Potential Troy Davis execution fallout?

[lilpup]

I haven't seen much mentioned around here and am wondering why there's less tension about this than there was concerning previous incidents. Any ideas? I have noticed tonight that there's almost no live media coverage except on Twitter. Is it because they're afraid of fanning flames? The police presence outside the prison is reportedly huge though nothing confrontational with the protesters yet.

I'd think at least Atlanta would feel some unrest.

[Jimaz]

I'm seeing some coverage on CNN and MSNBC. There are many riot police outside the prison with the protesters. Georgia is voluntarily awaiting comment from SCOTUS.

[Jimaz]

In this case, all but two witnesses recanted testimony. They now accuse one of the witnesses who didn't recant. As I understand it, that's quite unusual.

[lilpup]

Listening to the local sheriff's radio feed - it sounds like it's going down. EMS and more vehicles being dispatched in response to anticipated "call coming in." Some being advised to "use lower gate" which is on the opposite side from the protesters, so they're going into the prison not standing by for potential crowd service.

Which reminds me - when they use what sounds like Morse Code on these police radio fees, is it actually Morse Code and are all officers supposed to be able to read it?

[gazhekwe]

RIP Troy Davis. May you not die in vain. Let us address the whole death penalty thing again, please! If reasonable doubt is raised, absent proof of innocence, should the accused still be executed? How reasonable is it to expect "proof of innocence" when you don't actually have proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt?

[lit joe]

Texas will put them down. I hope we get open carry law. that will stop a lot of crime.

[Danny]

Having Troy Davis executed for a "alleged shooting" of a white cop was not justified! It's was a game of RACE CARDS approved by the U.S. Supreme Court. It's them saying "Let's get it overwith and have the black man executed." Now some folks would say " Is this the open season for killing black folks just by causing trouble without provide concrete evidence?" Let's see they the same to white man who is on death row for his or her 'alleged crime' against a black person.

WORD FROM THE STREET PROPHET

Now let's keep Mumia Abu Jamal for being executed for Neda's Sake.

[Papasito]

It's them saying "Let's get it overwith and have the black man executed." Now some folks would say " Is this the open season for killing black folks just by causing trouble without provide concrete evidence?" Let's see they the same to white man who is on death row for his or her 'alleged crime' against a black person.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Davis_case

Although the murder weapon was not recovered, ballistic evidence presented at trial linked bullets recovered at or near the scene to those at another shooting in which Davis was also charged. He was convicted of murder and various lesser charges, including the earlier shooting, and was sentenced to death in August 1991.

Shootings and arrest

On the evening of August 18, 1989, Davis briefly attended a pool party hosted by a friend in the Cloverdale neighborhood of Savannah, Georgia. As he left with his friend Darrell Collins, the occupants of a passing car yelled obscenities at them. A bullet was fired into the car[11] and Michael Cooper, a passenger in the other car, was shot in the face, allegedly by Davis.[12] Davis and Collins continued on, and later met Sylvester "Redd" Coles, who was arguing with a homeless man, Larry Young, over a beer near a Burger King restaurant in the nearby Yamacraw neighborhood.[11][13] Off-duty policeman Mark MacPhail was working as a security guard there and was shot when he attempted to intervene in the pistol whipping of Mr. Young.[14]

MacPhail, age 27, the son of a U.S. Army colonel, was married and father to a two-year old daughter and an infant son. He had joined the Savannah Police Department in 1986 following six years of military service as an Army Ranger. MacPhail had worked for three years as a regular patrol officer and in the summer of 1989 had applied to train as a mounted policeman.[15] At about 1:15 am, seeking to help Young, who was being attacked in a nearby parking lot, MacPhail was killed. He had been shot twice, once through the heart and once in the face, without drawing his gun.[11][13][16][17] No physical evidence from the crime was retrieved, apart from the bullets and shell casings, which were determined to have come from a .38-caliber pistol. Witnesses to the shooting agreed that a man in a white shirt had struck Young and then shot MacPhail.[11]

On the evening of August 19, Redd Coles went to the police. He told them that he had seen Davis with a .38-caliber gun, and that Davis had assaulted Young.[11][18] The same evening, Davis drove to Atlanta with his sister.[11][18] In the early morning of August 20, 1989, the Savannah police, suspecting Davis and seeking a murder weapon, converged on the Davis home. Having sealed off the area, the police searched the house, and a pair of shorts belonging to Davis were found in a dryer and confiscated.[19] Police issued a reward for information leading to Davis's arrest.[20] Davis's family began negotiating with police, motivated by concerns about his safety; local drug dealers were making death threats because the police dragnet seeking Davis had interrupted their business.[18][21] On August 23, 1989, Davis was driven back to Savannah by members of his family, where he surrendered to police, and he was charged with MacPhail's murder.[18] Hundreds of mourners, including county, state and federal law enforcement officials, had attended MacPhail's funeral at Trinity Lutheran Church in Savannah the day before.[22]

How many shootings must you be involved in before it has nothing to do with the color your skin happens to be?

[Kevgoblue]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Davis_case

[B]
How many shootings must you be involved in before it has nothing to do with the color your skin happens to be?

I think most people's issue is that the shooting which he was convicted of and sentenced to die for was that of a police officer.
Then after the trial 7 of the 9 people who testified later recanted their testimony. Several of those say they had been pressured by the police into making a statement or had a statement prepared for them by the police.

http://www.ajc.com/news/then-and-now...es-556214.html

Not a Troy Davis supporter at all, but with such a great number of the prosection's witnesses changing their stories one would think that the courts might want to revisit the case. Especially as the prosecution never produced any tangible physical evidence to place the gun in his hands. It doesn't sound like like there's enough certainty in the testimony, in the light of such an irrevocable sentence.

[firstandten]

kevgoblue- I believe the focus on capital murder cases are wrong. The system instead of trying to get to the truth put its emphasis on if Troy got a fair trial based on the evidence at the time. To kill a man based solely on eye witness testimony is not good. There needs to be some solid science involved to go along with eye witness testimony . Having said that I also believe that beyond a reasonable doubt standard that you convict people with should have an even higher standard for capital murder cases. Thats why if there is any doubt at all a life sentence without parole should stand. At least if there is a mistake you can try and make it right.

As much as we talk about Michigan not having the death penalty the founding fathers of our state showed great wisdom when it was decided early in Michigan's statehood that there would be no death penalty.

[Danny]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Davis_case

[B]
How many shootings must you be involved in before it has nothing to do with the color your skin happens to be?

In some event there will be an incident between one or many races. The context[[s) will lead to the accused and the accused will be punished either with a passing judgement or no judgement. This is part of human nature.


WORD FROM THE STREET PROPHET

That is why we must examine ourselves and our ethics before we could either accuse or jugde anyone based on race, sex, age and creed.

Neda, I miss you so.

[Jimaz]

Michael Moore calls for support of Occupy Wall Street protest, decries execution of Troy Davis

Michael Moore, filmmaker, activist and author of “Here Comes Trouble,” calls on people all over the country to bring the Occupy Wall Street movement to their communities. Moore says, “The smart rich know they can only build the gate so high. And … history proves that people, when they’ve had enough, aren’t going to take it anymore. And much better to deal with it nonviolently now, through the political system, than what could possibly happen in the future, which nobody wants to see.” Later, Moore denounces the state of Georgia for executing Troy Davis. “Well over a hundred people who were on death row who we were going to execute we have then discovered they were falsely convicted and they were set free. They almost died.”