Susan Sarandon: "Stop the Execution of Troy Davis"

On September 23rd at 7pm Troy Davis is set to be executed by lethal injection by the State of Georgia. He maintains his innocence in the 1989 murder of police officer Mark Allen MacPhail.
Davis was convicted on August 19, 1989. Since then several major witnesses recanted their testimony. Their statements were the crux of the prosecutorial evidence used to convict Davis, since no other significant evidence such as a murder weapon, DNA or fingerprints were found.

The quest to save Troy Davis has received worldwide attention. Pleas from important and respected leaders such as Pope Benedict XVI, former president Jimmy Carter and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Desmond Tutu have been heard. His pleas for clemency have been turned down twice by the Georgia State Pardons and Parole Board. Amnesty International conducted an extensive examination of the case, documenting the many recantations, inconsistencies, contradictions and unanswered questions. Its report on the case drew widespread attention, both in the U.S. and overseas.

Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and the NAACP said they are planning a rally at 11 a.m. on September 22nd in front of the State Capitol to urge the Supreme Court to stay the execution of Davis. What might be too little too late, the United States Supreme Court will hear an appeal on September 29th.

Actor/Activist Susan Sarandon in a recent letter she wrote to the Georgia State Board of Pardon and Parole stated

"Despite mounting evidence that Davis may be in fact be innocent of the crime, appeals to the courts to consider this evidence have been repeatedly denied for procedural reasons. Instead, the prosecution based its case on the testimony of purported "witnesses," many of who allege police coercion and most of whom have since recanted their testimony. One witness signed a police statement declaring that Davis was the assailant then later said "I did not read it because I cannot read." In another case a witness stated that the police "were telling me that I was an accessory to murder and that I would...go to jail for a long time and I would be lucky if I ever got out, especially because a police officer got killed...I was only sixteen and was so scared of going to jail." There are also several witnesses who have implicated another man in the crime but the police focused their efforts on convicting Troy.

It is deeply troubling that Georgia might proceed with this execution given the strong claims of innocence in this case. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that our criminal justice system is not devoid of error and we now know that since 1973, 129 individuals have been released from death rows across the United States due to wrongful conviction. We must confront the unalterable fact that the system of capital punishment is fallible, given that it is administered to demonstrate your strong commitment to fairness and justice and commute the death sentence of Troy Anthony Davis."
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely, Susan Sarandon

Even family members of those who were violently murdered speak out against the execution of Troy Davis. Derrel Myers, a bereaved father who lost Jojo, his 23 year old son, speaks eloquently about his son's death and how he came to terms with it in a interview on Raising Sand Radio

You can protest this travesty of justice by calling the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles to reconsider its clemency decision, telephone board chair Gale Buckner at 404-657-9350, or Georgia Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker at 404-656-3300.

More information on the case can be found at www.gfadp.org and www.troyanthonydavis.org. Please support the Campaign to End the Death Penalty Martina Correia, sister and advocate of Troy Davis is scheduled to speak at the Critical Resistance Conference in Oakland on September 27, 2008

Follow Anthony Papa on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Anthony Papa

Comments

[Mark Allen MacPhail]

This man was found guilty of murder after a trial. He was sentenced to death. Now that his time has come to answer for what he did you want to try him in the media? This is BS. how about if all my fellow officers, judges, DA's and justices just decide to call it quits and let all of you liberals handle the trials??? It would be somewhat like living in detroit or DC with no protection.

Somebody killed an innocent police officer, the court said it was this loser. Now, if Susan S or Al shaprton want to take his place in the death chamber that would be fine, but he is GUILTY so lets put this worthless dog down before he gets even fatter and then claims he is too obese to execute!

Rest in Peace
MAP

[ThinkerBelle]

Like Druyan, I found out about this on NPR yesterday. This has also hit me extremely hard. I can't explain why but it has. Maybe it's because Troy and I are about the same age. Maybe it's because I lived in Savannah for 10 years and can easily understand the biggotry that lead to his (IMO) wrongful conviction. Maybe it's because I think of all the things I've done while he's been on death row. I've been crying for the past three hours at work while I obsessively check for notice of a stay or commute. This makes me want to do anything I possibly can to make sure this never happens again. I don't know what I can possibly do but I couldn't live with myself if I don't try to do something.
My prayers go to Troy and his family. You all have fought so couragously and with such dignity.
May god forgive those who have decided to make his decisions for him. And may they never be accused of a crime they did not commit.

[Druyan]

I first learned about Troy Davis this morning on NPR. I have been emotionally shaken ever since. I have seen from the inside how the justice system occasionally convicts innocent men— I spent a year in prison for a crime that I did not commit.
Mr. Davis’ story resonated with me because the issues with his case are similar to mine: witnesses that recant and change their stories, exculpatory evidence that was never heard by the jury, police ignoring evidence that points to innocence, witnesses being coerced by the police, to name a few.
Thank God I was not facing the death penalty like Mr. Davis.
The situation is grim, but perhaps not hopeless. What needs to happen is for the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles to be flooded with phone calls, emails, and faxes all day on Tuesday—the day Mr. Davis is scheduled to be executed.
If we can delay his execution just ONE WEEK, the US Supreme Court is reviewing his case on Sept. 29th—six days after his scheduled execution.
Please take action!!
Contact the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles and request that they issue clemency.
By email: clemency_i­nformation­@pap.state­.ga.us
By fax: [phone]
By phone: [phone] or Gale Buckner (Chairperson) at [phone]
Much more information is available online— just Google ‘Troy Anthony Davis’.
A few minutes of your time could help save a life!!

[MOregon]

If Pope Benedict, Bishop Desmond Tutu, and others have written in this man's behalf, we need to submit to their impartial reasoning and at least take a second look. Hopefully articles like this will bring attention to this dire situation. Troy Davis we are praying for you..

Thank you Susan Sarandon for your untiring efforts to get Sr. Prejean's story, Dead Man Walking, into mainstream cinema, and thank you for what you are doing now. Capital punishment is wrong, and the fact that they are getting ready to execute a man who is very likely innocent, is one of the reasons why.

Obama/Biden '08

[canobs]

"I do not believe any civilized society should be at the service of death. I don't think it's human to become an agent of the Angel of Death."

Elie Wiesel

I agree. Death penalty should not be an option for civilized nations. Moreover, I don't believe it should be viewed as a partisan issue as is the case right now in the US. I am a Republican supporting McCain and I'm strongly against capital punishment..