Yesterday , I watched and waited on whether the execution of Troy Davis would be stayed . It was not and Troy Davis was put to death. In the days before his execution , public interest swelled . Protesters , posts on twitter and an outcry to stop the execution. The last minute appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was denied. I am sure everyone in Georgia feels safer today.
Contrast the Davis case with the execution of a white supremacist gang member who killed a black man while dragging him down a bumpy asphalt road . No weak evidence . A solid case was made. It was a horrific hate crime.
I have thought long and hard on the death penalty. I agree with Justice Blackmun when he wrote that the ‘ I shall no longer tinker with the machinery of death". The death penalty should be abolished. The reasons are many from faulty eyewitness testimony like in the Troy Davis case to ineffective and overworked defense lawyers. Cost savings and inhumane punishment are also present.
I understand and respect the feelings of those effected by violent crime. The sense of loss of a loved one is something I can’t imagine .The question remains is the death penalty the best option with years of appeals. Reopening the loss with each round of court. Is life without the possibility of parole a better option ? I wish I knew , but today with what limited knowledge I have of the Davis case. The search for the truth and justice did not happen in the death chamber in Jackson , Georgia.