Let Justice Prevail

Toady, a potentially innocent man is scheduled to be executed in Georgia. Troy Anthony Davis was convicted on killing an off-duty police officer in 1991. However, since that time seven of the nine key witnesses against Davis have recanted their testimony, helping to cast doubt on his guilt.

Click here to read the details from the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Davis has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but they are not scheduled to hear his case until after he is executed. Courts in Georgia are not willing to postpone the execution until after the Supreme Court has made its ruling.

There are numerous problems with this situation. First, by going on with the execution, the state of Georgia is denying the opportunity for justice to be fully fulfilled. What should happen if the Supreme Court decides that Davis is innocent, or that he should receive a new trial or have his sentence commuted to life in prison? By then, it will be too late to administer this justice, because he will already be dead. By refusing to wait, Georgia is denying Davis his rights as a human being, closing off the opportunity for justice to be administered on his behalf.

Second, there is the fact that Davis may just be innocent. As stated above, most of the prosecution's witnesses recanted their testimony. In addition, ABC News reports that there was "no physical evidence tying Davis to the murder" and that "several new witnesses have come forward to implicate another man in the crime." Clearly, there is legitimate reason to believe that Davis is not guilty. How can one justify the execution of a man for a crime he may not have committed? The least the state can do is to wait for the Supreme Court to issue its ruling. To issue the ultimate, unending, irreversible punishment to a potentially innocent person is one of the greatest crimes that a government can commit. It betrays the lack of true justice in this country.

Although we will never know the answer to this question for sure, one can only wonder if a white man would receive the same treatment.

** Update: A good idea from another blog A La Gauche:

Please call the Georgia Parole Board at 404-651-6671. This is the direct line. A live person will pick up. Just give your name and your state and tell them that you disagree with their decision to deny clemency to Troy Davis. And even though it's easy to get angry with the situation, remember to be polite.