UPDATE (X2): Stay Granted by Sup. Ct. for Troy Davis (Action Items for Troy Davis – Execution Set for Sept. 23)

UPDATE #2: The US Supreme Court will meet to consider Mr. Davis’s appeal on Monday, September 29 — which is exactly what the Court had originally agreed to do, before the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles opted to schedule Mr. Davis’s execution prior to the Supreme Court’s ruling.  Perhaps the State of Georgia’s eagerness to execute Mr. Davis prior to the high court’s ruling betrays something about the state’s priorities, which don’t appear to include an interest in truth, justice, or fairness.  Having said that, if the US Supreme Court ultimately declines to hear Mr. Davis’s case, “this stay shall terminate automatically.”  More from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution here.

UPDATE: Just hours before Mr. Davis’s scheduled execution, the US Supreme Court granted a stay.  As I understand it they will rule on the cert petition next week.

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With permission, I’m reposting some information from Troy Davis’s sister, Martina, who urges anyone concerned to take the following actions in hopes that this week will not be Troy’s last.  Thanks again to Deirdre O’Connor for her tireless advocacy for Troy, and for passing this along to me.

Below is a set of action items, followed by a message from Martina (parentheticals are Deirdre’s):

1) Write to Board asking them to reconsider (Please focus on Troy’s innocence NOT the death penalty.  The Board will not be swayed by anti-death penalty sentiments.  See http://freetroydavis.com for facts/arg on Troy’s innocence.)

State Board of Pardon and Paroles
2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, SE
Suite 458, Balcony Level, East Tower
Atlanta, Georgia 30334-4909

Board’s Fax – There seems to be some confusion as to which is the better fax number.  Here are three you can use.

(404) 651-8502
(404) 651-5282
(404) 463-6627

General Email: Clemency_Information@pap.state.ga.us

Board Members email:

Chairperson L.Gale Buckner gale_buckner@pap.state.ga.us
Garland Hunt garland_hunt@pap.state.ga.us
Robert Keller robert_keller@pap.state.ga.us
Milton Nix milton_nix@pap.state.ga.us
Garfield Hammonds garfield_hammonds@pap.state.ga.us

Link for bio’s on Board members

Gale Buckner http://www.pap.state.ga.us/opencms/export/sites/default/home/buckner.html

Garfield Hammonds http://www.pap.state.ga.us/opencms/export/sites/default/home/hammonds.html

Garland Hunt http://www.pap.state.ga.us/opencms/export/sites/default/home/hunt.html

Milton Nix, Jr. http://www.pap.state.ga.us/opencms/export/sites/default/home/nix.html

Robert Keller http://www.pap.state.ga.us/opencms/export/sites/default/home/keller.html

2) *****(IMPORTANT – The COURT is the ONLY body that can order a new trial!  PLEASE do not dismiss the power of people to MOVE mountains.  Forget about the odds and just act.)  Urge the US Supreme Court to issue a stay and grant Troy’s petition for certiorari

(sign petition http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/innocencematters, publish an open letter to Court on Blog, reach out to any contacts you have with the Court and hold rallies urge Court intervention)

3) Write to the US & GA Attorney Generals – (Call for an immediate investigation into the DA’s failure to investigate the witnesses’ claims of police coercion and their complete failure to investigate Redd Coles’ culpability.  Prosecutors are supposed to seek justice NOT to defend a wrongful conviction.  There has never been an investigation into the case.)

Please use info from AG’s website to support your demand – see GA AG’s mission statement & guiding principles http://law.ga.gov/00/channel_title/0,2094,87670814_87670947,00.html

Mailing Address:

Office of the Attorney General
40 Capitol Square, SW
Atlanta, Ga 30334

Phone:(404) 656-3300

Fax: (404) 657-8733

4) Reach out to all your media contacts – spread the story and the outrage!

5) Write to Pres. Bush.  (I’d add Obama and/or McCain and GA legislators)

White House contact info http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Barack Obama contact http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/contact2

John McCain http://www.johnmccain.com/Contact/

For ideas on how to make the greatest impact, see “Share Your Ideas With President” at http://charityguide.org/volunteer/fifteen/presidents-email-address.htm?gclid=CLCc0-bf3ZUCFQIfswodAicsDw

GA legislators – http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/FindLegislator.htm

Deirdre

To all,

This message is from Martina Correia (Troy’s sister),

I want everyone to know that we are still fighting for Troy, you have not heard from me in two days because I have been trying to answer so many calls and get rest in between. I went to see Troy yesterday and he is in good spirits, prayerful and saying we can never give up – they can take my physical form but nothing else. But this is not the time to think he will be executed – we have to fight them and we have to fight hard.

I want to first tell you that something strange has taken place with the Parole Board: as we went in the Chair, Gale Buckner, said they had a lot of information to review and a decision would not be made on Friday. The lawyers presented the additional witnesses who told accounts of police detectives threatening them with guns, and the D.A. threatening with perjury if they changed their testimonies against Troy – most of these people were teenagers – one guy who testified was 15 years old at the time and admitted that he and his friends were the ones involved in a shooting earlier that night and they threw shell casings near the scene that of course did not have Troy’s prints on them.

The lawyers showed how they put Troy’s picture on wanted posters after Coles pointed the finger at Troy and they took a polaroid out of my mom’s house and they only showed the witnesses that photo to identify Troy several days after he had turned himself in. So Troy was never picked out of lineup. The police detectives merely brought the one picture after his face in the newspaper, etc., and said ‘is this the guy?’.

We were so very confident when we left the room – no way Troy’s sentence should not have been commuted.
Then less than 30 minutes after the D.A.’s side left, the Parole Board held a press conference and denied Troy; a reporter said “Martina, it was like all the air was sucked out of the room – no one thought Troy would remain in prison and the Parole Board offered no reason, because they do not have to. The Parole Board in Georgia meets in closed doors, no recorded meetings, no transcripts, no accountability.”

When Troy got the first stay (of execution) they said there would be no executions in Georgia when there is some doubt – well with the two hearings there is more than some doubt – there is overwhelming doubt of Troy’s innocence so why would they deny him without explanation? I think because three of the members are former prosecutors and two are former police from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, some sort of deal was made against Troy. I think they wanted to flex their muscle because they have no one to answer to.

WE HAVE TO KEEP FLOODING THEM WITH LETTERS AND FAXES TO RECONSIDER BECAUSE THEY CAN STILL STOP THIS EXECUTION. WE HAVE TO HOLD THEM TO THEIR WORD THAT NO ONE WOULD BE EXECUTED WHEN THERE IS DOUBT.

So plan of actions we need done: 1. HOLD ACTIONS, DEMONSTRATIONS WITH MEDIA IN PLACE TO TELL WHAT THE PAROLE BOARD DID AND HOW THEY HAVE NO ACCOUNTABILITY.

2. CONTINUE TO HAVE PEOPLE SIGN LETTERS TO THE PAROLE BOARD THERE WILL BE A NEW LETTER ON AMNESTY SITE ASKING THE BOARD FOR RECONSIDERATION. YOU CAN ALSO WRITE YOUR OWN LETTER, STATING REASONING: IN 100 YEARS OF GEORGIA’S DEATH PENALTY THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A CASE OF 7 RECANTATIONS, NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE, NO WEAPON AND YOU SEEK DEATH.

3. MASS LETTERS TO US ATTORNEY GENERAL ASKING FOR IMMEDIATE INTERVENTION IN THIS CASE DUE TO PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT, AN CC. GEORGIA ATTORNEY GENERAL

4. MASS LETTERS TO WHITE HOUSE ASKING FOR INTERVENTION IN THIS CASE

5. CONTACT EVERY MEDIA OUTLET YOU KNOW – MASS LETTERS TO CNN INTERNATIONAL, OTHER NATIONAL MEDIA AND CELEBRITY OUTLETS THAT CAN GIVE US A PLATFORM TO GET WHAT HAPPENED OUT TO THE MASSES.

6. THERE WILL BE A RALLY IN ATLANTA PROBABLY THURSDAY EVENING – CONTACT AMNESTY’S JESSICA COHN <JCOHN@AIUSA.ORG> OR LAURA MOYE <LMOYE@AIUSA.ORG> .

ANOTHER GROUP IS PLANNING A PROTEST IN FRONT OF CNN IN ATLANTA ON SATURDAY THE 20TH – CONTACT Lawyer Henderson <cinemacitypictures@hotmail.com> OR 678-437-6256

7. THOSE WHO HAVE CONTACTS WITH U.S. SUPREME COURT MEMBERS, OR OP-EDS TO MEMBERS, WE NEED THEM TO ACT ON AN EMEREGENCY STAY AND IF WE CAN MAKE ENOUGH NOISE, RAISE ENOUGH ATTENTION, HOPEFULLY THEY CAN TAKE TROY’S CASE

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE REVIEWED BY THEM ON SEPT 29TH. THE D.A. IN SAVANNAH MOVED THE DATE OF EXECUTION UP WHILE THE U.S. SUPREME COURT WAS ON VACATION.

8. THE LAWYERS THINK IT IS A SLIM CHANCE THE U.S. SUPREME COURT WILL ACT SO WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BY MAKING AS MUCH NOISE AS WE CAN.

ANY AND ALL IDEAS YOU HAVE WE HAVE TO GO FOR IT TO SAVE TROY, SO AS ACTIVISTS I SAY DO WHAT YOU DO!!!!!

Attorney General, Michael B. Mukasey 202-514-2001
OR Office of the Attorney General – 202-353-1555
AskDOJ@usdoj.gov

Georgia Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker 404-656-3300 Fax 404-657- 8733

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Phone Numbers

Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213

Please send your Fax: 404-651-8502

comments to <comments@whitehouse.gov>

Georgia Parole Board: Fax 404-651-8502

I will get you more parole board numbers

People can go on the Amnesty Website to sign petitions or fax their own letters. I will send numbers in next email. Or Text the parole board from your cell phone. Go to send message, type the name TROY, then send to 90999.

We still have Fight in Us and we will FIGHT!

Thank you all for everything you are doing –  TROY SAYS NO MATTER WHAT WE HAVE TO FIGHT BECAUSE THIS IS BIGGER THAN TROY. THIS IS A BATTLE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND TRUE JUSTICE AND WE ARE WINNING SMALL BATTLES EVERYDAY!

Martina Correia