D.C. activists fight for Troy Davis’s life

“All you have to do is remember two numbers, nine and seven; nine for the number of witnesses who originally testified against Troy Davis, and seven for the number who later recanted their testimony.” Those were the words of author and journalist Dave Zirin on Oct. 18 in Washington, D.C., where a crowd gathered to demand justice for death row inmate Troy Davis.

Activists rally to save Troy Davis, an African American man scheduled to die for a crime he did not commit, Washington, D.C., Oct. 19.

Davis is an innocent African American man unjustly convicted of the 1989 shooting of a Savannah, Ga., police officer. In addition to the seven witnesses who recanted their testimonies—all of them obtained through police coercion—one of the remaining has been implicated in the shooting. No physical evidence against Davis exists, not even a murder weapon.

On Sept. 23, the date of Davis’ last scheduled execution, thousands around the world mobilized to demand that the U.S. Supreme Court hear his case, successfully forcing the court to grant a stay of execution. However, on Oct. 14, the court refused to hear his case outright and a Chatham County judge signed the execution warrant the next day. Davis’s execution has now been rescheduled for Oct. 27.

The Washington, D.C., demonstration in support of Davis took place in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of Columbia Heights, a heavily populated area that is home to many retail shops and restaurants. Many shoppers spontaneously joined the rally as they walked by.

Passers-by were met with a barrage of literature, a picket line and chants and slogans delivered on bullhorns. Informational materials included leaflets outlining the details of Davis’ case, and letters and petitions to elected representatives and the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles. Picket line signs read, “Save Troy Davis,” “No to Legal Lynching” and “Stop the Racist Death Penalty.”

In addition to Zirin, the rally featured many other powerful speakers. Exonerated death row inmate, Shujaa Graham, spoke movingly about his personal experience on death row and his life-long determination to fight against all injustice. Thomas Ruffin, a D.C. attorney and member of the group Nat Turner Rebellion, gave valuable advice about the need to organize and build unity. Naji Mohamed, of D.C. Black August and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, and Mike Stark, board member of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty, spoke eloquently about the vital need to end the racist death penalty.

For more information, contact the Campaign to End the Death Penalty at (773) 955-4841, [email protected]. The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles can be contacted at (404) 651-6671 and (404) 656-5651, or at 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, S.E., Suite 456, Balcony Level, East Tower, Atlanta, GA 30334-4909.