[act-ma] 05/19 Stop the Execution of Troy Davis -- Join May 19 Day of Action!

Boston Militant Labor Forum bostonmlf at yahoo.com
Sun May 17 09:50:39 PDT 2009


We encourage everyone to join in the International Day of 
Action on May 19 to Stop the Execution of Troy Davis! 

Davis is fighting his execution and his case is now pending before the Supreme Court. Below is an article in the current issue of the Militant that explains the facts of his case.   

Amnesty International and other groups are helping to sponsor actions and three are scheduled for Massachusetts on this coming Tuesday, one in Somerville, one in Webster, and one in Sherborn.  We hope to see you there.  (There is also an event scheduled for Concord, NH.)
 
Actions in Massachusetts
Rally, Tuesday, May 19
Boston
Cluster Rally for Troy Davis in Davis Square - Somerville, MA
When: 5:30 - 7:00 PM    City: Somerville
Location: Davis Square
Organizers: Florinda Russo
Contact: Florinda Russo, frusso at aiusa.org

Candlelight Vigil
for Troy Davis
Come
out to show your support for justice for Troy Davis. Bring your own candle or
sign.
When: Tuesday May 19 7:00 p.m.  City: Webster
Location: Outside Webster Town Hall
350 Main Street
Webster, MA 01570
Organizers: Local Group 356 Webster MA
Contact: Debbie Horan, 508-949-6232, cebacher at charter.net
or booklovers at verizon.net


 
Candle Light Vigil -- May 19

A
candle light vigil at the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, MA with Chad Stokes
of State Radio and Dispatch. Visit www.callingallcrows.org for more information
When: 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM   City: Sherborn
Location: Peace Abbey
Organizers: Matt Wilhelm
Contact: Matt Wilhelm, matt at callingallcrows.org


______________________________________________

http://www.themilitant.com/2009/7320/732005.html


  

Vol. 73/No. 20      May 25, 2009 
 

Int’l day of action to demand:
Stop execution of Troy Davis! 
 (front page)
 
BY BEN JOYCE
AND CHERYL GOERTZ  
Supporters of Troy Davis, a frame-up victim on death row, are
stepping up a campaign to halt his execution and win his release. An
international day of action with rallies, demonstrations, petition
drives, cultural events, and other activities is being organized May 19
to spread the word about his case, now pending action by the U.S.
Supreme Court.


Davis was arrested in 1989 and convicted in 1991 for the killing
of a white police officer in Savannah, Georgia. At the time, he was 20
years old. 


Davis maintains that he is innocent. The prosecution’s
argument rests solely on witness testimony as no physical evidence has
been presented. Nine people claimed they were witness to the 1989
murder and implicated Davis at the time of the trial. However, seven of
the nine have since recanted or contradicted their statements and
several have signed affidavits stating that they were pressured or
coerced by police to testify against Davis. 


On October 24, three days before Davis was scheduled to be
executed, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals granted Davis a stay of
execution to consider a new appeal. On April 16 the court denied that
appeal, saying he had come forward with the issues and new evidence too
late. They granted him a 30-day stay of execution so that he could
apply for appeal to the Supreme Court. 
Dissenting from the April 16 decision, Judge Rosemary Barkett
wrote, “The concept of punishing an innocent defendant with the penalty
of death simply because he did not file his papers as early as he
should have is draconian.” To do so in the face of a significant amount
of evidence that may establish his actual innocence, she said, is
“unconscionable and unconstitutional.” 


The May 19 international day of action will include activities
in over 30 states across the United States, as well as several cities
in Europe, Australia, and the Americas. 


Davis’s sister Martina Correia told the Militant, “We
are asking people to write to Attorney General Eric Holder and to
[President] Obama, asking them to repeal the Antiterrorism and
Effective Death Penalty Act.” That act from the Clinton administration
limits the number of appeals death row prisoners can make and serves as
the basis for the court’s denial of Davis’s appeal. 


Gabrielle Canon, a senior at the University of Southern
California and an organizer for a march and vigil in Los Angeles, told
the Militant,“The fact that he has been denied appeal
so many times at different levels when they don’t even have any
physical evidence against him is ridiculous… . The more people know
about this case, the more they’ll want to do something about it.” 


“The facts in this case are profound,” Thenjiwe McHarris of Amnesty International in New York told the Militant.
“It really shows the racial injustice within the criminal justice
system.” McHarris, who is helping organize a demonstration in New
York’s Union Square on the 19th, urged groups and individuals who
oppose the death penalty or support Davis’s case to participate in a
local action or reach out in their own way. 


In Atlanta, there will be a rally organized by the NAACP and
Amnesty International on the Capitol steps. In Washington an interfaith
service will be held at All Souls Unitarian Church. In Chicago
activities will be held at Federal Plaza and outside the Student Center
on the DePaul campus. A list of activities can be found at: www.amnestyusa.org. 


      
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