Troy Davis was executed for shooting a police officer in Georgia in 1989 at 11:08p.m. on September 21, 2011

I glued myself to my Droid, using Tweetcaster to keep me updated. Riot police gathered outside of the prison where he was being held. There were reports that even the Ku Klux Klan made an appearance in Jackson last night. Indeed, the eyes of the world were on Troy Davis, the Supreme Court of the United States, and our so called “justice system.” We have been here before, Oscar Grant, Rodney King. Certainly, we thought we had come just a bit too far to see it happen again. We were wrong. Regardless of Troy Davis’s guilt or innocence, there was no gun linking him to this crime, there was no DNA evidence linking him to this crime, there were 10 eyewitnesses. 7 of those 10 either recanted their testimony in part or completely, or charged that they were coerced by police into testifying against Davis. Despite those facts, despite a world-wide outcry, Troy Davis was executed for shooting a police officer in Georgia in 1989 at 11:08p.m. on September 21, 2011. Make no mistake about it, there is nothing liberal or conservative about this tragedy. There was simply too much doubt for this man to be put to death. Again, this system is failing us all; men, women, white, and black (yes a white man was put to death in Texas yesterday as well). Duke’s own Dr. Mark Anthony Neal remarked, “Every generation has to cross their River Jordan; this is your River Jordan.” I hope we make it.

Troy Davis

troy davis