This marks the second time I've written about Troy Davis. Davis, who sits on Georgia's death row, has become an international celebrity and a prime example of why the death penalty must be eliminated.
On Monday, Davis was schedule to die but received his third stay of execution in slightly more than a year.
With more than 300,000 letters sent globally in support of Davis, rallies were recently held from Atlanta to Seattle, New York to Paris and Milan with supporters wearing T-shirts and holding signs that read, "I am Troy Davis."
Davis' case comprises the list of usual suspects in opposition to capital punishment, including Amnesty International, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former President Jimmy Carter, and Pope Benedict XVI.
Calls for clemency can also be heard from Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr and former FBI Director William Sessions -- neither would be characterized historically as opposed to the death penalty for ideological reasons.
In 1989, Davis was convicted for the murder of Officer Mark McPhail in Savannah, Ga., despite the fact that most of the witnesses have since recanted, many alleging they were pressured or coerced by police.
Davis admitted he was at the scene, but stated another man had done the shooting. There was no physical evidence against him and the weapon used in the crime was never found.
The physical evidence that linked the shooting to Davis was a bullet tied to another shooting done by Davis on the same night as the officer was shot.
The case against Davis consisted entirely of witness testimony, which contained inconsistencies even at the time of the trial.
Seven of the nine eyewitnesses have subsequently recanted their testimony; and one of the remaining two witnesses could actually be the assailant.
The manner in which this case has been handled is not fair to Davis and his family, McPhail's family, or the residents of Georgia, whose tax dollars may go toward the execution of an innocent man.
As I have previously written, I have no idea if Davis is innocent. But the central question in this case has now moved beyond his guilt or innocence. Can Davis' life be placed in jeopardy based on a system that has nothing more than inconsistent witness testimony on which to convict him?
Moreover, Davis is on death row because he is a minority and poor. Study after study indicates that someone who has low income, is a minority and suffer from mental illness or mental retardation, has a much greater chance of receiving the death penalty than the rest of the population.
The most rudimentary examination of who receives the death penalty quickly reveals the system does not achieve what its proponents claim.
Are the poor, racial minorities, or those suffering from mental health or mental retardation expendable political pawns? The obvious answer is yes. Ambitious politicians, running on tough on crime policies, can take the most egregious scenarios and make them emblematic of the whole.
It is a costly, unpredictable, unjust and flawed policy that Davis in all probability would not be facing if he did not fall into the socio-economic group that is most likely to receive capital punishment.
The coalition that stands in opposition to Davis' execution is not your traditional left-wing midnight vigil crowd. Does it matter that individuals normally inclined to support capital punishment are uneasy about this one?
I make no apologies for my uncompromising opposition to the death penalty. But even staunch capital punishment supporters must conclude that the way Davis' life hangs represents a possible form of barbarism that is far beneath the values which this country was founded.
The tragic irony is Georgia's parole board professes to be committed to the notion "We will not allow an execution to proceed "... unless and until its members are convinced that there is no doubt as to the guilt of the accused."
What better case than that of Troy Davis to illustrate the parole board's adherence to the aforementioned words?
Byron Williams is an Oakland pastor and syndicated columnist. He is the author of Strip Mall Patriotism: Moral Reflections of the Iraq War. E-mail him at byron@byronspeaks.com or visit his website byronspeaks.com