On 21 September 2011, the state of Georgia killed Troy Anthony Davis as the world looked on, aghast that Georgia was proceeding with the execution, overlooking a mountain of evidence that pointed towards Troy's innocence.
While much of the world has moved on, we are still in the fight to end capital punishment. Those of us who loved Troy see this two-year anniversary as more than an opportunity to mourn the death of a good man. We see this day as a chance to reflect on what Troy posthumously achieved and the charge we must all take up in his name to end the immoral practice of the death penalty.
Though he never wanted to be a martyr, Troy wanted to make certain that his execution would fuel a movement to end capital punishment in this country and around the world. Among Troy's final words, he asked his family and friends "to continue to fight this fight" to abolish a system that is wrongfully and unjustly applied.
Since 1973, 142 people have been released from death row throughout the country due to evidence of their wrongful conviction. In this same period, more than 1,000 people have been executed, according to data collected by Amnesty International. It is a near-certainty that there were innocent human beings among them.
In our new book I Am Troy Davis, we highlight the risk of executing an innocent person and underscore the hidden price that so many people pay with each and every execution. Told from the perspective of Troy and his family, we reveal the impact that capital punishment has, not just on the condemned prisoner, but on his family, his friends, and even the guards and prison officials whose job it is to take part in these state-sanctioned (and highly-scripted) killings. We expose Troy's dignity and humanity, juxtaposed against the inhumanity of the death penalty.
"Remembering Troy Davis and Ending the Death Penalty," is by Benjamin Todd Jealous at HuffPost.
Two years ago, the state of Georgia ignored the facts, doubts and pleas of hundreds of thousands of people and killed Troy Anthony Davis. Today, on the anniversary of his execution, we rededicate ourselves to ending the immoral, biased and ineffective practice of capital punishment.
For 15 years, we fought alongside Troy to clear his name for the killing of Savannah Police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail. Troy remained adamant about his innocence to his last breath. As explained in the new book I Am Troy Davis, by author Jen Marlowe and Troy's sister, Martina Davis-Correia, the case against Troy lacked conclusive evidence after many of the key witnesses recanted testimony from the time of the original trial.
In the last weeks of Troy's life, the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles received 663,000 petitions from people imploring the group to reconsider the execution given the sheer amount of doubt surrounding the case. World figures, including Pope Benedict XVI and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, human rights groups and commentators urged the execution to be halted -- all to no avail.
In the hours before his death, the NAACP held a rally and lobbied the Department of Justice to intervene on the grounds of a civil rights violation. The glimpses of sadness and quiet resolve I saw on the faces of Troy's family when his death became imminent will stay with me forever. The last time I saw Troy, he told me "This movement started before me, and it needs to continue, no matter what, until we destroy the machinery of death."
More on the book, I Am Troy Davis, from Haymarket Books. Earlier coverage of Troy Davis and the second anniversary of his execution begins at the link.
Comments