Monday, June 21, 2010

COURT DATE AND GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION FOR TROY DAVIS TOMORROW & WEDNESDAY

COURT DATE AND GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION FOR TROY DAVIS TOMORROW & WEDNESDAY !!! - FTP MOVEMENT
Court date set for Troy Davis, an innocent man on Death Row

By: Eugene Puryear

Still fighting for justice after 19 years behind bars

After 19 years on death row, two scheduled executions, innumerable court hearings, rallies and teach-ins, Troy Davis will finally get
his day in court on June 23. In line with the most recent Supreme Court
ruling, the U.S. Federal District Court in Savannah, Ga., will hear evidence as
to Davis’s innocence. Davis was convicted in 1991 of the 1989 murder of
police officer Mark Allen MacPhail. While no gun was found and no physical
evidence linked Davis to the crime, the prosecution produced nine witnesses who
testified to Davis’s guilt.

Troy Davis

Since that time, however, seven of the original nine prosecution witnesses have recanted their testimony.
Nine new witnesses have come forward to support claims of Davis’s innocence. Despite this, courts from Georgia to the U.S. Supreme Court have passed the buck,
either denying Davis a hearing on the new evidence or handing off responsibility to another jurisdiction. Further hampering Davis’s efforts to
have his case heard with new evidence is the fact that Georgia does not guarantee counsel for the appeals of death row inmates, leaving him until recently without effective counsel.

Davis’s case has become a rallying cry for those who oppose the racist death penalty. Tens of thousands of
people around the world have recognized that the conviction of Davis fits the pattern
perfectly for the racist application of the death penalty in the United States.In Georgia, specifically, the American Bar Association found a person is 4.5
times more likely to be sentenced to death for killing a white person than for
killing a Black person. It is obvious that Georgia’s legal
authorities want to continue to muzzle Troy Davis to avoid exposing the reality of their sense of “justice.” With seven witnesses recanting and nine new witnesses, further investigation in the case of Davis will undoubtedly
reveal police misconduct, coercion and lack of due diligence. Further, the
sentence of death and prosecutors’ zeal to ignore potential exonerating evidence
will go even further to show that the entire death penalty process is more about
playing on racist prejudices for political reasons than finding the truth or
“crime prevention.”

After 19 years on death row, more than enough potentially exonerating testimony has come to light for Troy
Davis to, at the very least, receive a new hearing. To his many supporters, it is enough evidence to support his freedom.

19 years too many!

Abolish the racist death penalty!

Free Troy Davis!

Troy Davis Campaign: June 22 Global Day of Solidarity

Troy Davis has a hearing date (June 23, 2010) – Please Take Action!

Who:
Everyone who is
concerned about the human rights case of Troy Davis.

What:
A day of
solidarity activities in communities around the world.

When:
Tuesday, June
22, 2010 (anytime). (This is the day before the hearing).

Where:
A visible
location in your community.

Why:
To keep a light
on the Troy Davis case and to demonstrate a global community
standing together and remain vigilant as the court reviews the new
evidence.

How:
Please organize an activity, such as:

a. a vigil
b. tabling
c. a teach-in

This kit provides some "how to" guides on organizing activities. Also, please use the tools—the event sign-in sheet to keep in touch
with folks who come out, the fact sheet to educate them about the
case, the petition and the handbill about the photo mosaic action.
At all events, please take part in the photo mosaic action ("Lend
Your Face for Justice").

Important:
We want to be
able to report how many events will be taking place to demonstrate
the tremendous support. Please email

dpac@aiusa.org
to let us know if you will
organize an activity. Please include the name of your community,
the type of event and how others can join you (i.e. a contact name,
email address, time and location of the activity).

Available resources: For links and downloadable items, visit

www.justicefortroy.org

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