Nearly twenty years ago Troy Davis was convicted of killing a Georgia police officer. As has become well known, the case against him has grown weaker and weaker as seven of the prosecution’s nine witnesses have recanted their testimony, many saying that they were coerced by police. Davis’ latest stay of execution has now expired, after his application for a second habeas petition was denied, preventing him from presenting new evidence.
But late last year, the Chatham County, Georgia (the county in which Troy Davis was convicted) elected a brand new District Attorney named Larry Chisholm, who successfully campaigned on a platform to “increase the sense of fairness” in the office. If these are truly his intentions, a great way to start would be for him intervene on behalf of Troy Davis to ensure that an innocent man is not executed based on false information.
This case could be monumental in shaping the career of the new DA. It seems clear from out here that intervening on behalf of Troy Davis would be seen as a courageous act that he could point to with pride for the rest of his political life. But inside Chatham County, where there are powerful forces pulling him in different directions, the decision is not quite so easy. Larry Chisolm is the first African American DA in the history of Chatham County, a county in the Deep South with a long history of racial division. So any decision in a case involving an African American convicted of killing a white police officer, however dubious the evidence now seems, will be extremely difficult and politically charged.
Chisholm’s intentions in this case are as yet unclear. He has stated that he will not move forward with the trial until all of Davis’ appeals are exhausted, and a remaining “original” habeas petition is sitting at the US Supreme Court, reportedly due to be considered by the end of this month. But DA Chisolm could at any time decide to re-open this tainted case, to take a closer look and find out what really happened that Summer night in Savannah almost 20 years ago. It is important for DA Chisholm to hear from citizens across the country that re-opening this case will be the right choice. You can take action right now to encourage DA Chisolm to do the right thing!
I hate it when everyone, including Texas, claims that the death penalty is "not murder or revenge, but sheer, ultimate justice". It breaks my heart when people continue to hate each other and punish each other with death, and that's not right. Georgia and the MacPhail family will continue to claim that the death penalty is the ultimate justice and that, through the fires of hell, justice will be served when Troy Davis is executed. I still say that through fire, justice is not served, but still languishing in the fires of hell. My heart breaks for both families of Mark MacPhail and Troy, yet all I can do is pray for them. May God forgive us all. 😥
Larry Chisolm won in an upset election due, in part, to the local activism of Troy's supporters (led by Martina) and, probably, to a greater extent, the large democratic turnout to support Obama for president. Chisolm may need be reminded where he'll find his base support the next go around. If you don't live in Savannah, GA, you can still promise to lend a few hours to support/campaign/blog for Chisolm at the next election as a way to say thank you for doing right in the Troy Davis case.
Please take 20 minutes to write and send A PERSONAL LETTER to Chisolm today. See http://freetroydavis.com/chisolm_reopen.aspx for other ideas (we'll keep adding ideas as we go) on how to appeal to him.
Larry Chisolm won in an upset election due, in part, to the local activism of Troy's supporters (led by Martina) and, probably, to a greater extent, the large democratic turnout to support Obama for president. Chisolm may need be reminded where he'll find his base support the next go around. If you don't live in Savannah, GA, you can still promise to lend a few hours to support/campaign/blog for Chisolm at the next election as a way to say thank you for doing right in the Troy Davis case.
Please take 20 minutes to write and send A PERSONAL LETTER to Chisolm today. See http://freetroydavis.com/chisolm_reopen.aspx for other ideas (we'll keep adding ideas as we go) on how to appeal to him.
Larry Chisolm won in an upset election due, in part, to the local activism of Troy's supporters (led by Martina) and, probably, to a greater extent, the large democratic turnout to support Obama for president. Chisolm may need be reminded where he'll find his base support the next go around. If you don't live in Savannah, GA, you can still promise to lend a few hours to support/campaign/blog for Chisolm at the next election as a way to say thank you for doing right in the Troy Davis case.
Please take 20 minutes to write and send A PERSONAL LETTER to Chisolm today. See http://freetroydavis.com/chisolm_reopen.aspx for other ideas (we'll keep adding ideas as we go) on how to appeal to him.
I hate it when everyone, including Texas, claims that the death penalty is “not murder or revenge, but sheer, ultimate justice”. It breaks my heart when people continue to hate each other and punish each other with death, and that’s not right. Georgia and the MacPhail family will continue to claim that the death penalty is the ultimate justice and that, through the fires of hell, justice will be served when Troy Davis is executed. I still say that through fire, justice is not served, but still languishing in the fires of hell. My heart breaks for both families of Mark MacPhail and Troy, yet all I can do is pray for them. May God forgive us all. 😥
Larry Chisolm won in an upset election due, in part, to the local activism of Troy’s supporters (led by Martina) and, probably, to a greater extent, the large democratic turnout to support Obama for president. Chisolm may need be reminded where he’ll find his base support the next go around. If you don’t live in Savannah, GA, you can still promise to lend a few hours to support/campaign/blog for Chisolm at the next election as a way to say thank you for doing right in the Troy Davis case.
Please take 20 minutes to write and send A PERSONAL LETTER to Chisolm today. See
http://freetroydavis.com/chisolm_reopen.aspx for other ideas (we’ll keep adding ideas as we go) on how to appeal to him.
Not that I'm impressed a lot, but this is a lot more than I expected when I stumpled upon a link on Delicious telling that the info is awesome. Thanks.
p.s. Year One is already on the Internet and you can watch it for free.
Not that I’m impressed a lot, but this is a lot more than I expected when I stumpled upon a link on Delicious telling that the info is awesome. Thanks.
p.s. Year One is already on the Internet and you can watch it for free.