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Oh the irony. Yesterday, which was The UN Day of Peace, Troy Davis, a handsome, 42 year old, man of colour, (which needs to be said, because jim crow still exists) who had been in prison for 22 years, was killed on death row. He was sent to prison when he was 20 years old, for the alleged killing of a 'good ole' boy', who was a cop, to boot. The cards were stacked against Davis from the getgo; he was 'the wrong colour', as it were, in the south.
He claimed he was innocent all along, and so did many of the witnesses, many of whom recanted their original statements which were given under duress ( ie: police force). Davis had heaps of supporters, including Jimmy Carter, The NAACP; headed by the Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, both of whom I have great respect for, and even a former FBI Director; William Sessions http://rt.com/usa/news/fbi-troy-davis-sessions-659/
“In 82% of the studies [reviewed], race of the victim was found to influence the likelihood of being charged with capital murder or receiving the death penalty, i.e., those who murdered whites were found more likely to be sentenced to death than those who murdered blacks."
He claimed he was innocent all along, and so did many of the witnesses, many of whom recanted their original statements which were given under duress ( ie: police force). Davis had heaps of supporters, including Jimmy Carter, The NAACP; headed by the Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, both of whom I have great respect for, and even a former FBI Director; William Sessions http://rt.com/usa/news/fbi-troy-davis-sessions-659/
“In 82% of the studies [reviewed], race of the victim was found to influence the likelihood of being charged with capital murder or receiving the death penalty, i.e., those who murdered whites were found more likely to be sentenced to death than those who murdered blacks."
- United States General Accounting Office, Death Penalty Sentencing, February 1990” (http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/race-death-row-inmates-executed-1976hate, racism, segregation, poverty)
America likes to think of itself as a shining star, free of such vile conditions such as Hate, segregation, poverty and the big, ugly --racism, in particular, jim crow.
An innocent man, Troy Davis, was killed last night, by men in suits, who were doing what was expected of them, in order to keep their good, shiny, government jobs. And how are the men who injected Troy Davis with death serum, any different from nazis? Nazis too did what they were told without ever questioning authority so they could keep their fancy jobs.
Here are some final words from Mr. Davis: The first quote was told to a correspondent of Amnesty International USA, Abolish the Death Penalty Campaign team, who met with Troy Davis yesterday to convey the support that he has had from everyone. He asked Amnesty USA to deliver this message back to his supporters:
"The struggle for justice doesn't end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davises who came before me and all the ones who will come after me. I'm in good spirits and I'm prayerful and at peace."
How beautiful is that? That can was able to be prayerful and at peace in such darkness; waiting to die, for a crime he did not commit.
And, here are Troy Davis’s very last spoken words:
I'd like to address the MacPhail family. Let you know, despite the situation you are in, I'm not the one who personally killed your son, your father, your brother. I am innocent. The incident that happened that night is not my fault. I did not have a gun. All I can ask ... is that you look deeper into this case so that you really can finally see the truth. I ask my family and friends to continue to fight this fight. For those about to take my life, God have mercy on your souls. And may God bless your souls.
In Mr. Davis’s last words, not only does he maintain his innocence, but he continues to extend his heart, and compassion to the people who wanted him dead, which I find astounding. I’ve seen that happen also when people have had a family member brutally murdered. Instead of having raging hate for the killer, the families always turn into some kind of Bodhisattva's, and say how they forgive the killer, and pity him/her. It always humbles me to no end when people who have suffered so much can still find so much forgiveness, and incredible amounts of compassion in their hearts. Clearly, the "victims'" family were no Bodhisattva's.
What if we all had more compassion for each other, all the time?
