Milwaukee, WI, – Over 30 people gathered for an evening vigil, Sept. 22, the day after the execution of Troy Davis. Attendees mourned the death of Davis and denounced the death penalty and this racist execution. Davis was a Black man in Georgia who was given the death penalty for the killing of a white off-duty police officer, despite overwhelming evidence that he didn't commit the crime.

The vigil was organized by many of the organizations making up the newly-founded Coalition for Racial Justice and Unity, including the Milwaukee Inner City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH), Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Luv Brigade and Peace Action Wisconsin. This coalition recently brought out thousands from the Milwaukee area to protest a Nazi rally.

The vigil lasted for an hour, a prayer was led and attendees formed a circle for everyone to say something about this grave injustice.

#MilwaukeeWI #SDS #AfricanAmerican #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #DeathPenalty #TroyDavis

After a traditional Iranian dinner buffet at the Warwick New York Hotel, attendees were greeted by the Iranian president and three other Iranian officials. After apologies for the security measures imposed by the U.S. Secret Service, the Iranian delegation invited remarks from their guests. Speakers included Phil Wilayto, Ramsey Clark, Brenda Stokely of the Black is Back Coalition, Saladin Muhammad of Black Workers for Justice, Nihad Awad of Council on American Islamic Relations, Sara Flounders of International Action Center and several religious leaders.

All expressed their solidarity with the Iranian people, and voiced opposition to the U.S. threats of war, sanctions and other interference in Iran’s affairs. Many called for affirmation of the Durban Program of Action Against Racism and several raised the imminent execution of Troy Davis in Georgia.

Jess Sundin, of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, addressed President Ahmadinejad saying, “Almost one year ago, my home was raided by the FBI, along with 24 anti-war and international solidarity activists. We are being targeted and criminalized for our lifetimes dedicated to struggling for peace and justice and our own fates are uncertain. We have spoken out against threats of war and sanctions on Iran and we will not be silent. Our silence is the only thing they can use against us. I urge everyone here to follow your example and not be silent in the face of U.S. imperialism.”

After 17 guests spoke, the president addressed the gathering. “Do you know of an animal that has killed one million of its own kind? In our time, we know of a being, that in order to line the pockets of the wealthy, invaded Iraq and Afghanistan and killed one million.”

He responded directly to many of the guests’ comments. Referring to the case of Troy Davis, he said, “We have heard today about someone who is not guilty of a single crime, that is being executed, and all of us feel attacked.”

President Ahmadinejad closed with these hopeful words, “The devil may seem scary, but in reality they are weak and vulnerable. 30 years ago, the U.S. government was unbeatable. They could tackle any problem and beat it. What position do they occupy today? They are weak; they cannot resolve even the most basic problems. Who today has hope they can save the economy and the financial system? They used to say Israel would extend from the Nile to the Euphrates, but now the Zionists are surrounding themselves with 20-foot high walls.”

The meeting closed with applause.

#NewYorkNY #AntiwarMovement #Ahmadinejad #Iran #AntiWarCommittee #JessSundin #RamseyClark #InternationalActionCenter #TroyDavis #antiimperialism #InternationalDayOfPeace #DurbanProgramOfActionAgainstRacism #BlackWorkersForJustice #BlackIsBackCoalition #CouncilOnAmericanIslamicRelations #PoliticalRepression

Burke stated, “The execution of Troy Davis is an outrage. It is a legal lynching. Everyone knows Troy Davis is innocent. Yet the state of Georgia will execute him because they want to spread fear amongst African-Americans and working people. The white elite who control Georgia are repressing African-Americans with violence just like the Old South.”

Burke continued “It does not matter to the politicians or police bigwigs that the actual murderer of the police officer was never caught. They are above the law and their system is corrupt. It may be Obama’s presidency, but in Georgia the racist white elite are smiling and laughing as they snuff out the life of another African-American man. The murder of Troy Davis is going to cause a great upheaval. Enough is enough. It is time for action.”

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression urges it supporters to join the effort to stop Davis’ execution.

#GrandRapidsMI #AfricanAmerican #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #TroyDavis

Chapel Hill, NC – A diverse group of over 120 students braved heavy rains to rally on UNC Chapel Hill's campus, Sept. 21, in protest of the scheduled execution of [Troy Davis](/tags/troy-davis). The students held signs saying “I am Troy Davis”, “Stop the execution”, and “Abolish the death penalty”.

The demonstration had a large turnout despite being organized in just under a day, and featured speakers from [Black Student Movement](/tags/black-student-movement), [Students for a Democratic Society](/tags/students-democratic-society), the [NAACP](tags/naacp), and other student organizations. Students chanted “We want justice for Troy Davis!” and sang civil rights songs such as “We shall not be moved”.

Rev. Curtis Gatewood of the NAACP spoke last, giving a powerful speech punctuated by students chanting “Too much doubt!”. “We need to turn this into a movement against the racist and classist death penalty,” said Rev. Gatewood.

Gatewood also reminded protesters of the parallels to [Darryl Hunt](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Darryl_Hunt), a North Carolina man who spent two decades on death row for a crime he did not commit. Hunt is now a prominent North Carolina advocate with the Innocence Project working to abolish the death penalty.

Despite the overwhelming odds against Davis, the protesters vowed to continue the fight for justice and civil rights.

#ChapelHillNC #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #NAACP #AfricanAmerican #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #TroyDavis #BlackStudentMovement #UNCChapelHill #ReverendCurtisGatewood

Chicago, IL – Death row prisoner Troy Davis was denied clemency today, Sept. 20, by the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles. He is scheduled to be executed tomorrow night.

Emergency protests are being held around the country. In Chicago, Amnesty International, Students for a Democratic Society and other groups gathered in front of the national headquarters of President Obama’s re-election campaign.

Mark Clements of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty had just returned from Atlanta where he had been with supporters of Davis outside the Georgia State Capitol. He told Fight Back!, “Seven out of nine witnesses have recanted their testimonies. The parole board says that these witnesses are less than credible now, but they were credible enough to convict him. How could that be?”

Clements has first-hand knowledge of the racist justice system in the US. He served 28 years in prison after being tortured into making a false confession by Chicago police.

Last minute appeals are being directed to Chatham County District Attorney, Larry Chisolm. He has the power to withdraw the death warrant. Clements said that the struggle for Davis’s life will continue until the last minute.

Call Larry Chisolm: 912-652-7308. Demand he vacate the death sentence for Troy Davis.

#ChicagoIL #AfricanAmerican #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #DeathPenalty #CampaignToEndTheDeathPenalty #TroyDavis

On Sept. 21 at 7:00 p.m., the State of Georgia Department of Corrections is planning to execute Troy Davis by lethal injection. A broad movement has stepped into high gear to stop this injustice from happening, with a global day of solidarity protests planned for Sept. 16. Protests will take place across the U.S. and around the world to demand that the Georgia State Board of Pardon and Parole stop the execution by granting Davis clemency. Davis’s family is also asking people to sign the online petition to the Board of Pardons and Parole. Over 200,000 people have signed the petition in a matter of days.

Troy Davis was given the death penalty in 1991 for the murder of an off-duty police officer. He has always maintained he is innocent and that he was the victim of false identification. Since his conviction, the evidence his conviction was based on has largely fallen apart. Seven of nine eyewitnesses have recanted or contradicted their trial testimony, the ballistic evidence was later withdrawn and new witnesses have identified a different shooter.

Despite this, at every step in the legal process Davis’ appeals have been turned down. The legal process is sharply tilted against reversing a conviction, even if the evidence the conviction was based on has later been discredited. Usually courts only allow procedural issues to be raised to challenge a conviction, not new evidence.

Due to the strong pressure organized by the movement to defend Troy Davis, the U.S. Supreme Court took the highly unusual move in August 2009 of ordering an evidentiary hearing, which allowed Davis to present new evidence of his innocence. At the June 2010 hearing, four witnesses recanted their original testimony, saying their testimony implicating Davis was coerced by the police. Three other witnesses said another man, Sylvester Coles, was the actual shooter.

But this evidence wasn’t enough because of the way the U.S. legal system works. Normally in a trial, the prosecution has to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. But in this evidentiary hearing about an already existing conviction, the burden was the opposite – Davis’s defense had to not just raise reasonable doubt of guilt, but to prove innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. The judge in the hearing admitted that the evidence presented did cast some “additional, minimal doubt” but did not consider this enough to reverse the conviction and death sentence.

In March of this year the Supreme Court refused to consider Davis’s final appeal. Davis has had four execution dates set in the past, but the previous ones were postponed by appeals. Now there are no more chances for Davis to appeal.

The last option is for Georgia’s State Board of Pardons and Parole to grant Troy Davis clemency. They are set to meet on Monday, Sept. 19, just two days before his scheduled execution. They would have to vote by majority to grant Davis clemency. The Board has more leeway to stop the execution than the courts have, since they can consider things other than procedural questions. They can take into account that witnesses have recanted and new witnesses have come forward. Davis has been denied clemency before, but there are new members on the Board now, and new witness testimony since the last time the Board considered Davis’s case.

The movement is demanding that the Board of Pardons and Parole grant clemency to Troy Davis. This would stop his execution, which would be a huge victory. But clemency would not reverse his conviction for a crime he continues to maintain he is innocent of, it would most likely convert his sentence to life in prison. But averting his unjust execution will allow the struggle to reverse his conviction to continue.

There is a day of global solidarity on Friday, Sept. 16, just three days before the Georgia Board of Parole and Pardons meets to consider clemency. Check here for the protest nearest you and click here to sign the online petition.

#Georgia #GA #AfricanAmerican #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #DeathPenalty #TroyDavis