» A decline in the overall numbers: According to the Death Penalty Information Center, the death sentence number is the smallest since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. And public support is starting to fade: According to stats from Gallup, support for the death penalty is at its lowest level in nearly 40 years. Opposition is at its highest level since 1972. Keep this in mind when Rick Perry leads a crowd to cheers during a discussion about the death penalty. Or when cases like Troy Davis’ widely-contested execution build support against the death penalty.
revolutiontrainee asks: In response to your post of my commentary on 'what happens tomorrow', I think you drastically misinterpreted my tone (common in textual form). I was hoping your response would respond to the sentiment that engagement, no matter how fleeting or brief, is engagement. We understand that not every citizen can spend a multitude of moments engaging, therefore some engagement is still better than none. This was my point, not aggravation. Additionally, Haiti is still much discussed, perhaps not on CNN..
» SFB says: First, regarding your point on Haiti: But that’s the thing — it should be discussed on CNN, which is probably showing a Jeannie Moos interview on the street right now. Anyway, I see your point, but … that’s the problem. Fleeting engagement is just that, fleeting. Little can be built from that. Sure, you can’t ask everyone to be engaged at all times, and we all have busy lives, but as a culture, we have a problem of not being able to focus on one thing for more than five minutes. Yes, we all have to start somewhere, but there’s something important about daring someone to be willing to stop thinking in such narrow terms — instead of getting people to focus on Troy Davis, let’s encourage them to look at the death penalty, to reach the bigger goal of getting them to prevent another Troy Davis. Let’s dare people to engage more! Not everything has to be fleeting! It creates a stronger society. And that’s what the goal should be. It’s not an insult to offer encouragement. (This is a response to her earlier post. Ultimately, we think Ari Kohen’s point stands.) — Ernie @ SFB
As an execution nears, journalism’s focus is appropriately on the specifics of that situation: the crimes and evidence, the families. But a brief mention or count of protesters outside the prison does an injustice to the facts and deeply-held beliefs that belong in a civic discussion of the death penalty. When do journalists give that discussion the time and space it deserves? The Storify below captures the related journalistic issues that arose Wednesday night as Troy Davis faced death.
Why don’t we cover the details of death penalty cases like this? Like, in full? Why does our collective big-media ADD only focus on the moment beforehand? Is it because there are too many cases? Too many stories that deserve our attention more? And where does the debate about the supporters and detractors fit into the whole thing? There are a lot of thoughts to keep in mind about all this, but as a journalistic society, we have selective viewing habits. Instead of focusing on the peak points, why not focus on the 22 years between Davis’ alleged crime and his execution? It’s something this site needs to work on, but it’d be easier if other news outlets took lessons from this.
God have mercy on your souls.Troy Davis speaking to his executioners. They were his final words. (via officialssay)
A lot of people have been mobilized by the Troy Davis case, especially in the past few days. You called and emailed elected officials; you petitioned political appointees; you demanded that people be held accountable for a decision that put proper procedure ahead of anything else. But what will all of you do tomorrow? Will you dedicate yourselves to putting an end to the system whose flaws became so apparent to so many tonight? Or will you forget about the continued injustice of the death penalty until the next Troy Davis is moved to the death house? You have many other legitimate concerns in your daily lives and many other important issues that demand your attention. But you cared so much this time; do you think you can continue to care about the brokenness of our justice system as you do right now, tonight?
FIxing a broken system requires much thought and consideration and hard work. All this organizing is easy when the emotion is there, but what happens when it comes to the hard work of social change? Ari’s words should be heeded.
The time of death is 11:08.SPOKESWOMAN for the Georgia Department of Correction, confirming that Troy Davis has been executed. (via inothernews)
SCOTUS court order.
All it takes to end a man’s life is 23 words. That’s it. Otherwise it’s radio silence.
heshallfromtimetotime said: Understatement of the year.
» SFB says: We’ve gotten a lot of responses about this — with many of you feeling that it perhaps didn’t hit the mark — and ultimately, while a lot of you are understandably angry about the case, I admit that it makes me numb. It is a bummer. And I’m bummed. Bummed about the justice system, about the way that it doesn’t feel like it serves everyone the same way, and in the process, never feels like the right decisions get made; and ultimately, I’m bummed about the way it makes me feel powerless in my own country. For every case like James Byrd, Jr.’s dragging — an open-and-shut case if there ever was one, no matter how you personally feel about the death penalty — there are tons of cases like Troy Davis’. I’m bummed because I’m livid. I’m bummed because I feel powerless, as a citizen of this country. So yes, it is a bummer. And a lot of other things. — Ernie @ SFB
Family of Troy Davis digests the news that the US Supreme Court has refused to block his execution, via @kimseverenson
Wrote a thing.
Hat tip to this headline writer.
Congrats Tumblr!
Don’t screw this up Yahoo.
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The Supreme Court has rejected an eleventh-hour appeal from Troy Davis to prevent Georgia authorities from executing him for the murder of an off-duty police officer.
The court did not comment on its order late Wednesday, four hours after receiving the last-ditch request.
That’s it guys. Troy Davis will be executed. Bummer. (EDIT: That one word at the end drew a lot of response. Please see our take on the reaction.)
» A last gasp: The Supreme Court’s decision is Davis’ final option — today alone, he’s offered to take a polygraph, he’s tried to appeal to the Georgia pardons board, he’s gone to the Georgia Supreme Court … and the U.S. Supreme Court’s move was a hail-mary play which had no guarantee of working. The court likely knew it was coming, though. Davis has knocked on their door before, and they’ve answered at least once — back in 2008, they gave Davis an opportunity for a new trial, but a federal judge didn’t go for it.
Georgia denies clemency for controversial death row inmate Troy Davis: Davis, shown here in 1991, drew considerable support for his case, in which witnesses recanted testimony that led to his conviction in the murder of a police officer. But Georgia’s pardons board remained unconvinced. source
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» SFB says: That post wasn’t for you or your armies. It was for the passive person who grabbed onto the moment. I’ve been on the Internet, I know how it works. We get easily distracted, no matter how awful the travesty is. (How much are we talking about Haiti right now?) If you really wanted to seize the opportunity, instead of taking it as an insult, you’d take it as a call to arms. There’s another time for hurt feelings. That time isn’t now. — Ernie @ SFB