We've got unfinished Troy Davis business

I got this from Amnesty International: 

 http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=518878&msource=W1209EADP3


Georgia -- we've got unfinished business.

One year ago today, you did the unthinkable. You executed a man even though the case against him had fallen apart. You had the chance to commute his sentence to life to avoid the risk of executing someone for a crime he may not have committed, but you dashed that option. Add to that, you carried out the execution in my name.

For the rest of our lives, we are left to wonder: Did Georgia kill an innocent man?

Tracy, I remember the intense mix of emotions I felt on September 21, 2011. I remember the anger and horror. But most of all, I remember feeling a strong resolve come over me to take the death penalty system down!

Georgia officials -- we're not letting you off the hook, but this time we're also involving the U.S. Department of Justice to give Troy Davis' case -- and others -- the scrutiny they deserve.
Investigate the execution of Troy Davis and patterns of government misconduct in death penalty cases.

We've been busy over the past year -- building a stronger case for why the death penalty system must be abolished. You see, all of the alarms we sounded in the case of Troy Davis -- including alleged police coercion of witnesses -- are many of the same alarms we've sounded before in other instances where people's lives are on the line.

In far too many cases, death and doubt go hand-in-hand: from Troy Davis to Robert Waterhouse, who was executed in Florida on Feb. 15 of this year, despite the fact that evidence from the crime scene had been destroyed before it could be subjected to DNA analysis. Let's not forget Reggie Clemons, who is fighting for his life right now, despite the fact that the case against him was likely built on police brutality and an abusive prosecutor.

That's why Amnesty International, along with the NAACP, is taking 10 well-documented capital cases, including Troy's, to the very top of the justice system -- and demanding not just answers, but accountability.

Help us put the justice system in check!

The death penalty is fundamentally flawed because it's fallible -- it makes mistakes. Since 1973, 140 people have been released from death row due to evidence of innocence.

When the death penalty system gets it wrong, there's no going back. Guilty or innocent, the death penalty is a terrible power that shouldn't belong to government.

It's okay to remember the sadness and anger we felt one year ago, but it's more important that we remember Troy's dying wish -- "to not give up the struggle for justice…to keep fighting for the other Troy Davises on death row."

With your support, we intend to do just that. Keep Troy Davis' struggle for justice alive!


In Solidarity,

Laura Moye
Death Penalty Abolition Campaign Director
Amnesty International USA

P.S. Please share this image with your friends and family today. Tell them all about Troy Davis.