death penalty | Stowaway Travel Writing & Editorial Services

Last night, at 11:08pm Eastern Time, the State of Georgia executed Troy Davis by lethal injection. Davis was convicted in 1991 for the 1989 slaying of a police officer. Davis maintained his innocence until the end, and considering there was no physical evidence against him and seven of the nine witnesses identifying him as the killer have since recanted, I am one of the many people who believe him. His death is a perfect example of how very flawed the legal system is, and how blind to justice those who work it are willing to be.

"I Am Troy Davis" supporters keeping vigil

There are a lot of smart arguments against the death penalty (it’s heinously expensive to taxpayers, it’s applied disproportionately to poor and non-white people, it does not actually deter violent crimes), but the possibility of innocence is perhaps the most compelling for people who otherwise think capital punishment is just. Groups like The Innocence Project meticulously track the many cases in which the reasonable doubt is too strong to justify a conviction, let alone the extinguishment of a life. In some cases, DNA testing has proven innocence posthumously, which ought to be as clear-cut and scientific proof as anyone could ask for. Yet it’s legal in almost every state in the country, and as the recent presidential debate showed, a lot of people are enthusiastically for the death penalty.

I want safe streets and punishment for violent crimes, just like anyone else. But I don’t want it at the expense of real justice.

Last night I attended a rally in Daley Plaza attended by some 100 people who waited anxiously to hear whether there would be a last-minute stay of execution. I left at 7pm Central Time when it was announced that he’d been given a seven-day stay and there was more fighting to be done. We cheered and grinned at one another at this new glimmer of hope. It turns out we were misinformed or the court decision changed, of course. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t more fighting to be done. There are hundreds of capital punishment cases throughout the United States, and laws on the books at the state and federal level. There’s a whole system to transform.

Troy Davis’s last words were: “I ask my family and friends to continue to fight this fight. For those about to take my life, God have mercy on your souls. And may God bless your souls.”

Rest in peace, Troy Davis, and know that you will not be forgotten. We will continue to fight this fight.

Troy Davis, October 9, 1968 – September 21, 2011

Image 1 from here. Image 2 from here.

UPDATED: People inspired to help can donate to www.innocenceproject.org and www.amnesty.org, and find action points on both sites.

The Good

I don’t think I noted it when he said it, but George Bush made headlines when he said that the lowest moment of his presidency was when Kanye West said “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” Not the government’s, disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina, not the devastation Katrina victims experienced, but being called out in public for his incompetence — THAT was his lowest point. Kanye has since recanted, but Jay-Z rightfully says he shouldn’t have had to.

Here’s a great account of one woman’s sex ed (or lack thereof), and how we can explain sex better to kids, rather than keeping it hushed up and being surprised when young girls get pregnant and STI rates soar.

Tami Winfrey Harris has a wonderful piece that clarifies a point it seems far too many of us forget: freedom of speech is not equivalent to exemption from criticism. You can say what you like, but everyone else gets that right too. So if you’re selling reprehensible “antique” soaps that appeal to that lucrative racist market, don’t be surprised when people call bullshit, and don’t try to paint yourself the victim in this scenario.

Towson University and a few other colleges around the country succeeded in closing the graduation gap between blacks and whites, largely because they acknowledged there was a problem and that they could do something about it, unlike most colleges in the country, which shrug and say it can’t be helped (sadly, MSU is among the latter group).

The Bad

This is a chilling account of how one billionaire couple has bought up the rights to water in huge chunks of California and Fiji — and how the people who work on their farms are denied access to that very water. The Awl article is a good summary, but the longer Alternet article it’s based on is definitely worth a read as well. It is terrifying to me that this is possible in the year 2010, but I know it’s not uncommon.

I will never understand why a police department works so hard to frame someone for murder — don’t they want the actual killer caught just as much as the rest of us? And why do we still sanction state killing when this kind of thing is possible? (Via.)

Nope, saying everybody knows everybody’s position is not the same as saying, “This man is full of BS and we don’t agree with it here at the White House.” Guess which one of those things the press secretary is saying and which one he should be saying.

It would have been bad enough if this government employee had harangued Amber Yust while she was visiting the DMV, but the fact that he sent materials to her home address and gave her personal information to his church is a frightening breach of trust we put in public employees and a clear case of harassment. I agree with Melissa McEwan: why is he not fired or arrested?

The Silly

Should anyone be looking for a last-minute Christmas present for me, please feel free to make these fake covers a delightful reality! (Thanks to Oona for the link)