Enough doubt for you? Then please take one or more of these actions today! Thank you for everything you are doing to prevent what could be a terrible miscarriage of justice.
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Here’s the petition, and more info:
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/1972/p/dia/action/public/?&action_KEY=7115
http://ejusa.org/newsline/article/2011/08/03/stop-execution-troy-davis
http://www.sheldensays.com/troy_davis_case.htm
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/georgia-sets-execution-date-troy-davis-2011-09-08
Petition for Religious Leaders to halt the execution of Troy Davis: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1576/p/salsa/web/tellafriend/public/?tell_a_friend_KEY=9476
Petion for Legal Professionals to halt the execution of Troy Davis: http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/site/c.jhKPIXPCIoE/b.6696673/k.602/Legal_Professionals_Troy_Davis_needs_you/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=6696673&en=6pJBKLMnF5LKKVOqG4JGJXOHLjLOKZOCJmJMLWPIJtE
Videos on the Troy Davis case: http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/cases/usa-troy-davis/watch-videos-examining-the-troy-davis-case
12 Comments
Here’s the petition, and more info:
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/1972/p/dia/action/public/?&action_KEY=7115
http://ejusa.org/newsline/article/2011/08/03/stop-execution-troy-davis
http://www.sheldensays.com/troy_davis_case.htm
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/georgia-sets-execution-date-troy-davis-2011-09-08
Petition for Religious Leaders to halt the execution of Troy Davis: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1576/p/salsa/web/tellafriend/public/?tell_a_friend_KEY=9476
Petion for Legal Professionals to halt the execution of Troy Davis: http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/site/c.jhKPIXPCIoE/b.6696673/k.602/Legal_Professionals_Troy_Davis_needs_you/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=6696673&en=6pJBKLMnF5LKKVOqG4JGJXOHLjLOKZOCJmJMLWPIJtE
Videos on the Troy Davis case: http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/cases/usa-troy-davis/watch-videos-examining-the-troy-davis-case
recc’d tweeted, prayer said, will call today, watching the trailers, Facebooked, thank you. Tragic situation here.
#JusticeForTroy
Coerced eyewitness false testimony.
Recantations.
Snitch testimony.
Ignoring witness testimony inculpating another suspect.
All the elements of a wrongful conviction here.
Many questions.
Why will they kill this man? I mean it. Why will they kill this man anyway, with so much doubt, with so many recantations, and no solid evidence whatsoever.
Oh I get it. (watching clip 4.) He’s black. And poor. So the fact that he is innocent doesn’t make any difference. Is that it?
There’s a tradition in the South of having nicknames for the execution devices. There’s a tradition of ridiculing minority individuals as they die, either by hanging or by “Old Sparky.” There’s a tradition that Klansmen are Police and vice versa.
Old photos of lynchings show the children enjoying it. Note the Children’s folk song to the tune of “Oscar Meyer Weiner”:
“Oh, I wish I were a Georgia state policeman,
That is what I’d truly like to be-e-e,
‘Cause if I were a Georgia state police man,
I could kill a ——- legally.”
Georgia is a fascist state, always has been. I was born and raised there. A couple years ago I went back to Georgia after 30 years living in California and New England, expecting to see the “new south” that I had heard about. No such place exists. In fact the south today is probably more ignorant and bigoted than ever as a result of the mainstreaming of ignorance and hatred by the GOP Teabag crowd. The killing of innocent people of color and the ability of the supposedly good people to turn away their eyes and pretend they don’t see, is a southern tradition, and a lot of Georgians are dam proud of it.
Moving to the South from the Pacific Northwest was a wake-up call for me as well. Racism is alive and well. I was, and continue to be, shocked.
normanb: Do you have any links to the Troy Davis case opinions? The Georgia Supreme Court site is asking for a docket number.
Gonna try google…
Well, unfortunately, I don’t think there is much the President can do in this case.
First, the Presidents pardon power is limited to “crimes committed against the Unites States.” That means federal crimes. And excludes state ones.
A state crime like a murder, seems to be outside it. And there are court cases to that effect.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS20829.pdf
Unless Mr. Davis is charged with a federal crime, I don’t think there is anything the President can do. Only Georgia’s governor has that authority.
The passion on this subject is heartening. The outcome will be heartbreaking. But there simply isn’t anything Obama can do here.
There is something the leader of our country can do.
The President can send in Federal troops to stop Racist Atrocities.
normanb: Get Real!
Remember that comment Obama made about the cop being “stupid” for arresting his friend Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr. in his own home?
The right wing scared him to the point that he had to call a “Beer Summit” to get the racist off his ass. Obama is not the type of man who would stick his neck out for some one else, let alone a Black man in the deep south on death roll.