Now: Death Penalty Action
From Equal Justice USA, 10/5/11: One week since the execution, where do we stand?
“The struggle for justice doesn’t end with me.” These were some of Troy Davis’ final words, and they have proven to be both motivational and prophetic.
State organizations working to end the death penalty have seen an influx of support as many of the hundreds of thousands who took action to stop the Troy Davis execution have sought to put their passion to work at home.
In Washington – a state that is as far from Georgia as you can get – the coalition working to end the death penalty received 50 new signups and more than a dozen new unsolicited donations the day after the Troy Davis execution. New Jerseyans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty received over a dozen new signups – and New Jersey doesn’t even have a death penalty.
Religious leaders have redoubled their committment to the issue. “We urge our nation to abolish capital punishment, and we also implore our churches to work unwaveringly to end it as well as all other threats to human life and dignity,” were the words of more than 150 Catholic leaders who endorsed a statement released earlier this week.
Evangelicals for Social Action called on the Evangelical community to get more involved. “This tragedy has been a galvanizing moment for the evangelical community,” said EJUSA organizer Heather Hass. “A lot of people who weren’t previously engaged in our movement were appalled at what happened. This could be the beginning of a new conversation about the death penalty.”
Academics, journalists, and also others predict that this groundswell of new energy since the Troy Davis execution will intensify momentum away from the death penalty. We say it’s not a moment too soon.
From Equal Justice USA, 9-22-11: Don’t Let Davis’s Execution Be A One-Day Story: Keep The Conversation Alive.
Troy Davis’ final words last night expressed his sympathy for the MacPhail family, who have been through an unimaginably long and painful ordeal. He also stated, as he has for 20 years, that he was not the man who killed Officer MacPhail. And he urged the nation to keep fighting until we end the death penalty once and for all.
Outside the execution chamber crowds of people demonstrated their own outrage at a system that could allow an execution amid so much doubt.
They were joined by a multitude of reporters, TV cameras, and photographers, who transmitted the events to the world as they transpired. The magnitude of coverage last night was astonishing.
And this morning, it’s what everyone is talking about. I’ve never seen our message get out so far and wide.
The case against Troy Davis was a house of cards that collapsed years ago. The clemency process is supposed to be the final safety net for egregious mistakes that fall through the cracks. But even this fail-safe has been a failure.
Last night millions of people’s eyes were opened for the first time to the shocking reality of our death penalty system. We can’t let them shut again. We can’t go back to business as usual.
Don’t let this be a one-day story. Tell your newspaper that the death penalty has got to go.
The Troy Davis case triggered a staggering surge of energy for justice. People have had enough with a system that can get things so terribly wrong. Hundreds of thousands of us spoke with one voice. Now we must use the power of our unity to make permanent change.
Thank you for being a part of this movement. We have been through an incredible journey over the past few days. It’s been hard but heartening. It can only get better from here.
Towards justice,
Emma
on behalf of all of EJUSA
From Equal Justice USA, 9-7-11: Death Penalty Action: Troy Davis
A judge has signed a warrant for Davis to be executed sometime between September 21 and 28. It is more important than ever that we remind Georgia authorities that execution in the face of doubt is unconscionable.
Late last night, we learned that the state of Georgia has signed an execution warrant for Troy Davis, a man with strong evidence of innocence. We’ve covered his story many times before, and now the clock is ticking. We’ve got an action you can take in this month’s recommended link.
And this is a good time to take action, too, because I am here to tell you – when it comes to the death penalty, you are Goliath.
If you haven’t signed the petition or you have friends who haven’t yet signed, you still have an opportunity to flex your Goliath-like muscles to stop the execution of Troy Davis by sending a letter directly to the parole board at www.ejusa.org/troydavis. Please share, tweet, and post this link on Facebook to keep it going. (To learn more about the Troy Davis case, our friends at Amnesty International produced a series of short videos.)
So be loud, proud, and confident if you weren’t before. Puff up your chest. Speak out unapologetically about the injustice of the death penalty. It’s already well on its way out the door and you are just helping to kick it to the curb.
You have a lot of power, after all. You are the majority.
Towards Justice,
Emma
on behalf of all of EJUSA
From Michael Whitney, change.org, 9-11-11:
Troy Davis has 10 days to live before he is executed by the State of Georgia. But 7 witnesses say Troy is innocent, and that another man committed the crime for which he will be killed.
With just days left to save Troy’s life, his sister Kim Davis started a petition on Change.org asking the Georgia Parole Board to stop his execution. Please add your name to Kim’s petition now and save her brother’s life.
Evidence presented at Troy’s trial was considered shaky at the time. Since then, seven witnesses have recanted their testimony, many saying they were pressured by police into false testimony.
There’s no physical evidence Troy committed the crime. And, according to Amnesty International, nine people have signed affidavits implicating another man.
Georgia’s Board of Parole and Pardons has said there should be “no doubt” about a person’s guilt before he is executed. You can tell the Board there’s simply too much doubt about Troy’s guilt to kill him next week.
Please click here to add your name to Kim Davis’ petition asking the Georgia Parole Board to stop her brother’s execution, then forward this email to everyone you know:
Thanks for being a change-maker,
- Michael and the Change.org team
P.S. Kim has a goal of reaching 20,000 signatures by Tuesday. Once you sign, will you forward this email widely to help her reach that goal?
From Equal Justice USA, 9-15-11: More than half a million signatures delivered today.
Hundreds of thousands of individuals have joined the chorus of Americans who know there is too much doubt to execute Troy Davis! At 10:30a this morning our friends at Amnesty International delivered 650,000 petition signatures to the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Parole asking them to stop the execution. If you already signed EJUSA’s petition, your signature was among those received by the board today. Thank YOU!
What’s been done:
- More than 650,000 signatures have been collected by a national network of organizations working to prevent the Troy Davis execution from moving forward. The Board is holding Davis’ clemency hearing on Monday, September 19th.
- Our friends at People of Faith Against the Death Penalty have received more than 3,400 signatures on their faith leader sign on letter. They believe this letter contains the largest number of endorsements from faith leaders on this type of action in our country’s recent history. Faith leaders from every state and from every major faith tradition, have joined this call! Faith leaders can still add their support today!
- The media and prominent politicians and celebrities have spoken out. The list of prominent supporters includes former President Jimmy Carter, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, more than four dozen Members of Congress, Russell Simmons, Joan Baez, Steve Earle, Cee-Lo Green, Tom Morello, John Legend and Harry Belafonte, and actors Miriam Margolyes, Tim Roth, Mike Farrell, Susan Sarandon, Jared Leto, and Mia Farrow.
What you can do now:
- Attend or organize a local event TOMORROW, September 16th, a global day of action. Our friends at Amnesty International are keeping a full list of activities, find out if there is one in your area! Actions come in all shapes and sizes – a rally at the state capitol, handing out flyers at a street fair, or even hosting friends at your home to watch the Troy Davis videos. If there isn’t an event in your area and you are able to put one together, please let us know.
- Join in the discussion on Twitter by retweeting our #TooMuchDoubt tweets. We’ve been sharing a new fact about Davis’ case every day at www.twitter.com/ejusa. We will also be following the actions taking place in the next few days as well as the clemency hearing next week.
- If you haven’t signed the petition or you have friends who haven’t yet signed, you can still send a letter directly to the parole board at www.ejusa.org/troydavis. Please share, tweet, and post this link on Facebook to keep it going.
We will continue to keep you informed about the important news and actions related to Troy’s execution over the next week. This is an important opportunity for each of us to educate our friends, family, and coworkers about one of the most terrifying flaws of the death penalty system- the very real possibility that we will execute an innocent person.
We want to thank you again for your support and action!
Towards Justice,
Emma
on behalf of all of EJUSA