Troy Davis reaction: Resignation from John Lewis, and a call for a prison strike
As you probably know, the state Board of Pardons and Paroles this morning declined to commute the death sentence of Troy Anthony Davis, convicted of the 1989 murder of an off-duty police officer.
The decision was immediately denounced by Amnesty International, the NAACP and other groups that made the case an international cause – arguing that the recantation of multiple eyewitnesses had thrown sufficient doubt on the verdict.
Republicans, including Gov. Nathan Deal, have remained largely quiet, preferring the system to run its course.
The reaction from Democrats has varied. U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Atlanta expressed resignation. In part:
“We have come a great distance in Georgia, but today we have demonstrated we still have a great distance to go before we build a society based on simple justice that values the dignity and the worth of every human being. We are not there yet. I am deeply saddened and deeply disappointed by this decision, but in light of all I have seen through the years, it does not surprise me.”
State Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, called for a work stoppage by the men and women who keep inmates at the Jackson, Ga., facility corralled. Again, in part:
”I am calling for a general strike or sick-out by all but a skeleton staff of the Georgia Diagnostic Prison on September 21st, 2011. I say to the prison staff: If you work on that day, you will enable the prison to carry out the execution of a possibly innocent man.”
In a column he wrote for CNN, former Georgia congressman and federal prosecutor Bob Barr levels this harsh criticism:
Imposing a death sentence on the skimpiest of evidence does not serve the interest of justice. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles did not honor the standards of justice on which all Americans depend by granting clemency. In doing so, it will allow a man to be executed when we cannot be assured of his guilt.
That was the final admirable principle standing between Davis and his scheduled death by lethal injection Wednesday. And the parole board did not uphold it.
Commenting on this post has been closed.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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196 comments Add your comment
Coastal Cavalier
September 20th, 2011
12:17 pm
I have a really dumb question about this…Can all those witnesses who have now changed their story be charged with perjury since they apparently lied under oath?
Keith
September 20th, 2011
12:22 pm
Jim, don’t tease me like that. When I saw John Lewis and “resignation” in the same sentence I got really excited, only to be let down.
Traian
September 20th, 2011
12:26 pm
Do you believe lawmakers in Georgia are smarter than lawmakers in Europe, where there’s no capital punishment?
Shame, shame on you, lawmakers from Georgia!
Ron Andle
September 20th, 2011
12:28 pm
Keith, tell us how you truly feel. I guess it do not matter to some people here in this state if the guy is innocent or not and don’t tell me about the justice system.
Maria Caterina Rosenfeld
September 20th, 2011
12:29 pm
I respectfully ask President Barack Obama to pardon Troy Anthony Davis. Please, America, call the White House at: (202) 456-1111 and ask our President to lead our country in humanity and truth by taking a stand for an innocent man.
Jerome Horwitz
September 20th, 2011
12:45 pm
I don’t know if Troy Davis is guilty or not, however, there is enough discrepancies due to the recanted testimony and the affadavits from the jurors to warrant another trial. To kill a man based upon this is not right. Appears that the police and DA are more worried about covering their posteriors than justice.
What I find disgusting is that attitude of the family – they want their pound of flesh and care nothing that the wrong man may die for it.
CC – I was wondering too about the change in testimony and perjury. If their testimony was voluntary than I would think perjury is involved. However, some have stated that they were intimidated by the prosecution.
Susan Mitchell
September 20th, 2011
12:45 pm
This is so disappointing. I don’t know if the man is innocent or not but if there is a significant amount of doubt how can you put a man to death? It’s also interesting to me how some people don’t even consider that fact that time and time again our justice system has been totally wrong. I’m praying for both families tonight!
findog
September 20th, 2011
12:46 pm
Have the sick out only if Fort will be there all day to accept the inherent danger posed by such a truly illegal act. Placing the entire population and the guards that do work that day at risk is simply a felonious abandonment of their post.
Fort, you are an IDIOT
Grandma
September 20th, 2011
12:46 pm
How is it that so many people want a convicted murderer to be set free? Do you people at Amnesty International and the NAACP know something that the judicial system doesn’t?
Centrist
September 20th, 2011
12:47 pm
@ Traian posted “Do you believe lawmakers in Georgia are smarter than lawmakers in Europe?”
Absolutely. But because ad nauseum appeals cost the taxpayers more compared to housing heinous killers for life – capital punishment might as well go away.
75% chance the sentence is finally carried out tomorrow.
Silent Jay
September 20th, 2011
12:47 pm
Innocent?
They do it in Texas all the time.
findog
September 20th, 2011
12:49 pm
Centrist, when you get here please explain how one can be pro life and pro capital punishment simultaneously?
Icanseebothsides
September 20th, 2011
12:49 pm
I’m LOL @ Keith…and wondered the same thing Coastal…
I have not read all of this case – so I’m not sure how I feel about it…I can understand the cop’s family’s side in wanting justice AND I can understand not wanting an innocent man (if innocent) to be put to death…..
You say what?
Patrick
September 20th, 2011
12:49 pm
If this were a white man, convicted of killing a black police officer with the supporting testimony of witnesses who later recanted their testimony and claimed that it was forced or coerced out of them by black police officers and a black prosecuting attorney….
Then this white man would have already received a pardon from the Governor…let alone be “allowed” to rot in prison for the rest of his life.
Just the facts
September 20th, 2011
12:50 pm
After speaking to officers involved in the case, as well as reading the transcripts I can tell you the media has enabled myth and outright lies to blur the facts. If you are against the death penalty as a whole, fine, I can respect that. However, don’t wring your hands and gnash your teeth because you believe the hype of this man’s innocence. It’s a lie.
Asking prison employees to not show up is irresponsible at best. Show some respect for the law.
Susan Mitchell
September 20th, 2011
12:50 pm
@ Grandma – just because a jury calls a man something doesn’t mean he is. No one is saying set him free, just give the man a fair trail when there are some many discrepancies. Life in prison is still an option.
What's Important
September 20th, 2011
12:51 pm
Traian – I didn’t know that Europe was the gold standard for determining what is right or wrong with American laws, or to put it bluntly, what the h— has Europe got to do with this issue?
joe
September 20th, 2011
12:51 pm
@ Maria–how do you know he is innocent? Where you there the night of the murder? But if you’re gonna call Obama anyway, please tell him to resign when you get him on the phone…
Holden Magroyne
September 20th, 2011
12:51 pm
A jury of his peers found him guilty and he was sentenced to death.
That’s it! Case closed. Execute him as scheduled.
findog
September 20th, 2011
12:51 pm
Grandma, not set him free but rather commute his sentance to life in prison
Wake Up Georgia!
September 20th, 2011
12:52 pm
Obviously there are some questions about this case that are not clear. To put someone to death when your not absolutely sure is insane. How do the people making these decisions sleep at night?
He is Gulity
September 20th, 2011
12:52 pm
If only the police officer could have lived another 20 years. How do you know he is innocent? Where a juror? If you dig deep into this case there is quite a bit of evidence that points to him including his bloody short pants his mother saw him return home in that night. If he was white would the NAACP be so opposed to this? Or would they care? If he was white he probably would have been put to death 10 years ago.
Too Much Doubt 2
September 20th, 2011
12:52 pm
“A federal judge who, at the direction of the U.S. Supreme Court, last year reviewed the witnesses’ changed testimony said they were not credible, and that Davis had not established his innocence.
But one organizer of the overnight vigil said it’s “almost incredible” that the judge would rely on the witnesses’ earlier testimony to let Davis’ conviction stand but then say they are not credible now. ”
I think this speaks for itself. There is just too much doubt!
Georgia Citizen
September 20th, 2011
12:53 pm
I do not know all of the ins and outs of this case. I will not say I do not care because there should be no doubt. But, how can one exhaust every legal challenge available when folks say all this evidence exists? Because it does not exist. If there was such a major irregularity in the trial or evidence, it has been reveiwed. I hope the process has been exhaustive. However, I agree with Re Lewis in the fact somethings have not changed. Just because a case is not overturned because a lawmaker thinks it should be does not mean that Georgia wants to go lynching. I am really tiring of the racism card being pulled everytime a lawmaker doesn’t get his or her way.
T B
September 20th, 2011
12:53 pm
@Grandma – No one is asking that Troy Davis be set free (although that is an option available to the parole board), they are simply asking that he not be executed. The Board may commute his sentence to Life Imprisonment or Life Imprisonment Without the Possibility of Parole. Any of those options seem to be more appropriate than death, in this case.
Melissa
September 20th, 2011
12:54 pm
Grandma, are you serious? Seven out of nine witnesses recanted their statement, there are claims of coersion. There have been innocent people put to death, and there are serious questions about the validity of this testimony. Were you there? Did you see him do it? I didn’t think so.
What's Important
September 20th, 2011
12:56 pm
Patrick, do you not remember the O.J. trial, kind of punches a hole in your theoretical case of the black man always getting the shaft, innocent or guilty.
John
September 20th, 2011
12:56 pm
I don’t believe anyone has suggested thst Troy Davis be set free,rather that the state of Georgia, and its citizens, should not execute a man without 100% confidence in his guilty sentence. Sounds right to me, and shame on anyone pushing a personal revenge agenda on my state’s justice system.
Sasha
September 20th, 2011
12:57 pm
In shock!!!!! So disgusted…Casey Anthony is walkin free with TONS of evidence againist her and we have more than enough doubt for the Troy Davis case and this is it……SHAME ON ALL OF YOU…….so ashamed to be a GA citizen at this point..How do we explain this to our children????
I'm just saying
September 20th, 2011
12:58 pm
@Grandma…have you followed this case at all? How would you feel if it was your family member who has been accused of a crime where SEVERAL, not just one, witnesses have recanted their story? Would you still feel he was guilty simply because a group of his peers felt that the evidence placed before them was sufficient enough to convict him? We have seen cases like this time & time again where a man or woman who has proclaimed their innocence for YEARS finally get their day in court only to discover that they are indeed innocent. How tragic will it be to kill this man only to discover somewhere down the line that he was innocent? How will you feel then? How will the victim’s family feel? I’m all for wanting a pound of flesh, but you better make sure that the pound you get is the correct one. You will be the one left dealing with it in the end; I just hope you can live with it.
Concerned Citizen
September 20th, 2011
12:58 pm
Why does everything always have to come down to the race card. Doesn’t matter if you are black OR white…if you kill someone you should pay the price. Obama has made enough decisions for us already…………..he doesn’t need to make this one! There clearly is not enough evidence to overturn the case!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get over it!
Centrist
September 20th, 2011
12:59 pm
@ findog posted “Centrist, when you get here please explain how one can be pro life and pro capital punishment simultaneously?”
You have me confused with somebody else – I am pro-choice. But I can see where pro-life folks see unthinking fetuses as innocent while convicted cop killers are not, hence deserve to be terminated.
Sparky
September 20th, 2011
1:00 pm
The sooner the better for the convicted cop killer!
HARLOW
September 20th, 2011
1:01 pm
THIS HAS BEEN THE WAY OF LIFE IN OUR COUNTRY USA NOTHING HAS CHANGE OVER THE YEARS. THE GAME DOES NOT CHANGE JUST THE PLAYERS.IHOPE U ARE NOT SURPRISE TO GEORGIA SOUTHERN WAY OF DECISION .
pathetic
September 20th, 2011
1:01 pm
HOW DARE YOU?
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE CALLING FOR A MUTINY?
This is unreal.
Hey, we are big babies, did not get what we wanted, so let’s throw a temper tantrum
HARLOW
September 20th, 2011
1:01 pm
Enter your comments here
Tom (Independent)
September 20th, 2011
1:02 pm
Do you people know that Davis shot someone earlier that nite(Which he was convicted of) and the same gun was the weapon that killed the officer. I also understand that after he shot the officer once(disabling him), he stood over him and fired two more shots into the officer making sure he was dead instead of just leaving after the 1st shot! All this occurred as the officer was working a 2nd job to help support his family. The officer working at a Burger King heard the cries of a man being pistol-whipped by Davis in the parking lot and ran to help the unknown citizen. This officer also served honorably in the military defending our country, tell me positive things Davis had done in his life for society? Amnesty International and others who are against the death penalty, will do and say anything to try to win favor with citizens of this country. Davis is guilty of this murder and should pay the ultimate penalty for it.
CADMAN1
September 20th, 2011
1:02 pm
So looks like now would be as good a time as any to fess up and make peace with your maker. May God have mercy on his soul if he deserves any.
gm
September 20th, 2011
1:02 pm
This is what happens when you elect a bunch of red necks in this state, we are a joke around the world, Deal shows what kind of person he really is, a all white parole board,did any one expect anything different?
As long as you can run that ball as a black male you are ok with these bigots in the captiol, where is uncle Cain and the rep conservatives now?
nihilist nick
September 20th, 2011
1:02 pm
None of this really matters, nothing matters in the end. Although, society benefits from taking out a possible innocent every once in awhile-keeps everybody on their toes.
DamntheButcher
September 20th, 2011
1:03 pm
Maybe John Lewis and Vincent Fort will both resign. All that either of them has ever done is suck off the governmet all their lives. As to Troy Davis, he should have already rotted in Hell for the Guy that he admitted shooting. All I can say is for the guy you shot I hope you suffer and burn in hell forever.
Bobby
September 20th, 2011
1:03 pm
Sometimes we just have to trust in the judicial system. Davis has been before the Georgia and U.S. Supreme Courts, a Federal judge and others in his appeals. All have found against him. If he was as innocent as his family and friends say I would think there would be some kind of corrorbarating evidence to present. There is none. His case has become one of political correctness on the part of his family and Amnesty international. Let justice be done and God, the ultimate judge, have mercy on his soul.
arlene
September 20th, 2011
1:05 pm
This is a sad day which shows the state of Georgia in the worse possible way. I am very ashamed of this state. It brings back memories of the past when these injustices were prevalent, and goes to show that nothing has changed. As long as there is doubt, there should be no execution. And the victim’s family is a bunch of blood-thirsty individuals who just want to see someone die. Twenty two years is enough…move on with your lives. And, do the humane thing by allowing this innocent man to live!
aj
September 20th, 2011
1:06 pm
Although very touchy subject I use to be a huge proponent of the death penalty but after working/ witnessing an exucation it changed my views. The state has no right to choose who lives or dies. Its easy to sit back and say execute him when you will go on with your life the next day as if it never happened.There are caring family on both sides in a no win situation. Yes the victim/family had no choice whether he lived or died either, but taking another life will not bring him back or fill that void. I vote to Lock the convicted away and put them in a gruelling prison camp not the holliday inns these guys serve in now.
slick dawson
September 20th, 2011
1:06 pm
It’s better than 10 innocent people did than for 1 guilty person get free.
Concerned Citizen
September 20th, 2011
1:06 pm
Thank you Tom for the information! Maybe you should post numerous times for people to read and re-read!!!!!!!!!!!
T.
September 20th, 2011
1:06 pm
Theses people recanting testamony should have to go to jail for perjury.This Fort dude should be arrested for
calling on prison personnel to put society in jeopardy,
calling on them to lay out of work.Real responsible gov. official there.
Alvin Jackson
September 20th, 2011
1:06 pm
Judge not, I do not no if he is innocent or guilty, but I do no that God is the almighty Judge. Let him live, because we are cover by the blood of Jesus. Be careful who you condemn, if you are a man or woman, especially the Board of Pardons.
Just Wait
September 20th, 2011
1:07 pm
To all those who don’t know if Davis is guilty, do some research. Don’t depend on anti death penalty groups to make you believe he should not be executed. Of course they would say there is too much doubt. Well, there wasn’t enough doubt during the original trial. There hasn’t been enough doubt is every subsequent judicial proceeding since to convince any judge that he should not be executed. Davis has had his day in court, his week in court, even his year in court. He has had the benefit of more judicial hearings that any other death row inmate. All have had the same result. It is time, past time, for this sentence to be carried out.
nihilist nick
September 20th, 2011
1:08 pm
Compromise! How ’bout we release him, but force him to spend the rest of his breathing days listening to Bono’s drivel.
Aaron Burr V Mexico
September 20th, 2011
1:08 pm
All those people shouting hooray for the Death Penalty and letting Old People die when Ron Paul and Rick Perry spoke, guess they were from Georgia. This state isn’t quite as dumb as Italy yet by prosecuting scientists for not ‘predicting’ earth quakes, but its only a matter of time.
Soooooooooo glad I’m getting out of here. Good riddance.
Do Him NOW!!!!!
September 20th, 2011
1:08 pm
Troy Davis is a human POS cop killer! He has lived 20 years longer than he should have. It is too bad we don’t still use the Electric Chair in Georgia – a dose of the Big Sleep is too easy of a way for this piece of human garbage to go out. If any correctional officer is hurt in any way by inmates due to the actions and suggestions of John Lewis and Vincent Fort – they Lewis and Fort and Fort should be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law….EXECUTE TROY DAVIS NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
DamntheButcher
September 20th, 2011
1:09 pm
After tomorrow Night Troy Davis will never harm anybody else.
Glad for Justice
September 20th, 2011
1:09 pm
Davis went on to shoot another man that night after this incident, and he was found to be in possession of the same gun that killed the officer.
So what if some scumbag drug dealers and low life’s decided to change their story years later. Facts are facts, this scumbag will finally get what he deserves tomorrow.
And some of you are absolutely idiotic, in that you most likely know nothing about this case, yet you seem to think you are aware of every aspect. Get a clue, and stop spouting off stuff you know nothing about. At least read the transcripts of the trial before you go off and yell foul at the justice system.
As for the naacp ( couldn’t care to capitalize a racist organization) why were they not there to rally for the Memphis 3? Or any other case that involved innocent white people? Because they are racist and only care about black people. So they automatically have no credit in anything with me.
John Lewis and Vincent Fort
September 20th, 2011
1:10 pm
John Lewis and Vincent Fort need to SHUT th HELL UP!!! Execute Troy Davis now and use the Electric Chair to do it!
T.
September 20th, 2011
1:11 pm
Deal shows what kind of person he really is, a all white parole board,did any one expect anything different?
Because he’s black he’s automatically not guilty?
Blacks don’t ever think Blacks are guilty. Not so of white’s. Theodore Bundy got what he deserved.
KPR
September 20th, 2011
1:12 pm
When does the term “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” make sense? Not an exact doubt, just reasonable? If there is any doubt, then you have to err on the side of Not Guilty or Clemency. If this execution is carried out and hard evidence comes out later that he indeed was telling the truth, do you just say “Oops, my Bad, If only I had known.” There are some decisions that can never be corrected and without taking sides either way, how can you honestly take a like for a life taken without being certain of the guilt? I feel for both families, but they need to ask themselves the question, if they were in each other shoes, how would you like to see this end?
reddog
September 20th, 2011
1:13 pm
Jerome Horowitz – what does this have to do with the police or DA? Research before you on what you don’t know.
Traian – if you prefer the criminal justice in Europe, move on over. Better yet, move on over the Alabama.
It is quite amazing how John Lewis speaks aloud when a black man is punished. I have never heard him step forward to defend a white man on death row. Quite ironic how he says we, as a state, have so much further to go to close the gap….and his statements and support for the convicted against the death of a police officer supports his argument.
Shame on all of you who know only what you have heard in the media about this case. I pray that it is never one of your children who is murdered while protecting the rest of us, regardless if white or black. I pray that an elected official never speak out in favor of the person who slaughters your child. Anyone who calls for work stoppage in a place that detains convicted criminals should be imprisoned. That simply makes no sense at all. Now, ask yourself, did you vote for any of these people?????
SAWB
September 20th, 2011
1:14 pm
These things drag out way to long which results in these situations. The strategy for death penalty opponents is to drag out the appeals process as long as possible and once they have exhausted ever option they claim the original trail was unfair. Since the process can take thirty years there is no way to fairly retry the case, so they hope the convicted murderer will have their sentence commuted to life. The legislature needs to look at ways to streamline this process and conduct executions within ten years of conviction.
The Snark
September 20th, 2011
1:15 pm
How many of the people offering opinions on the supposedly doubtful evidence have actually read every word on it? Or seen the witnesses testify first hand? Only the original jury, and the federal judge who conducted a trial on Davis’ claim to be innocent. Both came away convinced that he murdered a police officer.
CADMAN1
September 20th, 2011
1:16 pm
These are the same people who would have Osama Bin Laden in our court system where we tax payers would be forking over millions to defend if we had brought him back alive. EYE FOR AN EYE!
Thomas Armstrong (Atlanta, GA)
September 20th, 2011
1:17 pm
I’m a 58 yr old white male. My father was murdered here in GA back in 1976; case was never solved, so I/our family can most definitely relate to the slain officer’s family. Notwithstanding, just what IF Davis really didn’t do it??? Execution is final…there’s no going back. 7 out of 9 state’s witnesses have changed their stories (raising all kinds of questions regarding the veracity of the legal system…)
One other commenter said to call the White House. I just did. It took calling four times before getting through and then about 5-7 minutes on hold before talking to an “comment taker”. Sure, the President has many important things on his mind and agenda, but if the Pope has shown an interest in this case, certainly President Obama should. And unlike the Pope, the President is the ONLY one now that can do anything.
I’m NOT saying Troy Davis should be set free; rather, spared again until the entire matter (cold case investigation???) can be thoroughly re-examined. IF the McPhail family TRULY wants justice, then they too should be DEMANDING the truth—not just a “verdict”.
Centrist
September 20th, 2011
1:18 pm
SAWB posted “The legislature needs to look at ways to streamline this process and conduct executions within ten years of conviction.”
Granted that is much less than current reality – but it needs to be under 2 years of conviction.
seabeau
September 20th, 2011
1:18 pm
The Liberals Moral Dilemma, Murder the Innocents(Abortion),and Defend the Murders(Anti-Capital Punishment).
I'm just saying
September 20th, 2011
1:20 pm
Man am I TIRED of people using these blogs for their own personal agenda! This is NOT about you or your opinions about black vs. white or your feelings about the current presidency. This is about a man’s life and whether or not it should be spared. nothing else! I don’t think ANY of us where present during the crime. And for those of you who read the case file…aren’t you reading the same information that convicted him? Isn’t it possible that information is as wrong today as it was during the original trial? Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘being framed’? Whether you are black, white, yellow or purple, this is about a human life that may end and there is too much doubt cast on the evidence or at least the testimony for his life to end because of it. This has nothing to do with you being a republican, Democrat, Libetarian, Christian, Baptist, etc; but it does have to do with human decency. May none of us find ourselves in a similar situation as Troy Davis, his family or the victim’s family.
By the way, Mr. Fort your comment was reckless and you should be ashamed of yourself for stating it. The men & women who protect the jail have just as much right to protection on this day as any other. You should have found a different way to express your unhappiness with the board’s decision.
Facts Please
September 20th, 2011
1:21 pm
Many emotions here I know, but at least concede that the Jury was not an “all white lynch mob”. It was a majority-minority jury as is typical in Chatham County. And the state board of pardons and paroles: 2 black, 3 white. Majority white, yes; all white, no.
My sympathies to all involved, there are no winners here.
Buzzard
September 20th, 2011
1:21 pm
Davis is guilty. His “defense” is propoganda furthered by the anti DP groups. The shell casings match, he put himself at the scene. Let him die for his crimes. RIP MacPhail.
Dwayne
September 20th, 2011
1:22 pm
So . . . as a supporter of the death penalty, I have to ask this of those who are eager for Troy Anthony Davis to die:
Do you believe that if someone is violently murdered, “someone” must die for the crime? Or do you want “the perpetrator” to die for the crime? I’m in the latter camp, and as I look around, I shudder at the company I find myself in, with lights turned on.
It seems to me that the death penalty is just and warranted, but it must be applied judiciously and with the utmost care. There is no room whatsoever for “we’re probably right, so let’s execute him.” That is barbaric and unworthy of us.
And has anyone paused to think that if he didn’t do this, the real murderer – vermin, by anyone’s standards — is getting off scot free? Do we want justice for the murdered father and husband and patriot and public servant, or do we want the blood of someone — anyone will do?
What if the real murderer is consumed by guilt in five years, or ten, or on his deathbed, and confesses? What do we do then? Maybe we’ll be really, really, really, truly sorry, and maybe someone will resign or offer a heartfelt apology and return to his golf game? Will that matter one whit to Mr. Davis or his family, or to us as a state, or as a nation?
“Sorry” fixes some things, but doesn’t touch others.
troubled
September 20th, 2011
1:23 pm
You can also contact The Public Affairs Office at the Parole office, Phone: 404-657-9450. Tell them your opinion.
aj
September 20th, 2011
1:25 pm
For everyone who is so eagar to execute I wish you could wintess an exacution no its not cruel and painful as some idiot lawyers try to argue but to see a caring mother, father, brother or sister watch their loved one put down like a dog is gut wrenching. By all means the victim and family deserve justice and this guy should never roam the streets a free man again. I wish we could make prisons a living hell which would be better justice served!!
Independent voter
September 20th, 2011
1:27 pm
IT a sad day in Atlanta and across the world. Everybody is looking at Georgia as a racist state.
BOB FROM ACCOUNT TEMPS
September 20th, 2011
1:29 pm
PATRICK @12:49 – please cite ONE case in Georgia to back up your claim
Tom (Independent)
September 20th, 2011
1:30 pm
Some of you people’s posts make me sick!! Thank god, I am not an officer who would have to go help some of you in distress. Think about it for a moment, an armed gunman is breaking into your house, trying to rob you or rape your wife or daughter – what if the officer chose not to come to your aid because of the danger to him? You want him to protect you and your family but you refuse to support him(even when it costs him (his/her life). Oh yes, go ahead and call Amnesty International, ACLU, Fort and others like him and see if they come to your aid!!
R U Kidding Me?
September 20th, 2011
1:30 pm
Let me say right off, I am 100% pro capital punishment. But there seems to be some considerable doubt regarding this conviction. And obviously, the last thing that needs to happen is to kill a wrongly convicted person. Maybe life in prison for Davis protects everybody on both sides of this argument. Gov. Deal needs to show some leadership right now and commute this death sentence.
Here’s my biggest fear … Remember the deadly riots in London about a month ago? They started over some police shooting and seemed to catch everybody by surprize. The tensions in this country are a powder keg and it’s not going to take much to set off the same reaction here in the united States. People are frustrated over the economy, over being unemployed, over losing their homes. The pressure has been building for the past 4 years. I hope and pray that Wednesday night, Atlanta doesn’t wake up to the same thing that happened in London. These are very scary times and it won’t take much for people to vent their frustrations. Its time to ratchet down the “Let’s kill him” crowd and let cooler heads prevail. I hope Governor Deal has the backbone to extinguish this powderkeg.
Centrist
September 20th, 2011
1:38 pm
@ those how say there is “doubt”. Only via the liberal media which is avidly against capital punishment and has purposely colored the facts. There has been a trial, many appeals, and yesterday the Board of Pardons heard it all again (facts, not just biased feelings).
@ Independent voter who says Georgia is racist. You lie behind a false monicker.
Jerome Horwitz
September 20th, 2011
1:40 pm
reddog – I have read about this case. Point was that several of those who recanted their testimony stated that they were coerced by the prosecution (police and DA) into testifying against Davis. Based upon this evidence and the lack of physical evidence at the scene my opinion is another trial is warranted. If the state has such a strong case he will be convicted again.
If Davise truly shot the office I have no sympathy for him. However, let’s be absolutely certain.
aj
September 20th, 2011
1:45 pm
nobody wins here
Notin Myname
September 20th, 2011
1:47 pm
@ Holden Magroyne “A jury of his peers found him guilty and he was sentenced to death. That’s it! Case closed. Execute him as scheduled.”
Except that’s not it. At least 138 men and women have been released from death row nationally. They too were convicted by jurors who got it wrong. The wrongful execution of an innocent person is an injustice that can never be rectified.
Swingman912(Savannah Citizen)
September 20th, 2011
1:48 pm
It amazes me how all these “FACTS” are posted on here. None of you people were there. @Tom, please recant all of your information, because it is embarassingly false. Ever heard of a guy names Sylvester Coles? Didnt think so. Get facts, not google. If 78% of the people who say he did it and was there, recanted those statements, and implicated another man to be the shooter, a man who,in 2009, admitted he shot Officer MacPhail, then the doubt has nother to do with any picture the media painted. No, he is not a relative of mine, but i remember this case vividly, and once that “jury of peers” admitted to lying under oath due to police coersion, then i knew his whole trial was setup for him to fail….SMH @ ppl who dont know what they are talking about…
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
1:49 pm
This is obviously another case of racism. Lets open the prison doors now and let all the blacks out because they are all innocent.
John
September 20th, 2011
1:55 pm
We cannot say the decision by the appeals board was a racist decision because there were two blacks and two whites that made the decision on this. I did signed the petition against his execution, but do the 7 that withdrew their testimony make the two that upheld their testimony of no effect. We have to look at the fact that their are still two witnesses that stated they witness this guy as guilty of the crime. The 7 that recanted their testimony could of just had doubt that they were sure this was the right man.
A dad
September 20th, 2011
1:57 pm
Does no one else see the conundrum in all of this? Death penalty opponents don’t want Davis executed because of “doubt,” but oddly enough, none of them are calling for Davis to be set free? Hmm, if, as they argue, he didn’t kill McPhail, then why should he remain in jail any longer. If he is “innocent” as they say, he should be set free, no? But ah-ha! It’s not that’s he innocent of the crime. Opponents just say there isn’t enough evidence. But as was pointed out, there is plenty of physical evidence as to Davis’ guilt. Blood on clothes. Murder weapon in possession. But why wasn’t any of this brought out in Opponents argument? Perhaps that’s why none of them are calling for him to be set free. Shame on the media for not bringing this to light. Is there anyone out there who’s been told one then and then had the same person tell them something different later and not believed the second story? Why should this case be any different? Davis had his trial, was convicted and now has to pay the price. End of story.
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
2:00 pm
ITS OKAY EVERYBODY>>>>LET HM GO. THE GREAT JOHN LEWIS HAS SPOKEN!
Tom (Independent)
September 20th, 2011
2:01 pm
Swingman912 – You are out of your mind, the facts as I stated them are TRUE!! Bring all those who recanted their testimony in and polograph them and state the results!! Wonder why the defense, Amnesty International, NAACP, ACLU and others chose not to do that with an independent examiner to bolster their case? I guess you do not use your real name because Savannah law-abiding citizens and police officers would find you disguisting. Maybe they would not even go to your house if you had an emergency? I for one would not go!!
Ted
September 20th, 2011
2:01 pm
The decision of the Parole board is no surprise to me either. In fact, I’ll bet they already had their minds made up. Also no surprise that the prosecution got more time than the defense with the board.
It’s a shame that this LYNCHING is allowed to go forward, despite the serious holes in this case.
Does the Mc Phail family deserve justice. Absolutely! However, there is no justice for anyone if the wrong man is punished for the crime.
I guess the song “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” was meant for Troy Davis.
Angie B.
September 20th, 2011
2:03 pm
I understand a police officer lost his life, when I looked at the news this morning and listen to his daughter(?) speak.. I sympathize with the daughter loss, but come on… how old were you where he died? I know the son was 2 months old…
Did you need to be seen? and to the wife.. You should want JUSTICE! But, where is the JUSTICE in killing another person, what ‘d you teach your children ? EYE for an EYE, even if it can be wrong….
7out of 9 has RECANTED, I think ..Troy Anthony Davis is being used as an EXAMPLE..
How far has GA come?…I say NOT FAR… What is you’re demonstrating is…
Let’s just kill him, somebody gotta take the blame…even tho the 7out of 9 have recanted!!!
WOW!!! What a SHAME!!!
To the Georgia lawmakers YOU have DEFINATELY made a statement….
Even when there’s REASONABLE DOUBT…You will STILL be EXECUTED!!!
Stephen
September 20th, 2011
2:03 pm
For the record, I am white and I support the death penalty in some cases, but I believe it will be abolished in favor of life without parole, which I think is a worser fate than execution, in the next decade or so. Does anyone remember the Leo Frank case. Public anger convicted an innocent man and sentenced him to hang because he was a Jewish northerner and he was accused of murdering a young white girl. Fortunately the governor of Georgia at that time (I believe his name was Slayton) had the courage to commute the death sentence, even though it ended his political career. Unfortunately a lynch mob kidnapped Frank from the prision in Milledgeville, took him back to Marietta and hanged him from a tree. That is now viewed as one of the most disgraceful acts in Georgia history, as Frank was later pardoned and cleared of any responsibility in the murder he was accused of. We should be angry that a young police officer with a wife and children to support was killed in cold blood as he rushed to help a homeless man, who was being beaten by Davis and another man that some people say may be the real killer. For anyone who thinks Davis was an angel, please take note of this. However, we cannot take the chance of executing a man for something that there is now so much doubt about his guilt to atone for the officer’s death. I have a close friend, who is a police officer who supports the death penalty, that feels this way about this case. By commuting his sentence to life without parole, it allows the chance for Davis to produce evidence in the future to clear his name. If he is guilty, then he rots in prison for the rest of his life. Personally, even if I were innocent and wrongfully convicted, I would rather be put to death than spend the rest of my life in prison.
While the NAACP, Amnesty International, Jimmy Carter, and the anti-death penalty groups are liberal: Bob Barr (former Republican US Attorney and Congressman), William Sessions (the former Director of the FBI), and two former chief justices of the Georgia Supreme Court are not. They all are calling for a commutation of sentence, not necessarily because they believe Davis is innocent, but they don’t know that he is guilty either. I too, do not believe he is guilty or innocent, there is too much doubt, but why take the chance of executing an innocent man.
This reminds me of the story of the execution of annother innocent man. The trial was rigged and the governor who could have spared him was swayed from doing so by the public opinion of a group of conservatives. The innocent man was executed. The governor’s name was Pontius Pilate, and the innocent man was Jesus Christ. Don’t get me wrong, Troy Davis is not Jesus. Even if he is innocent, all agree that he was harassing and helping to beat the homless man, when the young officer came to help. Even if he is innocent of the murder, he would not be in this situation if he were not beating the homless man. However, to execute him is clearly wrong.
Nathan Deal is not in the same boat as Pontius Pilate, because he does not have the power to commute the death sentence, however the Pardons and Parole Board does, and they are in the same position as Pilate. There is another similarity too, when Pilate tried to let Jesus go, the crowd insisted on crucifying him, much the same way that some people are calling for Davis’ execution without regard to reason. Pilate washed his hands, and the people said let his blood be on us. If, and I empasize if Davis is innocent, and he dies for something he did not do, then his blood is on us.
RogerMalcom
September 20th, 2011
2:05 pm
The Parole Board is made up of two black members, so the decision is not based on racism, even though I’m sure they’ll be called ‘Uncle Toms’ before it’s said and done. Appears to me that the Parole Board and prosecutors know much more about the FACTS of the case as oppose to some liberal, biased jibberish being expoused by John Lewis, GABEO, and any other so called Amnesty group looking for their 15 minutes. Troy Davis has had his day – or days and days – in court and NOTHING has changed- nothing. Here’s a hint: stop killing people and you won’t have these problems. Plain and simple.
Justice for All
September 20th, 2011
2:05 pm
The Snark “How many of the people offering opinions on the supposedly doubtful evidence have actually read every word on it? Or seen the witnesses testify? Only the original jury/federal judge. Both came away convinced that he murdered a police officer.”
Actually, two jurors signed affidavits and one testified that they should have voted Not Guilty. There was no weapon or physical evidence. They relied on the state’s witnesses and 7 out of 9 have recanted. Of the 2 who didn’t, one (Red Coles) is the most likely suspect and confessed to several people that he shot McPhail. He’s the one who pointed the police in Troy’s direction. PS even when you execute the right person, the death penalty doesn’t deter crime. 80% of executions take place in the South & we have the highest regional murder rate.
Check my facts! Google NCADP or The Innocence Project.
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
2:06 pm
I am sure Angie B and ted are JUST as outraged when they think a white man has been unjustly tried. They probably both thought Casey Anthony deserved to be set free.
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
2:08 pm
Its good to see all these “youve got the wrong man” people out and about. I am sure they were all supporting casey Anthony a few months back.
Ted
September 20th, 2011
2:11 pm
“Glad for Justice”
I was elated when the West mephis 3 were released. I followed the case over the years and if there was a miscarriage of justice, their case was.
I don’t see how you can support them and not Troy Davis? What’s the problem?
Mike Hunt
September 20th, 2011
2:11 pm
Enough with the woulda coulda shoulda’s!!!! He was found gulity and sentenced to death. There is no race issue here. You can’t go back and try to overturn every single jury verdict. God Bless the USA!!! Execution 7PM Wednesday 9/21/11.
RogerMalcom
September 20th, 2011
2:12 pm
It’s George Bush’s fault! Blame him.
Ted
September 20th, 2011
2:13 pm
Ron..We should all be outraged when our so-called “justice” system fails. Please read my post regarding the WM3 before going on a tirade and drawing conclusions about me.
Justin
September 20th, 2011
2:13 pm
Republicans, including Gov. Nathan Deal, have remained largely quiet, preferring the system to run its course.
Of course Gov Deal is going to be mum on the issue. Does anyone believe he would dare step in and try to save the life of a black man? Just another N word to him
Tables turned
September 20th, 2011
2:14 pm
I’m so tired of this damn race card being pulled, for all you blacks and black orginazations, remember the O J trial, tons of evidence against him, and one jurist(black male) admitted that he would not vote guilty no matter what. This upset alot of people in this country, but the remarks from the blacks and black leaders was “hey the judcial system worked, he tried by a jury of his peers and found innocent” now get over it. Oh and to the poster that stated the parole board is an all white racist group, try knowing what you are talking about PAROLE BOARD MAKEUP IS TWO BLACKS 3 WHITE, guess that blows yor therory out the window.
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
2:16 pm
Tables turned – I am sure all these outraged murder defenders were just as outraged when they thought white peole where tried unfairly.
Firm but Fair
September 20th, 2011
2:21 pm
If I were one of those protestors I think I would take off my “I am Troy Davis” t-shirt come Wednesday! Probably not a good day to be Troy Davis…
jc
September 20th, 2011
2:22 pm
The mere fact that after decades of imprisonment hundreds of people have been freed through DNA testing and the Innocence Project is enough persuasion that just because one has been “convicted by a jurty of his/her peers” is not just cause to let the original punishment stand. Not a single one of us knows what truly happened with Officer MacPhail. However, if it were us… if 9 people said we committed a crime yet no physical evidence linked us to the crime, what would we want done for/to us? If, after imagining yourself in this scenario, you are still a strong proponent to let the next sequence of events to unfold as planned, I implore you to watch “Conviction”. My heart breaks for everyone who has been wrongfully accused and, worse, convicted of a crime they did not commit. Regardless of what happens tomorrow, I will continue to pray to God that we, as a people, will objectively examine our ways and redirect our paths towards the common good.
ConnecticutCowboyBush
September 20th, 2011
2:23 pm
“It’s George Bush’s fault! Blame him.”
No…it’s not. Let’s be honest. Bush was anly repsponsible for driving America over a cliff, putting the middle class on the endangered species list by rewarding huge corpoarations for shipping all our jobs over to China, lying to start a war where he had to borrow a trillion dollars from Red China to pay for it, and doubling our National Debt after Reagan had already tripled it and made America the world’s biggest debtor nation.
You can’t blame Bush for everything. It’s not fair.
Tom (Independent)
September 20th, 2011
2:23 pm
I hope Troy Davis ,just prior to his execution, tells the world the truth about killing the officer, if not it is my sincere hope he goes straight to burning HELL. If you have any hope of salvation and god’s forgiveness, let your last breath tell the truth and not continue the lie!
I am NOT Troy Davis
September 20th, 2011
2:25 pm
Not all of the parole board members are white. There are two black members…
check your facts meathead
P.
September 20th, 2011
2:26 pm
Shouldn’t we at least have our facts straight before we start spewing ideas and protests?
1. President Obama cannot pardon an inmate convicted of a crime against the state–only those against the United States.
2. This Parole Board consists of two blacks and three whites–ALL appointed by Gov. Perdue, not Gov. Deal. (And as a side note, Davis was convicted by a jury of 7 blacks and 5 whites).
3. The Governor of Georgia has absolutely NO clemency or pardoning power whatsoever.
4. Davis’ conviction has been upheld by every single layer of the judiciary in this country.
Need I say more? I’d say this guy has gotten MORE than a fair shake.
JJWILL
September 20th, 2011
2:27 pm
It is a shame that we are in the twenty-first century and ignorance and racism or still high on the totem pole. For those of you who say that it is not true, you are lying to yourself. In spite of all the false allegations and witnesses recanting there stories, this guy will still be murdered. Troy, its only because you are a BLACK MAN. May God be with you.
SAWB
September 20th, 2011
2:28 pm
Folks the bottom line is all this evidence has been reviewed and reviewed over the last thirty years and the same conclusion has been reached. African Americans have been involved in every step of this process and have up held this verdict. It is a shame to see a human being put to death, but it is a much bigger shame that many in our society have no compassion for a MURDERED Police Officer.
Those who cast....
September 20th, 2011
2:29 pm
It’s funny how people who don’t know much bark the loudest. At the end of the day no one on this board knows if the man did it or not because NONE of us were there so how can fix our mouths to say someone deserves to die. How quickly we judge! This world is going to a place that makes me reconsider having children.
RogerMalcom
September 20th, 2011
2:31 pm
Connecticut Cowboy-
You forgot: Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, AIDS, the CLAP, California falling off into the ocean, CIA assassinations in 3rd world countries, Haiti, the sunami (sp), thongs, the Yankees winning the world series, etc. And dont get me started on Nixon …..or Ike……..
Electric Chair
September 20th, 2011
2:31 pm
Too bad we don’t still use the Electric Chair to execute criminials. I would be glad to be the executioner and pull the switch starting the charge to send this Human POS on to meet the Devil in the burning fires of HELL. EXECUTE TROY DAVIS NOW!!!!!!!!!!
Laura
September 20th, 2011
2:32 pm
All I’ve gathered from all the comments, is that “WE” as a society have some serious issues. Whether white or black, shouldn’t really matter. Wishing someone to burn in hell is really mature, better make sure you’re not next to that person!
Tables turned
September 20th, 2011
2:33 pm
Angie B you are an idiot, so just because the victims kids were not old enough to remember, according to you, they have no right to speak to the parole board. They have more of a right than some of the people speaking on behave of the CONVICTED MURDERER.
SAWB
September 20th, 2011
2:37 pm
“It’s funny how people who don’t know much bark the loudest. At the end of the day no one on this board knows if the man did it or not because NONE of us were there so how can fix our mouths to say someone deserves to die. How quickly we judge!”
Do we still teach Civics in school? Funny how many people have no idea how our Judicial System works. I do not have to know if Troy Davis is guilty, but I do know a Jury of his peers convicted him. Then he went through a twenty year appeals process which confirmed the verdict at each step. Folks this murder occurred in the 1980s not last week he had his day in court again and again.
RogerMalcom
September 20th, 2011
2:39 pm
I bet that Michael Cooper, the man that Troy Davis shot just prior to shooting that blood-sucking McPhail police officer, would probably disagree with those who want Troy Davis The Cop Killer pardoned.
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
2:43 pm
Rogermalcom please…ithe fact that they found exact matching of shell cases is meangless. 7 out oof 9 witnesses recanted (I am sure they weren’t badgered at all into recanted and actually just came forward to recant out fo the goodness oftheir hearts).
RogerMalcom
September 20th, 2011
2:45 pm
I know….I know….shouldn’t let those FACTS get in the way of hyperbole…….my bad.
Patsy
September 20th, 2011
2:45 pm
Traian: Your question about lawmakers in Georgia being smarter than lawmakers in Europe? Yes I do think they are smarter!
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
2:47 pm
If it makes black people feel better I thought Casey Anthony should be fried as well based off of ZERO eye witness testimony and zero DNA.
Jere
September 20th, 2011
2:47 pm
No matter what the subject we see the same old tired hustlers stoking the fire.
ABC
September 20th, 2011
2:48 pm
1:02 pm post by Tom he said it all a young officer brutally shot down by a scum of the earth thug. it is unfortunate this convicted murderer piece of trash has been allowed to live and repent in prison at cost to taxpayers of more than $750,000 over the last 22 years. It is a shame he was not taken out by some other prison thug. He contributed nothing to society up to the point of pulling the trigger and 22 years later the same can be said.
Georgia should follow Texas in eliminating the killers . Freeing them and or commuting sentence does no good. Look at the Simpson trial in which a killer was allowed to walk only to end up in prison again for burglary. Look at the Trial from 2005 in Georgia where a cold blooded murderer killed a white judge, a black policeman and 2 white clerical official staff. $2,000,000 in legal fees paid by Tax Payers and the scum will be in prison for a lifetime to be fed, and taken care of at Tax Payers expense. We can not afford to keep scum of the earth alive ..white …hispanic or black they kill someone… they are convicted… bring about execution in a timely manner.!
RogerMalcom
September 20th, 2011
2:49 pm
And I liked OJ before he went on that killing spree against those white folks in Brentwood. Heck of a running back and great actor……..
Zipperell
September 20th, 2011
2:49 pm
Even though it pains me to see crimes being committed, I can’t help but cheer inside when some people (OJ) get away with murder. Americans areso two faced that it makes me sick when they pretend to want justice and not revenge.
Tables turned
September 20th, 2011
2:51 pm
People, the 7 witnesses that recanted only done so in the last year or so, after hearing statements from the NCAAP, ACLU, Amesty International, Jimmy Carter, the Pope and bleeding heart liberials. I would think that if they were truly badgered into their testimony at the trial they would have come forward sooner than 30 years later, don’t you thank.
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
2:52 pm
My question is what does a black man have to do to draw the ire of their fellow black man?
I mean OJ was innocent, Vick deseveres a second chance, this guy is innocent, MLK is a God despite sleeping with all sorts of women other then his wife, Jesse jackson is a adulterous minister.
Meanwhile Don Imus (a GASP shock jock) calls the rutgers team a distasteful name and blacks want him fired and sent up the river.
RogerMalcom
September 20th, 2011
2:53 pm
Tables Turned – If you continue to use logic, we’re gonna have to ask you to leave this forum…..
ThelmaLou
September 20th, 2011
2:53 pm
OPIE: ‘Gee Paw, how do they decide who to kill? Seems like that Brian Nichols guy did more bad and he didn’t get killed.’ ANDY: Well Son, its how the Justice System works, and sometime its not always fair.’ OPIE: So why are kids taught to be fair, can we have our own JustUs System?’
Jerry
September 20th, 2011
2:53 pm
Tim: Good Lord man, you need to lay off the caffiene. In fact the system worked over and beyond to give this man a chance to appeal. Give me 22 years and I can find as many people to say that Hitler was really a good guy given the automtated petitions online and the various activists groups willing to use a criminal as their cause de jour.
RogerMalcom
September 20th, 2011
2:53 pm
Enter your comments here
jay
September 20th, 2011
2:54 pm
The alleged recantations were reported to the defense but when it came time for the recantation witnesses to testify in court to make it offical only 1 recanted … so essentially only 1 person admitted to lying under oath. The other 6 either did not testify, were deceased, or on the stand never stated that Davis was not the killer. READ THE ORDER.
RogerMalcom
September 20th, 2011
2:56 pm
Jay- Sorry, but if you are going to use FACTS on here, we are going to have to ask you to leave. (Please see previous post for Tables Turned).
James
September 20th, 2011
2:57 pm
Zipperell: Many Americans especially in the Southern U. S. delight in watching folks like you froth at the mouth and get your panties in a wad over our system. You are very entertaining when you are so worked up. Let us know when you need another fix.
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
2:58 pm
jay…lets not let facts get in the way of defending black people no mater how heinous the crime.
black people fussed more over imus comments then Vicks electrocuting dogs. If I walked the streets with a Don Imus T Short I would be racist but they will wear dog killer jerseys all day long.
Dwayne
September 20th, 2011
2:59 pm
Why do these discussions always devolve into you’re-stupid-no-YOU’RE-stupid kinds of playground-type squabbles.
Fine, if the article was exploring whether Kim Kardashian had cosmetic surgery; but we’re talking about life and death here.
Ol' Timer
September 20th, 2011
3:01 pm
I’ve seen alot in my years — enough to know that police, district attorneys and judges sometimes get ahead of themselves and can pervert the justice system.
I don’t know enough about the case to have an opinion; but if witnesses recanted their testimony and jurors are having second thoughts about the process that led to their verdict, then maybe there should be an ammended verdict that is not as final as taking a man’s life when there’s mounting doubt in his guilt.
But of course these district attornerys and judges are elected and they want to come across to the voters as being tough on crime even if it means bending a fact or two or doing whatever it takes to be re-elected.
The truth is we have the finest healthcare and judicial system in the world if you have tons of money. If you’re poor — the healthcare system and justice system gives you the short end of the stick.
And, so it goes.
Lulu
September 20th, 2011
3:01 pm
Patrick, Patrick, Patrick! Only racists play the race card in 2011. I believe we are a society of laws but apparently AI and Naacp think they’re too advanced in society to believe in laws. Sad. and please spare me the Europeans don’t do it card. Just as they are free to adopt any system they wish so are we. Ours are quite different societies with quite different values and thus laws. You may have noticed their system throughout history doesn’t always work well. When it doesn’t guess who they call on?
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
3:02 pm
Dwayne – my point is where were all these defenders of the innocent when the media was showing Casey Anthony to be all but certainly guilty and getting the death penalty.
The ONLY reason this gets attention is cause of race. If this was a white man his family would be helping him decide what last meal to choose and protesting innocence.
Andy
September 20th, 2011
3:04 pm
Roger Malcom, tell me about the guy he shot earlier in the night. I have never heard that part of the story. That might actually change my opinion.
Ol' Timer
September 20th, 2011
3:04 pm
@Tables Turned: I sure as hell hope you never serve on a jury. Unfortunately, many like you do.
Andy
September 20th, 2011
3:05 pm
I heard about him beating the homeless man.
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
3:05 pm
Poor Ol’ Timer….sounds like a bitter old man who is disgusted he is not in a better lot in life. My grandparents grew up poor and worked two jobs at all hours of the day to make sure they were getting a leg up. They did not have cable or some thing slike that to ensure they could make ends meet and then some.
Most people are poor because they choose to be ppor. if people don’t want to be poor then MAYBE they should cancel HBO or the smart phone or the text messaging fees or drive a reliabel old car instead of some thing that makes up for thier small junk.
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
3:06 pm
Andy – he shot at a man earlier in the night and the shell casing were exact matches,
RogerMalcom
September 20th, 2011
3:10 pm
Andy- Ron beat me to the punch. Davis shot a man named Michael Cooper and I believe wounded two others before he arrived at Burger King parking lot with Redd Coles. They were beating a homeless man, Larry Young, when McPhail tried to intervene and help. He was shot 3 times, 2 after he was on ground at very close range- once in the face. Davis fled to Atlanta afterwards.
Andy
September 20th, 2011
3:11 pm
That changes my mind completely. Eyewitness accounts are not reliable either way, but balistics have a way of telling the truth. I have changed my mind, he should be executed.
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
3:12 pm
NO Roger…you got it all wrong….Davis was merely buying a big mac and was also helping save this homeless man….Wow….talk about the wrong place at the wrong time. It happens to me a lot too.. Sometimes I go to restaurants and mind my own business and next thing you know I am wanted for murder.
RogerMalcom
September 20th, 2011
3:14 pm
I still can’t figure out how those guns find their way to my hand……
If the gun doesn’t fit, you must acquit…..or something like that.
RogerMalcom
September 20th, 2011
3:15 pm
Ron- was it a Big Mac or Whopper?
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
3:16 pm
Its obviously racism Roger. I mean all white people do all day is think of ways to stick it to the brothas.
Frankie
September 20th, 2011
3:17 pm
see you got me typing like your ignorant ass…if 10% o fblacks are on welfare that is a far lesser number than whites….
Truth
September 20th, 2011
3:18 pm
I hope he burns in hell! Cop killer! Rangers Lead The Way!
Tables turned
September 20th, 2011
3:18 pm
@ Ol’ Timer the point is if you do something wrong and a jury ( if i am on it so be it) finds you guilty do not expect to have it altered because of the color of your skin which seems to be the case here.
Dwayne
September 20th, 2011
3:19 pm
Ron – I feel that most of the time when people argue race, it is ultimately unhelpful. True, false, who knows, just unhelpful. Like raindrops drumming earthworms out of the ground, the race argument tends to summon the lowest common denominators from under their rocks . . . on both sides of the issue. Just scroll up and see.
I don’t think one needs to utter the word “race,” or even wander close to the subject, to have concerns about this case. I wasn’t there; I didn’t get to review the evidence; but apparently the persons upon whose testimony the conviction and sentence were based, had reason to doubt their own verdict.
To me, being a staunch supporter of capital punishment (as I am) means having the resolution to and will to execute the right person for the crime. The right person. Not the convenient person.
Thus, I come down differently than the family of the slain officer. However, they sat through trial, and they heard the evidence, and I did not. If their powerful belief that he should be executed is based on a powerful belief that he is the man who killed their son/father/spouse, then who am I to criticize them for it.
But of everyone else who seems to have just taken an ideological position and folded their arms and shut their brains, I am ashamed.
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
3:19 pm
because if there are 200 million people in the US for example…and 13% of that population are black and only 10% and 70% are white and of that 70%, 15% are on welfare (thats white folk) there are more people on welfare in the white community than blacks
I guess Frankie is trying to say the numbers are not fully representative. i am not sure but I GUESS that is what he is saying.
Is he saying white folks as a percentage are on welfare more or is he saying there are more white people on welfare period. I am too redneck and ignorant to understand his high level of thought.
hl
September 20th, 2011
3:20 pm
Not sure if this has been mentioned but the governor of GA cannot intervene. According to our US Constitution Presidents can only intervene Federal cases.
The prosecution did not present physical evidence tying Davis to the murder but nine witnesses testified. Seven of those witnesses recanted their testimony, does anyone know about the other two?
Was Cole one of those that didn’t change his testimony? .
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
3:22 pm
Dwayne….good thoughtful post….lets not kid ourselves here….if it were merely a conviction based on testimony I would say retrial but there is evidence as well.
Is there DNA…no….but sometimes walking and talking like a duck should convict a duck.
RogerMalcom
September 20th, 2011
3:22 pm
Ron-
I think what he’s saying is that even though Blacks make up 13% of the population, they are responsible for 78% of the crime. How’s that for math?
Warren
September 20th, 2011
3:22 pm
This is one black man that thinks the system got it right. We have allowed our culture to be hijacked by the thugs and hustlers and we do not have any respect for ourselves. It is sad to see a once proud people reduced to what we have become. We need to have a real discussion among ourselves before we compeltely devolve.
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
3:23 pm
Yes Roger but of that 78% only .00001% are guilty…the rest are victims of racism.
I get your point now Frankie.
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
3:24 pm
Good post Warren. Self accountbaility is key for any man INDIVIDUALLY and not involving skin color.
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
3:24 pm
I agree Frankie. I think killing people is wrong and should be met with capital punishment.
Bob
September 20th, 2011
3:25 pm
As I watched the protest and the calls to “Free Troy”, I was struck with the misinformation about this case. The opponents to the death penalty really looked bad and it was evident this protest was all about opposition to the death penalty and nothing about this man’s innocence. The defense has 22 years to prove his innocence, he has has 3 stays and 2 trips to the Supreme Court. It is highly likely that the recanted testimony is coerced or at best “recruited” by those opposing the death penalty. Mr Davis has the best legal representation possible for 22 years and they failed. At some point in time you have to say enough is enough.
Truth
September 20th, 2011
3:27 pm
Look at the prisons. That is a form of welfare. The taxpayers pay for that as well. Are you going to tell me more whites are in jail? 2 out of 3 black men will see jail time by their 23 birthday.
color blind man
September 20th, 2011
3:28 pm
All of you who keep posting false information should be jailed also. There was a shooting earlier in the night in which the same type of gun was used. The shell casings were not a perfect match and the ballistics expert could not confirm if the bullets came from the same gun. If you are going to tell the story please tell it correct. to date there is no physical evidence that has tied him to this crime. There were no bloody shorts. If there were we would have DNA dummies. For the sake of all man kind if there is no physical evidence how can we kill a man. Our justice system is is supposed to be guilty beyond reasonable doubt. If there is no physical evidence and just testimony that leaves doubt
Typical Redneck
September 20th, 2011
3:31 pm
Patrick
September 20th, 2011
12:49 pm
If this were a white man, convicted of killing a black police officer with the supporting testimony of witnesses who later recanted their testimony and claimed that it was forced or coerced out of them by black police officers and a black prosecuting attorney….
Then this white man would have already received a pardon from the Governor…let alone be “allowed” to rot in prison for the rest of his life
Really? Give me a break race baiter.
A dad
September 20th, 2011
3:48 pm
CBMan get your facts correct sir. The ballistic experts actually testified he was positive that a shell found by a homeless man in the parking lot of the BK/McD’s matched casings of the gun Davis used in the Coverdale pool party shooting (he shot Michael Cooper in the face earlier that day, remember?).
As far as the shorts, they were found in the dryer. Funny thing though. Only those shorts were in the dryer. Kinda wasteful to use an entire washload to wash a single pair of shorts…. And of course Davis confessed he shot McPhail to at least 2 people, one of which was his cellmate. And of course fleeing to Atlanta that night had nothing to do with it. Just like OJ driving around in the white Bronco (go ahead, accuse me of racism).
Bottom line is, there was, and still is, enough evidence/testimony/etc. to support his conviction and execution. And no, you don’t have to go to jail for posting inaccurate facts. You just don’t get to pass “go.”
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
3:51 pm
DANG….A DAD JUST SMOKED CBM!!!
Kevin
September 20th, 2011
3:52 pm
Doesn’t Barr mean that the Georgia parole board “did not honor the standards of justice” by DENYING clemency? Nonetheless, his point is clear: the board’s (and other courts’) actions are a huge disgrace.
SAWB
September 20th, 2011
3:54 pm
Why all this talk of race? Troy Davis is a criminal who murdered a Police Officer and was convicted by a racially diverse system. I fear many of you are allowing the radical liberal groups to bait you into interjecting race as an issue when it clearly is not.
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
3:55 pm
the funny thing is blacks are always saying…who are we to judge in cases like mike vick and others but when a JUDGE gives a verdict they don’t like they still are upset….can you say blinded by skin color?
JR Hartley
September 20th, 2011
3:55 pm
Charges against the 7 who changed their testimony should be a slamdunk. Either they have admitted to perjury in their original testimony or they lied when they swore they lied. Jail ‘em all for wasting the court’s time and the taxpayers’ money.
Enough Already
September 20th, 2011
3:56 pm
I’m getting tired of hearing all of these Troy Davis supporters saying he’s not guilty. That’s BS! And why isn’t the AJC not reporting ALL of the relevant information about the trial. Like the fact that Troy’s blood stained shorts were found in his mother’s home right after the murder. Or the fact that Troy had already pistol whipped someone. Or what about the fact that he shot someone in the face at a party before he shot the police officer. So please spare me the “he’s innnocent” garbage. Good reporting means reporting ALL the facts AJC.
Enough Already
September 20th, 2011
3:58 pm
that should say, “why isn’t the AJC reporting all the facts.” Check the Savannah papers for ALL of the information on this horrific murder of a police officer.
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
3:59 pm
JR Hartley…those 7 people are not perjurers…they are probably black and thus innocent.
Ron Burgundy
September 20th, 2011
4:00 pm
Enough Already….its pure irony and happenstance…no way a black guy would shoot two people in one night. John lewis has always been a straight shooter who never let race interfere with his actions so i sday let this guy go!
JR Hartley
September 20th, 2011
4:06 pm
The real tragedy is that those opposed to executing murderers are usually OK with killing innocent babies.
stop the madness!
September 20th, 2011
4:09 pm
Seems that they want someone to pay for this police officer’s death and I get that, but why put to death an innocent man? Because they want a Black man to pay for this man’s death…doesn’t matter who, just a Black man. It is so amazing this country is still divided by race. This is just a modern day lynching and for all of you who agree with this cruel injustice, I hope someday when you least expect it, someone will accuse you of a crime, far be it from murder, and you have to defend your innocence. Georgia is still a racist state, just like Mississippi….
SAWB
September 20th, 2011
4:13 pm
“Seems that they want someone to pay for this police officer’s death and I get that, but why put to death an innocent man?”
Troy Davis is not innocent he was convicted by a jury that included African Americans. Stop the race bating and misinformation!
Mert
September 20th, 2011
4:14 pm
I have no opinion on this case as I have not followed it and have no knowledge about this case.
I do, however, find the request of some Ga lawmakers for a sick out to be totally disgusting. Do you know how many lives you are placing in danger by calling for this measure? How can you put the lives of your citizens at risk in this way?
rockytop
September 20th, 2011
4:16 pm
Hopefully John Lewis will resign now – he is as sorry as the day is long. And the other fool that is calling for a walk-out of the prison guards – what kind of idiot are you? When this sorry man came to court in Savannah last year he wanted the prison guards to stop for dinner – what makes him think the GA Tax payers need to take him out to dinner. I feel sorry for the police force on the streets of Savannah for the next few days – they will suffer the results of this board. My heart goes out to the family of the slain police officer — they have lived with this for 20 years – children without a father. The family of the convicted should be also remembered for trying to fight for someone they probably knew in their hearts could have committed this crime. Justice has spoken – if Obama pardons this guy then his reelection should be over by the weekend.
tim
September 20th, 2011
4:17 pm
VINNY FORT…A work stoppage? Isn’t that what you’re all about. You don’t work, you complain. just shut up for once and PAY YOUR DELINQUENT TAXES!
You are a joke….
brad
September 20th, 2011
4:30 pm
Thanks, Dekalb Man, for demonstrating that racism is very much alive and well in Georgia. Regardless of whether it’s a material factor in the Troy Davis case, it’s absurd to claim, as several on this blog have, that racism does not exist.
Emma
September 20th, 2011
4:30 pm
Wellll if it’s totally up to the officer’s mother, she basically said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth: On 9/28/08 Annaliese, McPhail’s mother reacts angrily to the latest stay “My son is dead. Their’s is alive, That’s just the way I feel.” I guess she feels someone had to pay for her son’s death…
TP4U
September 20th, 2011
4:36 pm
@gm – Correction–there are two African American males on the Georgia Pardon & Parole Board. In addition, there’s one white female and two white males. They did not disclose who voted for or against clemency; however, you need three votes to overturn the execution.
DamntheButcher
September 20th, 2011
4:40 pm
Black or White… White or Black. If you kill, shoot, rob then you are one SOB that needs to DIE. These idiots that are saying Troy Davis is innocent would have turned Brian Nichols lose. The idiots in the inner city are nothing more than uneducated fools. They all grow up wanting to be Rappers, Models and pro Ball players. They wilol say that a Black man don’t have a chance. Excuse me….. IS Obama Black? Did he come from a single home? Enough said.. Case Closed and Troy Davis will Die tomorrow.
DamntheButcher
September 20th, 2011
4:43 pm
And why do Blacks want to be called African Americans??? I am white and I dont want to be called a Irish American.. A English American. I am an AMERICAN. I couldn’t care less about the people from where ever my family came from 300 years ago.
TP4U
September 20th, 2011
4:44 pm
@GM – Please get yourself a dictionary. Your spelling is terrible.
DamntheButcher
September 20th, 2011
4:45 pm
Pardo.. What a Joke
Do you mean George Wallace the Black comedian or the former Governor of Alabama??? LMAO
A dad
September 20th, 2011
4:46 pm
Just out of curiousity, would all posters who think the Troy Davis case is about nothing more than racism please respond by posting “aye!”
Thank you in advance for your honesty.
Senator Bob Barr - From CNN.COM
September 20th, 2011
4:47 pm
Only the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles stood between life and death for Troy Anthony Davis, and the core principles of American jurisprudence should have been the board’s guide. But the board ignored those principles in denying Davis clemency.
Davis was convicted in 1991 of the 1989 murder of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail. But the trial included no physical evidence to support his conviction. The prosecution produced no murder weapon, no DNA evidence and no surveillance tapes.
He was sentenced to death on the basis of nine so-called eyewitnesses, who testified in the trial. Seven of those witnesses, however, have since recanted or materially changed their stories. The jury, for instance, relied on two people who did not witness the crime but who testified that Davis had confessed to the shooting. Since then, both have said they were lying.
The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles declared in 2007 that it “will not allow an execution to proceed in this state unless and until its members are convinced that there is no doubt as to the guilt of the accused.”
Bob BarrAnd in the Davis case, a significant measure of doubt remained.
The U.S. Supreme Court took the extraordinary step of ordering a lower court to conduct an evidentiary hearing in the case because of the witness recantations and the absence of hard evidence. But in that hearing, the federal judge established a much higher standard of proof than the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles. After finding — astonishingly for the first time — that executing an innocent man is unconstitutional, the court then required Davis to prove that he was innocent.
Proving innocence is far more difficult than establishing doubts as to one’s guilt and flips our system of criminal jurisprudence on its head. Instead of the American system’s presumption of innocence and a requirement that the state prove guilt, Davis’ evidentiary hearing began with the court presuming guilt and required the condemned to prove his innocence.
Even though the judge in the evidentiary hearing denied Davis a new trial, he conceded the standard was “extraordinarily high.”
Davis was unable to meet this nearly insurmountable task. But while he fell short of “proving” his innocence, he established doubts as to his guilt, prompting the judge to concede the state’s case against him was “not ironclad.”
I support the death penalty, and have for a long time. And I am not making a judgment as to whether Davis is guilty or innocent. But surely the citizens of Savannah and the state of Georgia want justice served on behalf of MacPhail, the police officer.
Imposing a death sentence on the skimpiest of evidence does not serve the interest of justice. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles did not honor the standards of justice on which all Americans depend by granting clemency. In doing so, it will allow a man to be executed when we cannot be assured of his guilt.
That was the final admirable principle standing between Davis and his scheduled death by lethal injection Wednesday. And the parole board did not uphold it.
JSH
September 20th, 2011
4:50 pm
This guy should have been executed years ago. White or black, it should’nt matter. The travesty with this case is that it has been allowed to go on too long.
brad
September 20th, 2011
5:18 pm
Ron: Agreed, it goes both ways.
brad
September 20th, 2011
5:22 pm
Obama does not have the authority to stop a state execution. Hate him or love him, but at least get the facts right.
gm
September 20th, 2011
5:28 pm
Did this surprise any one? around the world, georgia is view as a state of hicks and red necks, killing this man shows what a bunch of racist rep conservatives that run this state. Nathan Deal and the rest of these hypocrites rep conservatives will attend church on sunday like nothing never happen.
Now if Troy was running a football for these modern day klansmen tea party hicks, he would have been freed, you had top officials around the world calling to spare this man life, but what do the white board of hicksville do, turn their head, there is no evidence to kill this man, but our rep conservatives terroist will show no mercy.
African Americans will have a better chance with the terrorist overseas then the ones that live in Georgia.
gm
September 20th, 2011
5:35 pm
Buckhead Lady
If it was not for the black men of civil rights movement you white women would still be in the background fetching beers, so you gain your rights off the blood of black men, idiot.
Patrick
September 20th, 2011
5:42 pm
@What’s Important-
The OJ trial took place in California…not Jim Crowe Savannah. OJ was a football star and celebrity, not your typical African American. And the OJ case was a circus and ruined by the jury.
You can’t even begin to draw connections between OJ and Davis. In Davis’s case, 7 of the 9 non-police witnesses have withdrawn their testimony and many said they felt forced to testify against Davis. This is a big deal. People don’t admit to perjury lightly.
In the OJ case no one has accused the defense or prosecutors of any wrongdoing. No one has said OJ got off because people lied under oath, forced to do so by the defense. Other than them being black they have nothing in common.
John Justice
September 20th, 2011
5:45 pm
The facts revealed that Troy Davis was once an evil human being who pistol whipped a helpless homeless person. I pray that he has asked for forgiveness and has been saved.
Rick
September 20th, 2011
5:50 pm
A low point for humanity, the criminal justice system, and the continuing effort of Georgia to enter the enlightenment of the 21st century on this issue. We will be diminished tomorrow.
Troy Davis updates: Davis addresses supporters, Georgia lawmakers call for prison strike, protesting preacher arrested | Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
September 20th, 2011
9:24 pm
[...] WXIA11 Atlanta: Georgia state senator Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta) released a more detailed statement calling for a [...]