Tag Archives: Georgia

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Never stop fighting for justice and WE WILL WIN …Ana Zamora, Death Penalty Focus


I write today with a heavy heart. Troy Davis was executed yesterday at 11:08 pm EST, by the state of Georgia. Last night, I was full of sorrow and grief for Mr. Davis, his family, the family of Officer Mark MacPhail, and our failed justice system.  This morning, I awake with a renewed sense of urgency and ready to channel this grief into action.

It has become utterly clear to me:  We must fight with everything we have, to end the death penalty.  The only way to ensure an innocent person is not executed is by erasing the death penalty as an option.  Mr. Davis, in his last day with us, understood this reality best:        WWW.deathpenalty.org

“There are so many more Troy Davis’. This fight to end the death penalty is not won or lost through me but through our strength to move forward and save every innocent person in captivity around the globe. We need to dismantle this unjust system city by city, state by state and country by country…Never Stop Fighting for Justice and We will Win!”

Today, while I grieve the loss of Mr. Davis, I also make the following promise: I, Ana Zamora, promise to fight to end the death penalty one state at a time.

In memory of Troy Davis and in the spirit of justice, will you join me? CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE PLEDGE.   WWW.deathpenalty.org

This will, by no means, be an easy task and we will need the support of many. We have already been successful in New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Illinois.  These successes, coupled with our powerful show of unity and strength for Mr. Davis, makes me confident that we will continue to succeed in ending the death penalty.

Thank you,
Ana Zamora

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Too much doubt to execute Troy Davis …Rashad Robinson, ColorOfChange.org


The state of Georgia will execute Troy Davis on September 21 despite powerful doubts about his guilt.Please read on to learn how you can help stop this injustice.

The state of Georgia plans to execute Troy Davis this Wednesday, September 21 despite major doubts about his guilt.Killing a man who may be innocent is not justice, and more than 92,000 ColorOfChange members have spoken up to say so. But to save Troy, as many people as possible need to speak out.

The fact is, no physical evidence connected Davis to the murder. Seven of the original nine witnesses have recanted, with many saying their testimony was a result of law enforcement pressure. Of the remaining witnesses, one is highly suspect and the other could be the actual culprit in the officer’s murder.

No one should be executed when so much doubt remains about his guilt.  You can help us stop Troy Davis’ execution in five ways:

  1. Sign the petition asking Chatham County District Attorney Larry Chisolm to oppose Troy’s execution: http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/chisolm
  2. Send a message to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole asking them to spare Troy’s life: http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/troy
  3. Help us tell Troy’s story to thousands of Georgia residents by making a contribution to the effort to buy ads in Georgia media: https://act.colorofchange.org/donate/troydavis
  4. Write a letter to the editor of local and national newspapers: http://action.firedoglake.com/page/speakout/troydavis
  5. Spread the word to others. Forward this email to your friends and family, and share the links to the petition and donation pages on Facebook and Twitter.

Since Troy Davis’ 1991 conviction, numerous facts have emerged that introduce significant doubt as to his guilt. These facts include:

  • All but two of the original witnesses against Troy Davis have signed affidavits recanting their earlier testimony. Most claim that their testimony was coerced by police officers.1
  • Multiple witnesses say that another man — one of the original witnesses against Davis — has claimed to have slain the fallen officer.2
  • The weapon used in the murder was never found. The only physical evidence connecting Davis to the crime was circumstantial — and new testimony disputes Davis’s connection to that evidence.3

In light of this evidence, the Supreme Court granted Davis another chance. But instead of an actual new trial before a jury, which would mean the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt is on the prosecutor, he got an evidentiary hearing before a single federal judge where Davis’ lawyers had the burden to meet an impossibly high and undefined legal standard.

Under these difficult circumstances, the judge rejected the new evidence and cleared the way for Troy’s execution. But even he acknowledged lingering doubt, noting that the case against Davis was not “ironclad.”

But “ironclad” is exactly what the evidence should be in order to put someone to death. When the case isn’t ironclad, the process is prone to human error, and innocent people may die. That’s what evidence suggests happened to Cameron Todd Willingham, a Texas man who was executed after being convicted of setting the fire that killed his children. A new review of the case used to convict him shows that Willingham was killed even though there’s no evidence he set the fire. But now it’s too late to do anything about it.4

It will take all of our combined efforts to make sure Troy Davis isn’t the next Cameron Willingham. Please join me and my friends at ColorOfChange.org in asking Georgia officials to save Troy Davis’ life by commuting his sentence to life in prison. And when you do, please ask your friends and family to do the same.

Thanks and Peace,

— Rashad, James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
September 17th, 2011

Help support our work.ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU–your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/donate

References:

1. “Troy Davis – Finality over Fairness,” Amnesty International USA
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/970?akid=2228.1174326.Cllb_a&t=7

2. See Reference 1

3. See Reference 1

4. “The Haunting of Rick Perry,” The New York Times, 6-23-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/958?akid=2228.1174326.Cllb_a&t=9

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Death for Profit: Demand An Investigat​ion!


DEATH FOR PROFIT                         

Roberto Martinez-Medina died in CCA’s Stewart Detention Center in Georgia in 2009. Medina had been arrested a month earlier for not having a driver’s license.

CCA whistleblower Brian Holcomb spoke with us exclusively to expose how the company repeatedly ignored Medina’s pleas for care of his heart ailment while he was imprisoned. Their negligence contributed to Medina’s death.

Watch our video and sign the petition to demand an investigation into Medina’s death!
CCA profited off of Medina’s incarceration, and ensured a greater profit by denying him critical health care.  The inhumane conditions at CCA facilities are directly related to their obsession in cutting costs for profit.

CCA has gone to great lengths to hush Medina’s death.

Demand an investigation today. Nobody should die for a corporation to make profit.

Yours,
Axel Caballero and the Cuéntame team

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Immigrants For Sale … BraVenew Foundation


Enough is Enough.

Georgia is now the latest state to pass an anti-immigrant bill like Arizona SB1070, with Governor Nathan Deal expected to sign anytime soon. Georgia is also home to the largest private prison in the country. Like Georgia, other states with similar bills have fallen prey to the greedy hands of private prison corporations. Our immigrant communities are for sale in this country. They are being sold to private prison corporations who are locking them up for obscene profits. It is not only a very lucrative business but one that is putting our Latino community at risk.

WATCH the Video

Immigrants For Sale

http://act.bravenewfilms.org/go/653?akid=1618.1058794.jenNaS&t=3

Here are 3 facts you need know and share with friends and family about the Private Prison money scheme:

The victims: Private prisons don’t care about who they lock up. At a rate of $200 per immigrant a night at their prisons, this is a money making scheme that destroys families and lives.

The players: CCA (Corrections Corporation of America), The Geo Group and Management and Training corporations—combined these private prisons currently profit more than $5 billion a year.

The money: These private prisons have spent over $20 million lobbying state legislators to make sure they get state anti-immigrant laws approved and ensure access to more immigrant inmates.

How is all this possible? They profit from locking people up.

Will you stand with Cuéntame’s “Immigrants For Sale” campaign and become part of a nationwide network of Prison Watchers as we follow and expose the players, the money and the victims in this corrupt money making racket? YES, I WANT TO!

Yours,

Axel Caballero, Ofelia Yañez

and the rest of the Cuéntame team

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help save Troy’s life


It’s not often that you could literally save a life by signing a petition. This is one of those times.

Last week we told you about Troy Davis, who could be put to death as soon as next month — despite overwhelming evidence that raises serious, unanswered questions about his guilt.

Please read more about the Troy Davis case below, then sign our petition asking the Georgia Pardon Board to spare Troy’s life. It takes just a moment, and it could be the most important action you take this year.

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/troy/

— James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team

April 27th, 2011

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In 1991, Troy Davis was convicted of murdering a white police officer. Though there’s major evidence that Davis didn’t commit the crime, Georgia is prepared to put him to death. We have a good chance of stopping this — but only if we speak up now.

The fact is, no physical evidence connected Davis to the murder. Seven of the original nine witnesses have recanted, with many saying their testimony was a result of law enforcement pressure. Of the remaining witnesses, one is highly suspect and the other could be the actual culprit in the officer’s murder.

Now, despite these and other facts, the state of Georgia has taken the first steps toward Davis’ execution — and only the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole stands between Davis and the lethal injection chamber.

Georgia may be about to kill an innocent man. That’s not justice. Please ask the Georgia Parole Board to spare Troy Davis’ life, before it’s too late — and it’s critical that you ask others to do the same:

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/troy/

Since Troy Davis’ 1991 conviction, numerous facts have emerged that introduce significant doubt as to his guilt. These facts include:

All but two of the original witnesses against Troy Davis have signed affidavits recanting their earlier testimony. Most claim that their testimony was coerced by police officers.1

Multiple witnesses say that another man — one of the original witnesses against Davis — has claimed to have slain the fallen officer.2

The weapon used in the murder was never found. The only physical evidence connecting Davis to the crime was indirect, circumstantial — and new testimony disputes Davis’s connection to that evidence.3

In light of this evidence, the Supreme Court granted Davis another chance. But instead of an actual new trial before a jury, which would mean the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt is on the prosecutor, he got an evidentiary hearing before a single federal judge where Davis’ lawyers had the burden to meet an impossibly high and undefined legal standard.

In light of this, it was sad — but no surprise — when the judge rejected the new evidence and cleared the way for Davis’ execution. However, even he acknowledged lingering doubt, noting that the case against Davis was not “ironclad.”

But “ironclad” is exactly what the evidence should be in order to put someone to death. If the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole doesn’t act to stop Davis’ execution, they’ll run a serious risk of putting an innocent man to death. That is not acceptable.

Please join us, along with our partners at Amnesty International and the NAACP, in asking the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole to save Troy Davis’ life by commuting his sentence to life in prison. And when you do, please ask your friends and family to do the same.

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/troy/

Thanks and Peace,

— James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team

April 20, 2011

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU–your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/donate

References:

1. “Troy Davis – Finality over Fairness,” Amnesty International USA

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/808?akid=1959.1174326.F8eCrN&t=8

2. See Reference 1

3. See Reference 1