African-American man from Georgia, faces execution for
purportedly killing a police officer.
Seven out of nine witnesses have recanted or
contradicted their testimony, no murder weapon was
found, and no physical evidence links Davis to the
crime. The Georgia Board of Pardon and Paroles has
voted to deny clemency, yet Governor Sonny Perdue can
still exercise leadership to ensure that Troy Davis's
death sentence is commuted.
Please sign the petition asking him to support clemency
for Davis. The Georgia State Conference of the NAACP,
which has been a leader in the fight for Troy Davis,
will deliver the petition to the governor to ensure
your voice is heard.
The case of Troy Davis highlights the need for criminal
justice reform in the United States. The NAACP, with
its long and accomplished history of promoting civil
rights, is on the forefront of a movement to
revolutionize the criminal justice system.
More than 60% of the people in prison are people of
color. For Black males in their twenties, 1 in every 8
is in prison or jail on any given day. These trends
have been intensified by the disproportionate impact of
the "war on drugs," in which three-fourths of all
persons in prison for drug offenses are people of
color. The most extreme end of the criminal justice
system, the implementation of the death penalty, is no
exception: currently, more than 41% of those on death
row are Black. We must fight for change.
Please help us fight for the rights -- and life -- of
Troy Davis today.
Here are some facts about Davis's case:
Davis was sentenced to death for the murder of Police
Officer Mark Allen MacPhail at a Burger King in
Savannah, Georgia, a murder he maintains he did not
commit. There was no physical evidence against him and
the weapon used in the crime was never found. The case
against him consisted entirely of witness testimony
which contained inconsistencies even at the time of the
trial. Since then, all but two of the state's non-
police witnesses from the trial have recanted or
contradicted their testimony. Many of these witnesses
have stated in sworn affidavits that they were
pressured or coerced by police into testifying or
signing statements against Troy Davis.
One of the two witnesses who has not recanted his
testimony is Sylvester "Red" Coles -- the principle
alternative suspect, according to the defense, against
whom there is new evidence implicating him as the
gunman. Nine individuals have signed affidavits
implicating Sylvester Coles.
Please urge Georgia Gov. Perdue to commute Davis's
sentence and bring justice to this case by signing our
petition today.
The case of Troy Davis highlights the need for criminal
justice reform in the United States.
Please help us fight for the rights -- and life -- of
Troy Davis today by signing the petition below, asking
Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue to act on behalf of
justice and commute Troy Davis's death sentence.
Benjamin Todd Jealous President and CEO NAACP
====
click below to send e-petition
====
I urge you to commute the death sentence of Troy Davis
to ensure that Georgia does not put to death a man who
may well be innocent.
Mr. Davis has a strong claim to innocence, but he could
be executed without a court ever holding a hearing on
his claims. Because of this, I urge you to act in the
interests of justice and support clemency for Troy
Davis. An execution without a proper hearing on
significant evidence of innocence would compromise the
integrity of Georgia's justice system.
As you may know, Mr. Davis was convicted of the 1989
murder of police officer Mark MacPhail, a conviction
based solely on witness testimony. Seven of the nine
non-police witnesses have recanted or contradicted
their trial testimony. The courts, citing procedural
rules and time limits, have so far refused to hold an
evidentiary hearing to examine these witnesses.
Executive clemency exists, and executive action - and
your leadership - is required to preserve justice when
the protections afforded by our appeals process fail to
do so.
Thank you for your attention.
_____________________________________________
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