When the case has sparked worldwide attention, and it seems everybody doubts his guilt, it is strange to me that he through his appeal process was required to "prove his innocence" rather than the prosecution being required to prove him guilty "beyond any reasonable doubt". If the latter was not done in the first trial, and there remains overwhelming doubt about his guilt, should the prosecution not be required to prove the case before killing a man? That this was a death penalty case in the first place with the lack of physical evidence, is quite another story.
MSNBC reports that Davis maintained his innocence until the end and asked for prayers for his executioners.
The only ones who seemed to be pleased with the outcome, was the victim's family and Spencer Lawton, the district attorney who secured Davis' conviction in 1991. Spencer said he was embarrassed for the judicial system — not because of the execution, but because it has taken so long to carry out.
"What we have had is a manufactured appearance of doubt which has taken on the quality of legitimate doubt itself. And all of it is exquisitely unfair," said Lawton, who retired as Chatham County's head prosecutor in 2008. "The good news is we live in a civilized society where questions like this are decided based on fact in open and transparent courts of law, and not on street corners." A manufactured appearance of doubt? When 7 of the 9 witnesses recant their statements, and 10 people point to another suspect - where is the manufactured appearance? And exactly which part of killing a possibly innocent man makes our society "civilized"?
I hope this will go down in the books as the biggest mistake of the justice system in the state of Georgia. Unfortunately, it is not one that can be undone.
Sharing a portion of an email I received from ColorOfChange.org:
ReplyDeleteA powerful movement
For years, ColorOfChange members have been an important part of a growing movement to stop Troy Davis' execution. Hundreds of phone calls from ColorOfChange members to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole helped delay Davis' execution twice. Over the past year, there's been a huge outpouring of support for Davis from ColorOfChange members — more than 100,000 of us have signed petitions, and we raised more than $30,000 to run radio ads in Georgia calling for justice for Troy.
And we've been part of an even bigger movement — NAACP, Amnesty International, National Action Network, Change.org, and others have all been a major part of the fight for Troy Davis, and there are now over close to a million petition signatures overall. Prominent people from all across the political spectrum have spoken out: members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Desmond Tutu, former President Jimmy Carter, Pope Benedict XVI, former FBI Director William Sessions, former Georgia Republican congressman Bob Barr, and former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Norman Fletcher.
This movement couldn't stop Davis' execution — but it's a movement that won't die with Troy Davis. There's no better way to honor Troy's memory than to keep fighting for justice.
Thanks and Peace,
-- Rashad, James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
September 21st, 2011