John Lewis, Hank Johnson, David Scott, Sanford Bishop seek clemency for Troy Davis
The Georgia members of Congress have asked the state Board of Pardons and Paroles to grant clemency for Troy Davis, who is scheduled to face execution next week the 1989 killing of off-duty Savannah Police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail.
Hank Johnson of Decatur, John Lewis and David Scott of Atlanta, and Sanford Bishop of Albany, all Democrats, put their signatures to the letter that can be read here. A total of four dozen members of Congress signed.
Among the letter’s points:
“It is clear now that the doubts plaguing Davis’s case can never be adequately addressed; the lack of hard scientific or relevant physical evidence has made it impossible to resolve with any degree of certainty.
“Over the last four years, the inability of our courts to resolve these uncertainties has shaken public confidence in our judicial system, and an execution under such a cloud of doubt would do nothing but further undermine that confidence. Public faith in the integrity of justice in Georgia is at stake and it is for this reason that we urge you to grant clemency for Troy Davis.”
Many others have argued for a commutation of Davis’s death sentence, including former President Jimmy Carter.
Worth noting is the absence of a signature from one Georgia Democrat — John Barrow — on the letter mentioned above.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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89 comments Add your comment
tim
September 12th, 2011
8:52 pm
Shouldn’t some of the low life looney toon Congress members who signed the letter be in jail?
If the killer wasn’t black they wouldn’t bother.
Complaining and complaining, lower and lower they go.
Makes you wanna holler.
Jerry
September 12th, 2011
8:56 pm
I say burn his ass and get it over with.
I am NOT Troy Davis
September 12th, 2011
9:25 pm
Judge William T. Moore, Jr., ruled that Troy Davis did not “clearly establish” his innocence
Game over…the law prevails…
Hank Johnson…you are a scumbag…I hate the fact you represent me.
Republican for Life
September 12th, 2011
9:32 pm
If there is reasonable doubt, he shouldn’t be prosecuted. No matter what race, ethinicity or creed he is.
paulo977
September 12th, 2011
9:40 pm
South Georgia D
“I hope to see the day when Georgia does away with the death penalty because the possiblity of executing an innocent person is too great and a simple sorry our mistake want bring back the innocent.”
Oh yes , you have my vote!!
Don't Tread
September 12th, 2011
10:17 pm
Let’s hope justice will finally be served and this scumbag burns in hell soon…extra crispy.
rooster
September 13th, 2011
12:05 am
I have no firm opinion on the merits of Davis’ defense’s claim that reasonable doubt exists. And I am not opposed in principle to capital punishment. But as a practical matter, I have come to believe that the death penalty should be discontinued. It costs too much, it sometimes fails to account for uncertainty, and it is haphazardly applied. Think about this: Brian Nichols was sentenced to life without parole for killing 4 people, including the judge presiding over his rape case, in full view of others. He killed people in the courtroom, went outside and killed a deputy, got in a car and drove 7 miles uptown and killed another person. Everybody knows Nichols did the killings. He did them methodically and ruthlessly. No reasonable person would have objected had he been sentenced to death. That is, even a death penalty opponent would say that if anyone should be executed, Nichols should be. And yet he got life without parole. Now, how does it serve justice – and, just as important, the public’s sense that justice has been done – for Davis to die while Nichols does life? I think the Davis case is as good a reason as any for us to abandon capital punishment.
walter
September 13th, 2011
12:33 am
- 51 Members of Congress signed this latest letter, dated 9/7/2011, to the Georgia Parole Board.
Next letter should go to Obama- send the CDC to Georgia, and figure out wtf is wrong with them.
double
September 13th, 2011
1:23 am
These Dem/Libs trying to recruit all the felony votes in Ga.
bonehead
September 13th, 2011
3:48 am
There is too much doubt and Davis was convicted by the testimony of a criminal. Now 7 witnesses changed their story and all the defense wants is a retrial to present evidence not presented at the original trial. The death penalty should be the last resort for heinous crimes and beyond a reasonable doubt. This case is not. Death to Davis will not bring Officer MacPhail back but we as a civil society can ensure an innocent man is not put to death over faulty evidence and testimony.
Buckhead Boy
September 13th, 2011
4:58 am
I have confidence in the Board of Pardons and Paroles as presently constituted to give this clemency matter a full and fair hearing.
Steve
September 13th, 2011
7:01 am
Rooster…. That was very well said, and I could not agree more. I was for capital punishment in the past, but now looking back it pains me to know we have killed many innocent people with it. Without dna evidence, many more would have died. Anyone remember the Alday killings in south Ga back in the 70’s? Like Nichols, those three men deserved death. All of this to say we don’t need it or can’t afford it. I’m for clemency for Davis.
Politi Cal
September 13th, 2011
8:24 am
i.e., the “usual” suspects….
King
September 13th, 2011
8:38 am
Why is it a big deal that there was the death of a police officer. Is one person’s chosen profession more worthy of retribution than another’s?
Dumb and Dumber
September 13th, 2011
8:48 am
Sometimes innocent people have to be executed to prove that judges and politicians are tough on crime. That’s what it takes to be elected in this state (and in Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, etc.
Don’t know if Davis is guilty or not. It doesn’t really matter. Granting clemency to an african-american on death row is going to cost Nathan Deal votes in the next election – and that is all that matters.
The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles will do whatever Deal wants — after all, they saw what happened to the director and chief of staff of the Georgia ethics board when they proposed to investigate Deal’s election financing. The Board of Pardons and Paroles will be more concerned about keeping their paychecks coming in than anything else. That’s just the way it is in the “good ole boy system.”
helpus
September 13th, 2011
9:20 am
God, didn’t say that it was going to be easy!!! do not judge or you too will be judged. for in the same way you judged others,you will be judged and with measure you use, will be measured to you. You dont know what happen. just because he was an officer doesn’t means that he was a good person. God will answer his pray,what ever it is!!!
helpus
September 13th, 2011
9:25 am
Lee, that is so terrible to say! may God help you.
helpus
September 13th, 2011
9:32 am
If it had been a Blk Police, they would grant him clemency. YOU KNOW THE STORY…
common sense
September 13th, 2011
9:58 am
“Everyone supporting this guy is a liberal and they always side with evil. Therefore Troy must be guilty…”
Wow. That explains it. Tight logic, there Armedice. LOL! It must make things so much simpler to boil every complex issue down to good vs. evil.
That being said, no, I don’t think Troy Davis should go free by any means. However, do we want to take the chance of executing him when there is so much doubt? Seems like a dicey proposition to me. Look at all of the people who’ve gotten out of jail through DNA evidence proving their innocence…
Nonetheless, he HAS exhausted all appeals, and the justice system has looked at this case from every angle. Either way you look at it, it will be a sad day for GA when we execute him: sad for his family, sad for the McPhail’s, and sad that it had to come to this at all.
common sense
September 13th, 2011
10:07 am
“These Dem/Libs trying to recruit all the felony votes in Ga.”
PoliSci 101: a felon cannot vote. So that would be impossible.
Also, for everyone who’s confused, the Governor has no say in this matter. And the Parole Board, constituted as it is now and as it has been over the course of many years under Governors of different parties, has come to the same conclusion time and again. Ditto for both the Supreme Court of GA and the Federal courts. Then the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to review the case, for it seemed to them that the law had been properly applied.
So let’s not boil this down to 1. race or 2. “the good ole boy system,” mkay?? If it was that easy we’d either have executed or freed him a long time ago.
P.S. Does anyone on this thread even know who the Parole Board members are and their backgrounds? Look that up…
Wally
September 13th, 2011
10:27 am
I cannot wait until next Wednesday so we can put this issue to rest,literally. I am so tired of hearing about this man’s possible innocence from black’s.It is the same thought process they had with O J Simpson and so many others in the past.You don’t see white folks defending their own that commit such horrendous crimes.
Capsized in DeKalb
September 13th, 2011
10:41 am
Here are the numbers. It costs us, the taxpayers $35,000 per year to house, feed, clothe and medically treat inmates in our penal system. He has been incarcerated for the past 22 years. He gets better health care, he gets cable TV and internet, clean clothes and shelter ALL at the taxpayers expense.
Now, who wants to pass the collection plate to keep this guy alive? John Lewis? Hank Johnson? Sanford Bishop et al? I doubt it.
Do you know what every person who signed the petition has in common with the convicted cop killer?
They ALL are living off of our TAX DOLLARS! and will live off of our tax dollars until death do us part!
You like apples? How about them apples?
Limey
September 13th, 2011
10:45 am
The usual gang of idiots…….
quantivious' mama
September 13th, 2011
10:50 am
@tim, September 12th, 2011, 8:52 pm, ‘Shouldn’t some of the low life looney toon Congress members who signed the letter be in jail? “If the killer wasn’t black they wouldn’t bother.”Complaining and complaining, lower and lower they go.’
if the officer was not white, the death penalty would not have been levied. duhhhh.
the only thing i have is a request:: may i please see, feel, touch the letter those fine gentlemen wrote and signed asking for swift and serious repercussions regarding the aps scandal??
The Multi-Cultural Kid
September 13th, 2011
10:52 am
As a 1/8th Hispanic, 1/8th Native American, 1/8th Irish, 1/8th African, 1/8th Cherokee, 1/8th Mongoloid, 1/8th Pinoy, 1/8th Martian I think I speak for the rest of my brethren when I say “Fry the ###hole!”
Unless he is not guilty — then just parboil him.
Jon Lester
September 13th, 2011
11:47 am
When Brian Nichols was given life in prison, that should have been the end of capital punishment as an option in Georgia, and all pending executions should have been immediately commuted as a matter of fairness.
yellowdog
September 13th, 2011
11:53 am
tho i dont think a police officer is any more worthy than a private citizen who was murdered, i do believe that troy davis has been given all the consideration available under the law. and then some. georgia unfortunately has a death penalty law and given that, i think justice has prevailed in this case. it wont be anytime soon that this legislature will overturn the death penalty……….
Wally
September 13th, 2011
12:15 pm
yellowdog said”tho i dont think a police officer is any more worthy than a private citizen who was murdered”
Well what about if he killed a child or children, how about a pregnant mom? I believe you should be on the fasttrack to hell if he does, we need much stiffer laws on this, and yes Law enforcement getting murdered while trying to protect us/on duty should be included as well.
DublDawg
September 13th, 2011
1:01 pm
To the people that reference the Nichols sentence as a benchmark, why should stupid, poor, underachieving dolts in a Fulton County jury set standards and policy for the rest of the state?
Ful Co juries are notoriously dumb and averse to the death penalty. Many other counties empanel juries of people with education, pride in themselves, good common sense, and they contribute to society. They are much more capable of sorting the wheat from the chaff and deciding what is just. Ful Co juries and criminal verdicts are anomalous vis a vis statewide juries, just as civil verdicts often are. in death penalty cases, the system allows a lot more voire dire and the venire (jury pool) is much bigger. The defense lawyers have the opportunity to keep drawing and eliminating jurors until they get one not composed of liberal, underachieving mushbrains not likely to impose the death penalty.
A lot of project rats stopped responding to jury summonses in Ful Co, and the judges were not issuing warrants and the sheriff and marshall were not out rounding people up for failure to show. The result was that the venire became whiter, smarter, and more mainstream, and thus the verdicts became more mainstream. The liberal blacks could not have that, so the judges recently decided they were going to have to start enforcing jury summonses again.
DublDawg
September 13th, 2011
1:03 pm
One can tell by reading the responses herein that even after having a chance to make an informed opinion by reading Lawton’s op-ed and discovering the facts supporting the conviction and supporting the judges’ refusal to overturn it, that people would rather opine on emotion rather than fact.
The omission of the facts from the coverage of this story and inclusion of the recanting of testimony only is EXHIBIT A of yellow journalism at its finest.
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September 13th, 2011
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[...] John Lewis, Hank Johnson, David Scott, Sanford Bishop seek clemency for Troy Davis [...]
Bill Evelyn
September 13th, 2011
3:37 pm
John Lewis, Hank Johnson, David Scott, Sanford Bishop … This is none of their business and they should butt out. It is Nathan Deal’s decision and no one else.
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September 13th, 2011
5:15 pm
[...] John Lewis, Hank Johnson and Sanford Bishop seek clemency for Troy Davis | Political Insider The Georgia members of Congress have asked the state Board of Pardons and Paroles to grant clemency for Troy Davis, who is scheduled to face execution next week the 1989 killing of off-duty Savannah Police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail. [...]
Cameron
September 13th, 2011
7:17 pm
1. Cops lie. Ask any criminal lawyer. Ask any cop. They plant evidence. They invent. They hide exculpatory evidence. When bribery fails, they torture and coerce “witnesses” and “informers.” It’s routine, especially in cracker states like Georgia. They’ve got a ton of rationalizations for their lying.
2. “Eyewitnesses” threatened by cops lie.
Therefore nobody convicted of a capital crime in Georgia soley on eyewitness testimony has been convicted beyond a reasonable doubt. If the state of Georgia murders Troy Davis, it’s murder, no matter what the howling mob of crackers says.
lee
September 13th, 2011
7:45 pm
this animal murdered a cop people he’s scum who should be bound to a tablle and cut into little tiny pieces!
Obamaniqua
September 13th, 2011
8:26 pm
“John Lewis, Hank Johnson, David Scott, Sanford Bishop seek clemency…”
Now that wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that Troy murdered a white cop, would it?
John a. Eustace
September 14th, 2011
10:36 am
Anyone that doesn’t believe Scumbag Davis should be executed “SUCKS”.
Roxanne Ivey
September 14th, 2011
9:11 pm
THOUGH THE HEAVENS FALL
for Troy Davis
Innocent eyes
The clearest of skies,
Though clouded by contempt,
Incite us to see
The blind tyranny
Of terror in suspense—
The scales of justice weighted
By the jaded sway of lies,
A life held in the balance
And a cradled compromise;
Yet hope kneels at her altar
‘Til the day he is set free,
And empathetic hearts cry out,
“I am Troy, and Troy is me!”
Roxanne Ivey
Poets for Positive Change
http://www.linkedin.com/in/roxanneivey
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