"A Man Was Lynched Yesterday" - Troy Davis Is His Name

Despite increasing doubt of his guilty in a 1989 conviction for killing an off-duty Georgia police officer, Troy Anthony Davis was murdered by the State of Georgia on September 21 at 11:08 PM EST.

Prior to his state-sanctioned assassination, Troy addressed the family of Officer Mark Macphail.

"I'd like to address the MacPhail family. I'm not the one who personally killed your son, your father, your brother. I am innocent. The incident that happened that night is not my fault. I did not have a gun. All I can ask...is that you look deeper into this case so that you really can finally see the truth. For those about to take my life, God have mercy on your souls. And may God bless your souls."
–Troy Davis

I am surprised that our brother was at peace. A peace with the Creator that a system cannot take.

I am not surprised this murderous system took his life. As William Jelani Cobb writes in "The Night They Killed Troy Davis, "Georgia's criminal justice system is a microcosm for the kind of racial disparities that plague the entire country. Blacks are 30.5% of the state's population but make up 61% of Georgia's prisoners."

And besides the false perceived correlation between Black skin and criminal pathology, like Tupac said, "They Don't Give a Fuck About Us." I get daily reminders of the lack of value placed of the life of Black men. Fortunately, I remember not to internalize these messages suggesting my life is worthless. I am Troy Davis.



The remnants of any "faith" in the American justice system has been lethally injected with disgust and a reminder of my ancestors sense of acknowledgment of its lack of legitimacy or credibility.

The only "comfort" I have is in reading Davis' last words to us all.

So Thank you and remember I am in a place where execution can only destroy your physical form but because of my faith in God, my family and all of you I have been spiritually free for some time and no matter what happens in the days, weeks to come, this Movement to end the death penalty, to seek true justice, to expose a system that fails to protect the innocent must be accelerated.

I grew up supporting the death penalty. An "eye for an eye" was both the mentality of my Baptist upbringing. (And the title of one of my favorite RBL Posse albums). Before embracing Islam, I came to learn more about the disparities in sentencing in this nation.

Soon after, I was exposed to the anti-death penalty movement when Tookie Williams was scheduled to be executed. A few years later, I attended the second Stanley Tookie Williams Summit at Merritt College where I met Troy Davis sister, Kimberly. I was moved by her passionately pleas to save her innocent brother's life. But as she's pledged to keep fighting for others, I'm reminded of Troy's last message.

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.

Meanwhile, Twitter appeared to censor the #troydavis hashtag, but later allowed #riptroydavis. A reminder of how technology can both can both connect us and be used to censor our movement.

And Mr. "High-Tech Lynching" himself, (in)Justice Clarence (Uncle) delivered the final blow when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Troy's appeal. And with Obama's continued silence, we must remember that a Black face in a high place does not equate to Black Empowerment.

The murder of Troy Davis, if he was innocent, is not justice for Officer Mark MacPhail. What sort of system do we have where law enforcement officers must work as security guards? What sort of system do we have where humans attack the less fortunate, like our homeless population. I commend MacPhail for seeking to protect the less fortunate. Too often, police only serve the interests of the powerful. I wish his family peace.

I have Georgia on my Mind, like Ray Charles. But unlike Ray, Lady Justice is not blind.



One-hundred and five years to the day after the Atlanta Race Riots, the long, murderous arm of the law continues to murder Black men.

A Man Was Lynched Yesterday. His name was Troy Davis. You will not be forgotten by me. Your assassination has made you a martyr in the movement for justice and abolition.And We Are All Troy Davis.



Letter from Troy Davis

I want to thank all of you for your efforts and dedication to Human Rights and Human Kindness, in the past year I have experienced such emotion, joy, sadness and never ending faith. It is because of all of you that I am alive today, as I look at my sister Martina I am marveled by the love she has for me and of course I worry about her and her health, but as she tells me she is the eldest and she will not back down from this fight to save my life and prove to the world that I am innocent of this terrible crime.

As I look at my mail from across the globe, from places I have never ever dreamed I would know about and people speaking languages and expressing cultures and religions I could only hope to one day see first hand. I am humbled by the emotion that fills my heart with overwhelming, overflowing Joy. I can’t even explain the insurgence of emotion I feel when I try to express the strength I draw from you all, it compounds my faith and it shows me yet again that this is not a case about the death penalty, this is not a case about Troy Davis, this is a case about Justice and the Human Spirit to see Justice prevail.

I cannot answer all of your letters but I do read them all, I cannot see you all but I can imagine your faces, I cannot hear you speak but your letters take me to the far reaches of the world, I cannot touch you physically but I feel your warmth everyday I exist.

So Thank you and remember I am in a place where execution can only destroy your physical form but because of my faith in God, my family and all of you I have been spiritually free for some time and no matter what happens in the days, weeks to come, this Movement to end the death penalty, to seek true justice, to expose a system that fails to protect the innocent must be accelerated. 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.

I can’t wait to Stand with you, no matter if that is in physical or spiritual form, I will one day be announcing,

“I AM TROY DAVIS, and I AM FREE!”

Never Stop Fighting for Justice and We will Win!

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