Two years ago there was a mass movement to save the life of Troy Anthony Davis. Thousands of people from around the United States and countries such as Angola and England took to the streets to demand Davis’s life be spared. Sadly, the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Parole Board, which was headed by a Black man named Albert Murray, denied Davis’s life be spared.
Troy Anthony Davis sat on death row for roughly 20 years, for the murder of police Mark MacPhail on August 19, 1989. Seven witnesses testified that they saw Davis kill officer MacPhail. Two others testified that Davis confessed to the murder, even though the murder weapon was never recovered. Davis was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in August 1991. In latter years, seven out of the nine witnesses recanted or changed their testimonies, as they claimed that they were coerced by the police.
On September 7, 2011 the state of Georgia set Davis’s execution date for September 21, 2011. On that night, the Associated Press announced that White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney, had announced that President Barack Obama would not intervene in Davis’s case. At 10:53 p.m. the execution of Troy Anthony Davis began. In his final words Davis maintained his innocence saying: “I ask my family and friends that you all continue to pray, that you all continue to pray, that you all continue to forgive. Continue to fight this fight. For those about to take my life, may God have mercy on all of your souls. God bless you all.”
Troy Anthony Davis was laid to rest October 1, 2011.
We as a human race, whether you’re Black, White, Hispanic, or Asian continue the struggle for Human Rights for all. What happened to Troy Anthony Davis, we can’t continue to let happen. If we don’t stop it, we will continue to have wrongful deaths of innocent people. My challenge to the readers of this is to get involved with groups such as the NAACP, the Urban League, SCLC, and Amnesty International, so that we can help fight against the injustices of all people.
My name is Jeremy Houston.
I’m a six year Marine Corpsman who fought in Afghanistan.
I’m a volunteer at the Natchez Museum of African American History.
