James Clark, right, live tweeted the protests around Troy Davis' execution from Atlanta and Jackson, Georgia


Troy Davis was executed by the state of Georgia last night at 11:08 PM, despite a worldwide movement over 1 million strong that drew attention to the glaring doubts of his guilt. With no physical evidence and a host of witness recantations, all indications are that the state of Georgia killed an innocent man.
Outside the death row facility in Jackson, Georgia, I joined Troy's friends, family, and supporters in vigil. About 200 people arrived early enough to be allowed on the prison grounds in the highly controlled roped-off area reserved for execution opponents. Hundreds, maybe thousands more people were looking on from across the street. After visiting with Troy for the final time, his family attended a service at Towaliga County Line Baptist Church across the street before joining the protestors on the prison grounds.
Throughout the day of Troy's execution, periods of high energy and excitement alternated with long stretches of waiting. Prayer was continuous, as various clergy and other people of faith struggled with the difficulty of waiting for an execution while hoping for a reprieve. With each successive denial of Troy's final last-ditch appeal from the Superior Court and the Georgia Supreme Court, the mood grew somber and fearful.
At around 7 p.m., the crowd latched onto what turned out to be a false report of a stay from the U.S. Supreme Court. The entire crowd suddenly burst with joy and celebration. People jumped in the air and fell on their knees and prayed and hugged one another. Others had confused looks, made confirmation phone calls, and had to explain that this was not a stay of execution. The Court reviewed the appeal but took no action, delaying the execution for only a few hours. The Court finally did deny the appeal after 10:00 p.m. About an hour later, Troy Davis was dead.
Amidst so much doubt, there is only one certainty: the world is watching.
The Twitter hashtags #TooMuchDoubt and #TroyDavis have exploded as people around the world watched Georgia take the life of an innocent man. Protests were sparked around the country and the world, including an impromptu protest of hundreds at the United States Supreme Court while the Court deliberated Troy's appeal. Over 1 million people signed petitions for Troy before he was executed, and millions more watched in shock as the travesty of justice unfolded.
We must ensure that Troy Davis did not die for nothing. Millions of people have now seen the danger, dysfunction, and catastrophic injustice of America's death penalty.
I tweeted what I saw and experienced in Atlanta and Jackson from @ACLU and my main point was this: The only way to avoid executing the innocent is end the #deathpenalty. #TroyDavis.
That clear statement of fact was retweeted more than one hundred times. And the hashtag "#RIPTroyDavis" is trending not just in Atlanta, but worldwide. So while the movement to save Troy's life ended late last night, the movement to end the death penalty is stronger than ever. We must turn our anger and anguish into action.
Join the fight to protect the innocent and end the death penalty in California, or wherever you live.

Date

Thursday, September 22, 2011 - 12:45pm

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Calling for justice under the Capitol building in Atlanta, Georgia.


After a day-long hearing yesterday in Atlanta, the Georgia State Board of Pardons of Paroles today denied clemency to Troy Anthony Davis, in the face of a million cries of #TooMuchDoubt. Troy is scheduled to be executed Wednesday September 21, at 7 p.m.
On the Friday before the hearing — the Global Day of Solidarity — more than 3,000 people marched in Atlanta calling for justice for Troy. Roughly 1 million people have contacted the parole board directly to urge clemency. We were all ignored.
During the hearing, I attended an all-day vigil outside the parole board with dozens of activists from around Georgia and the United States. At the top of every hour, the group stood together in a circle to pray. Eleven times we prayed for Troy Davis, his family, the family of Officer Marc MacPhail, and, most of all, the members of the Board of Pardons and Paroles. Clergy from a half-dozen different religious traditions and activists from all philosophical stripes came together with one simple message: executing Troy Davis is wrong.
Speakers during the vigil included NAACP President Ben Jealous, death penalty abolition director for Amnesty International Laura Moye, local activists, religious leaders, and friends and family of Troy Davis.
They spoke about the ongoing corruption of the Chatham County District Attorney’s Office, which was responsible for many other suspect death sentences in which race and misconduct by law enforcement were the norm. They spoke about the injustice of the death penalty and the misuse of the state’s power to take a life. But most of all they spoke about Troy’s commitment to the truth and their conviction that we cannot stand by while his execution takes place.
The tenor of the vigil was hopeful, yet fearful and uncertain. No one knew when the Parole Board would issue its decision and the tension grew as the hours passed. The news came only this morning: the Board denied Troy’s clemency.
In the face of the Board’s decision, activists in Atlanta and Georgia are taking to the streets again. Organizers are asking supporters to wear black arm bands emblazoned with the words “Not in My Name.”
Activists are in Stockbridge, Ga., calling on the doctors and nurses at CorrectHealth — the for-profit medical corporation that oversees all executions in Georgia — to call in sick tomorrow to delay the execution.
The Southern Center for Human Rights is calling for a general strike or sick-out of all execution personnel — doctors, nurses, and guards should stay home tomorrow. The protests will begin at 7 p.m. at the capitol building in Atlanta.
We have one more day to stop this execution, and we’re not giving up. You should continue to take action from wherever you are:

  1. Email and call the Board of Pardons and urge them to reconsider: 404-656-5651.
  2. Contact the Chatham County District Attorney and urge him to withdraw Troy’s death warrant: phone: 912-652-7308, fax: 912-652-7328.
  3. Contact CorrectHealth and call for a general strike of all execution personnel - doctors, nurses, and guards should stay home tomorrow. Urge them not to participate in this travesty of justice: Phone: 770-692-4750; Fax: 770-692-4754

Keep following my tweets at @ACLU_SoCal for live updates from Georgia, and remember to never be silent in the face of injustice.
James Clark is the Death Penalty Repeal organizer for the ACLU/SC.

Date

Tuesday, September 20, 2011 - 11:15am

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