TROY DAVIS was murdered last night by lethal injection. He became just another blood soaked statistic on the long long list of American prisoners killed by a justice system that shows no sign of giving up its barbaric blood lust…
A campaign calling for his case to be reinvestigated drew support from celebrities, former president Jimmy Carter, a senior FBI agent, pressure groups including Amnesty International and Change and even the Pope. Millions of people around the world signed petitions and faxed and phoned anyone with influence over the legal establishment… 
But it was all in vain and with a shocking twist as lawyers waited hours for the Supreme Court of the United States of America to decide his fate, Troy Davis was left strapped to a gurney in the death chamber, what on earth could have been going through his mind as the minutes ticked away..?
I had become aware of this case just a few days ago and was intrigued at the high profile support the campaign to prove his innocence had gained. Miscarriages of justice is an area I know only too well [Independent] and am still appalled at how intractable most justice systems are in their inability to accept they may be wrong…
The World Is Watching…
As we all went about our normal lives yesterday, the campaigners and Troy Davis’ lawyers found every single door of justice slammed in their face. I watched as the drama unfolded on the awesome Democracy Now ~ a superb TV and radio news programme untainted by the mainstream media…
Twitter came alive and soon #TroyDavis and #thewholeworldiswatching were trending, social media once again showing the people will be heard. As more and more people began to ask who is Troy Davis, his supporters pointed them towards the facts of the case…
Eye witnesses had retracted statements, question marks over ballistic evidence, lack of DNA. As protesters pleaded with the staff of the Georgia prison to strike and refuse to carry out the execution, there came news of a 12th hour denial of a polygraph test…
Thousands of people around the world held silent candlelit vigils outside American embassies including here in the UK. The world was indeed watching, waiting and hoping…
Police Intimidation…
On Twitter Salman Rushdie and Mia Farrow led a hauntingly painful commentary on the unfolding events that sent chills down the spine. At one point there was celebration followed by confusion as, wrongly, news broke that a stay of execution had been granted. Sadly it was just a temporary stay whilst the Supreme Court considered its judgement…
The family and his supporters outside the prison formed a circle and huddled together in silent prayer and the world watched as police in riot gear carrying batons arrived and stood across the street and police helicopters flew over head. “Why are the intimidating us” said Troy Davis’ sister. Why indeed…
And then the moment we’d all dreaded but secretly knew would happen the verdict was unanimous, the execution would go ahead…
Salman Rushdie said:
The Supremes’ decision was unanimous, it’s being said. America looks a little uglier tonight…
Mia Farrow said:
I love my country but tonight we can only be stunned, saddened, disgusted and deeply ashamed…
And never one to mince his words film maker and activist Michael Moore said:
WHAT THE F*** IS WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY!
As I said on Twitter I am so relieved the UK does not have the death penalty. I was lucky to see my good friend Michael Shirley released from prison after a 16 year campaign to prove his innocence. In some states of America he would have been executed.
This quote comes to mind ~ “It is better and more satisfactory to acquit a thousand guilty persons than to put a single innocent one to death…”
That might seem a little too radical, but it’s a principle I believe in. What value is there in one human life..?
Abolish the Death Penalty…
It would seem in America it’s as low it’s ever been in the history of this youthful country. It sends its sons and daughters to fight and die on the battlefields of illegal and unnecessary wars for Gods sake, so why would it be open to reason and listen to the world as it begs for clemency or some modicum of humanity..?
America calls itself the leader of the free world but it ignores what stares back at it in the mirror. It is as corrupt and as backwards in some areas as the despots it convinces us are evil. It is rotten to the core in some parts of the Government and in some states fear is still the way to keep the people down…
If America really is the voice of freedom in the world, and wants to be that one shining light of hope which it believes it is, it should abolish the death penalty now. Obama ~ who refused to be drawn on Troy Davis’ case ~ should make the abolishment of the legalized slaughter of his citizens his legacy, not the alleged killing of Bin Laden or the prop up of the banks and Wall Street…
As the famous Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin said:
US death penalty humiliates us in the eyes of much of the world…
Don’t let the death of Troy Davis become just another statistic that we all skim over whilst reading the morning news. Don’t let American politicians kill any more people in your name. Call on anyone in power to abolish the death penalty. And do it today and keep doing it until they listen.
This could have been you, your brother, your father, your mother sister or friend ~ from now on we should remember that we are all Troy Davis…
Troy Davis’ last words:
to those who are about to take my life, may God have mercy on your souls. May God bless your souls…
Sources For More Information:
how many naive nitwits campaigned for that cold hearted thug.
Davis brutally murdered a police officer and there was no question of his guilt so why did so many gullible celebrities jump on the band wagon of an effort to free a vicious killer?
there were much better things they could have tried to work for and at least put forth an effort on behalf of someone who was incarcerated on a questionable charge and not somebody who got caught redhanded.
but it has happened before and likely will happen again.
there seems to be a certain something about being one of those who back a lost cause.
I guess I have a “certain something” about me too…
I’m a Yank and am up on the facts of this case not just the emotions from the relatives of the perpetrator.
Alex Balwin is not a very good source to use for something like this – he has become a joke because of throwing his support behind questionable causes and being a famous actor makes you well know but does not make you a good source to use for evidence when making a case.
a ‘journalist’ should know that.
As a “journalist” – I like what you did with the inverted commas there lol – I was bound by reporting the facts without opinion…
Now as a blogger I can express my opinions…
I am strongly against the death penalty full stop – this case merely showed once again that with even a modicum of doubt the state will kill with impunity – innocent or otherwise…
As to celebrity endorsements and the like – I agree some can be a hindrance when it comes to getting at the truth – however there’s more to this particular case than “celebrity endorsement…”
I know in the case I investigated here in the UK Michael Shirley would still be inside had we not campaigned – and had we had the death penalty – he would be dead…
I stand by the quote:
“It is better and more satisfactory to acquit a thousand guilty persons than to put a single innocent one to death…”
Thanks for your comments and thank goodness we can all have differing opinions – it would be an awful world without that freedom