Troy Davis' fate "hangs by a thread"

[editor]

America's shame:

The US state of Georgia's supreme court has rejected an appeal by death row inmate Troy Davis, a cause celebre, who is about to face a lethal injection.

The 42-year-old - whose execution was scheduled for 19:00 EST (23:00 GMT) on Wednesday - has filed a last appeal to the US Supreme Court.

Seven out of nine witnesses recanted their testimony in the case. Protests and vigils have been held all week.

Davis' request for a polygraph test was denied by prison officials.

He was convicted in 1991 of killing Mark MacPhail, an off-duty police officer, but maintains he is innocent.

Mark MacPhail was shot dead in July 1989 as he tried to help a homeless man who was being attacked in a Burger King car park.

Prosecutors say Davis was beating the man with a gun after demanding a beer from him.

But no gun was ever found and no DNA evidence conclusively linked Davis to the murder.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15008387

 

[Fingers]

rolling live coverage here

http://www.democracynow.org/

 

[editor]

Guardian piece:

The execution of Troy Davis was delayed temporarily by the US supreme court on Wednesday night, in a dramatic intervention just as he was due to be put to death by lethal injection.

As the first news came in at the Jackson prison that houses death row, a huge cheer erupted from a crowd of more than 500 protesters that had amassed on the other side of the road.

Davis's supporters kissed each other and threw placards which read "Not in my name" into the air.

But the jubilation was short-lived. Talk of a reprieve from the US supreme court quickly gave way to rumours of a stay, and finally the realisation that the court had only ordered a temporary delay as it considered the matter. The mood then grew more sombre as the waiting game that has now been going on for years with Davis resumed.

Until the delay was announced it seemed almost certain that Davis would be executed. Earlier on Wednesday, Georgia's supreme court had rejected a last-ditch appeal by Davis's lawyers over the 1989 murder of off-duty policeman Mark MacPhail, for which Davis had been convicted despite overwhelming evidence that the conviction is unreliable.

A Butts County superior court judge had also declined to stop the execution.

Davis's attorneys had filed an appeal challenging ballistics evidence linking Davis to the crime, and eyewitness testimony identifying Davis as the killer.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/22/troy-davis-execution-delayed

 

[Vintage Paw]

Interesting to see twitter coverage has exploded. Also interesting to note that it's primarily my European contacts who are tweeting about it. My American ones are largely silent. Considering the time of day, when Europe is going to sleep and America is home from work, I'm finding that .... well, I don't know. Do we care more about it than they do? And if so, why?

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Interesting to see twitter coverage has exploded. Also interesting to note that it's primarily my European contacts who are tweeting about it. My American ones are largely silent. Considering the time of day, when Europe is going to sleep and America is home from work, I'm finding that .... well, I don't know. Do we care more about it than they do? And if so, why?

Don't know how accurate this is from Wiki, but interesting nevertheless

Capital punishment has often been a contentious social issue in the United States; while historically, a large majority of the American public has favored it in cases of murder, the extent of this support has varied over time, and there has long been strong opposition from some sectors of the population. While public support today is substantially lower than it was in the 1980s and '90s (in 1994 it reached an all-time high of 80%), it has been largely static over the past decade.[7] A 2010 Gallup poll showed 64% of Americans favored it in cases of murder, while 29% opposed it.[8] When life in prison without parole is listed as a poll option, the support for the death penalty drops; one 2001 poll showed 46% of Americans would prefer the death penalty and 45% would prefer life in prison.[9]

 

[Fingers]

Not sure, a fair few of my american mates on facebook are expressing disgust. most of them are lefties though

 

[rollinder]

from the thread over in general
http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/we-are-going-to-kill-you-not-really-yes-we-are-no-were-not.281315/

posted by Mation
"

AnonymousIRC

Word is the Supreme Court gave a 7 day reprieve for the execution. He still can be executed within this week. DON'T YOU DARE. #TroyDavis​

Interesting."
http://twitter.com/#!/anonymousirc

 

[Fingers]

White Nationalist in Texas has also been executed in texas tonight, he dragged a black guy by rope from the back of his pickup.

 

[editor]

from the thread over in general
http://www.urban75.net/forums/threa...you-not-really-yes-we-are-no-were-not.281315/

The perils of a thread with a vague title posted in the wrong forum! I searched this forum before posting too but didn't think there'd be a thread in general.

Let me move it here and add Troy Davis to the title.

 

[Vintage Paw]

Saw that 7 day reprieve thing. Have also seen another report that some sort of decision may be made within the next 10 minutes.

http://twitter.com/#!/kayaburgess/status/116667864336961536

 

[Vintage Paw]

http://www.thenation.com/blog/16355...e-georgia-prison-where-troy-davis-be-executed

Live stream from outside the prison, with the protestors.

It's all rather gruesome, isn't it?

 

[editor]

If there's even 1% of doubt, how the fuck can they even entertain the idea of an execution?

 

[Vintage Paw]

An awful lot of police have gathered, cars with their sirens blazing. Troy's sister believes it's just intimidation tactics, but everything seems rather chaotic right now. I don't think anyone really knows what's going on.

I think a lot of people are getting distracted by the "doubt" issue. The discussion should be about the existence of the death penalty in the first place. I just hope this reinvigorates that debate.

 

[Fingers]

dcision maybe imminent

 

[story]

An awful lot of police have gathered, cars with their sirens blazing. Troy's sister believes it's just intimidation tactics, but everything seems rather chaotic right now. I don't think anyone really knows what's going on.

I think a lot of people are getting distracted by the "doubt" issue. The discussion should be about the existence of the death penalty in the first place. I just hope this reinvigorates that debate.

Some of them on the live feed are bringing it up. But yeah, it ought to be a national debate. But it won't be. This is the place where the citizenry are permitted to carry concealed weapons in public ffs. And where the police will beat a man to death in the street.

 

[Miss Caphat]

An awful lot of police have gathered, cars with their sirens blazing. Troy's sister believes it's just intimidation tactics, but everything seems rather chaotic right now. I don't think anyone really knows what's going on.

I think a lot of people are getting distracted by the "doubt" issue. The discussion should be about the existence of the death penalty in the first place. I just hope this reinvigorates that debate.

distracted? cases like this go against the core principles of democracy and our legal system.
yes, the death penalty is an important issue, but it's certainly not the only issue in this case. Where are you?

 

[Fingers]

so they are using the drugs that the cunt from the london driving school sold them illegaly?

 

[story]

so they are using the drugs that the cunt from the london driving school sold them illegaly?

And allegedly Dr Muso and his team at Rainbow Medical are not licenced or trained to use the stuff.

http://www.amnestyusa.org/pdfs/062011complaint.pdf

http://www.schr.org/files/post/Complaint Form -- SUPPLEMENT to Original Complaint.pdf

 

[TheHoodedClaw]

Supreme Court just declined to stay the execution.

 

[Vintage Paw]

Yes, he's to be executed in the next 30 minutes.

A dreadful decision, on so many levels.

 

[etnea]

awful

 

[Vintage Paw]

Time of death 11:08 EST.

Barbaric.

 

[Miss Caphat]

 

[albionism]

I'm utterly sickened. How absolutely fucking awful

 

[dylanredefined]

White Nationalist in Texas has also been executed in texas tonight, he dragged a black guy by rope from the back of his pickup.

I guess there was no doubt to his guilt?Thats the only problem with opposing the death penalty.When their not murdering a potentioly
innocent man.Its hard to work up any enthusiasm about saving the life of someone who does something like that.

 

[Mr.Bishie]

“It is better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one.”

Voltaire

 

[danny la rouge]

Utterly shocking.

I'd written at Amnesty's bidding, so I was quite well versed in his case. It is hard to see this as anything other than a "legal lynching".

 

[5t3IIa]

Civilisation, my fat arse.

 

[danny la rouge]

Civilisation, my fat arse.

Sickening, isn't it? I'm angry and depressed this morning.

 

[QueenOfGoths]

Sickening, isn't it? I'm angry and depressed this morning.

Yup, just horrible, barbaric and as you say very depressing.