Thursday, March 28, 2024

Dr. Boyce Watkins; Jesse Jackson Steps in on Troy Davis: Now Let’s Move on Mass Incarceration…

June 8, 2011 by  
Filed under Misc., News, Opinion, Politics, Weekly Columns

Like
Like Love Haha Wow Sad Angry

(ThyBlackMan.com) The Rev. Jesse Jackson is going to intervene in the case of Troy Davis, a man whose death penalty case has received international attention. Davis is facing the death penalty after being accused of shooting and killing a Savannah, Ga police officer over 20 years ago. Since that time, witnesses have changed their stories and a plethora of evidence has been put forward that at least implies that Mr. Davis was not proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Thus far, Sen. Donzella James, a Democrat out of College Park, has stated that she will work with the Georgia Board of Pardons to convince them to take a look at Davis’ case. In March, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Davis’ appeal. The court ruled that Davis did not adequately prove his innocence.

Rev. Jackson’s involvement in the Troy Davis case is a sight for sore eyes. But one must wonder if Jackson or anyone else has the  power to reverse the course of action that has already been taken by authorities. Once the criminal justice system grabs onto an individual’s life, it rarely lets go.

One of the things that must be considered is that perhaps the “save one man at a time” strategy should be abandoned as it pertains to the criminal justice system. The cases of Troy Davis, the Scott sisters and others are effectively situations where individuals were able to benefit from good marketing, thus convincing the world that their pain and suffering is somehow more important than the thousands of other black and brown people who’ve become victims of disproportionate sentencing. The case of Rodney K. Stanberry is just one of many examples of others who’ve been served an injustice that is nearly as grave as that of Mr. Davis.

We all know that the criminal justice system is crooked. Black and brown people are the greatest victims of a justice system that incarcerates more of its citizens than any country in the world. In a recent Your Black World survey, it was found that nearly three-fourths (74%) of African Americans have a relative who has spent time in prison.

The depth of the mass incarceration problem serves as the greatest threat to the existence of the black family in America. As the numbers of black male prison inmates goes up, the percentage of black women who get married goes down. There is no disconnecting the lack of marital stability and probability with the spread of HIV, since singles tend to have more sex partners in a lifetime than those who are married. There is also an immeasurable impact on the well-being of our children, who find themselves traumatized by the incarcerated father who often goes missing from the home.

I am a huge fan of Rev. Jackson and I speak to someone from his family at least twice a month. I am excited about his involvement in the case of Troy Davis. I also argue that it is time for orchestrated action on the part of all black leadership (including you and I, since I believe that you are your own greatest black leader) to attack this entire system at its foundation and work to free the thousands of other Troy Davis-like Americans who are trapped in a system that refuses to let go.

The Never Going Back Initiative against Mass Incarceration and Recidivism is just one of many projects designed to fight against this system. It is built on a coalition of concerned citizens who want to see this problem come to an end. No one in Washington cares to stop what’s happening to the black family in America, and we are the only ones with the ability and desire to fight to save our children.  

Staff Writer; Dr. Boyce Watkins

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. For more information, please visit http://BoyceWatkins.com.


Comments

4 Responses to “Dr. Boyce Watkins; Jesse Jackson Steps in on Troy Davis: Now Let’s Move on Mass Incarceration…”
  1. Devraj Kori says:

    Mass Incarceration is a huge problem, but the difference is that it is much more difficult to prove. Dissenters will claim that the high percentage of incarcerated African-Americans is merely the result of a higher crime rate amongst African-Americans, which unfortunately is at least a half-truth. Frankly I’m not black and I don’t care at all that Troy Davis is black, except for the fact that this may be a factor in what is a clear violation of due process. The death of a white man in Troy Davis’s place should be just as big of an issue to me as well as to you, the fact that white men find themselves in these positions less frequently is immaterial. I sympathize with the impetus amongst the black community to fight general flawed legal policy that they believe is racist, but this is not a racial issue, it is an issue of justice and human decency.
    http://newamericamedia.org/2011/06/dispatch-from-death-row-troy-davis-and-a-nephews-love.php

  2. Roxanne Ivey says:

    THOUGH THE HEAVENS FALL
    a poem for Troy Davis

    Innocent eyes
    The clearest of skies,
    Though clouded by contempt,
    Incite us to see
    The blind tyranny
    Of terror in suspense–
    The scales of justice weighted
    By the jaded sway of lies,
    A life held in the balance
    And a cradled compromise;
    Yet hope kneels at her altar
    ‘Til the day he is set free,
    And empathetic hearts cry out,
    “I am Troy, and Troy is me!”

    Roxanne Ivey
    Poets for Positive Change
    http://www.linkedin.com/in/roxanneivey

  3. THE MASSES OF AMERICAN’S ARE NOT AWARE THAT THE COUNTRY OF IRAN IS WATCHING SAVANNAH GEORGIA TROY DAVIS LEGAL HORROR & WAITING TO SEE THE OUTCOME PRIOR DECIDING HOW TO PROCEED WITH OUR 2 YOUNG AMERICANS THEY HAVE BEEN HOLDING FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS.

    AMERICA AS A LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD HAS TO BE VERY CONCERNED WITH THE NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL AFFECT OF EXECUTING A VERY POSSIBLE INNOCENT TROY DAVIS AGAINST GOD’S JUDEO~CHRISTIAN 8TH COMMANDMENT !!

    SINCE THE BIRTH OF THE AL GORE INTERNET,THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT TODAY HAS CHANGED AND IT IS NO LONGER POSSIBLE TO KEEP TROY DAVIS,MUMIA ABU~JAMAL OR HANK SKINNER OBVIOUS INJUSTICES BEHIND CLOSED PRISON DOORS.

    ANY CURRENT & FUTURE AMERICAN GOVERNOR CARRYING OUT EXECUTIONS IN AMERICA ARE NOW GETTING THE MESSAGE LOUD & CLEAR BY A CHANGING U.S. VOTER MENTALITY. HALF OF THE USA IS DIRECTLY AGAINST ANY FORM OF THE DEATH PENALTY AND THE OTHER HALF ARE ONLY WANTING THE DEATH PENALTY USED WHEN IT CAN BE PROVEN BEYOND ANY SHADOW OF DOUBT THAT THE CORRECT GUILTY PERSON IS THE ONE BEING EXECUTED …

    SADLY,OUR COUNTRY STILL CURRENTLY HAS GOVERNOR’S LIKE RICK PERRY OF TEXAS WHO ARE MORE INTERESTED IN PUBLIC RELATIONS WITH HIS FUTURE VOTERS IN SHOWING EVERYONE HOW TOUGH ON CRIME HE IS. PROVIDING EVERY HUMANISTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR ANY TEXAS RESIDENT TO BE CAPABLE OF PROVING THEIR INNOCENCE PRIOR AN EXECUTION IS EVERY AMERICAN’S BASIC HUMAN RIGHT.

    TRAGICALLY HANK SKINNER OF TEXAS CONTINUES TO AWAIT IN PRISON IN THE STATE OF TEXAS FOR A POSSIBLE LIFE~SAVING DNA TEST TO BE TAKEN ON HIMSELF IN ORDER FOR HIM TO EXONERATE HIMSELF.

    THIS TEXAS GOVERNOR RICK PERRY & HIS APPOINTED JUDICIAL FOLLOWERS CONTINUE TO WANT TO ONLY USE DNA TESTING FOR IMPRISONING & EXECUTING OVER MAKING SURE HANK SKINNER & ANY OTHER FUTURE TEXAS INMATE HAS EVERY POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITY
    TO PROVE ONES INNOCENCE PRIOR BEING GIVEN THE NEEDLE OF DEATH.

    HANK SKINNER HAPPENS TO BE A WHITE AMERICAN WHO APPEARS TO HAVE RUN INTO A SMALL GROUP OF DEMONIC MENTALITIES IN TEXAS THAT ARE APPARENTLY MORE FEARFUL OF BEING PROVEN WRONG IN HAVING CONVICTING & IMPRISONING THIS POSSIBLE INNOCENT little American HANK SKINNER,THEN OFFERING HIM EVEN ANY SLIGHT CHANCE OF PROVING HIS INNOCENCE THOUGH DNA TESTING !

    AFTER WITNESSING THE TROY DAVIS & HANK SKINNER HORROR SHOWS IN GEORGIA & TEXAS JUDICIAL SYSTEMS UNFOLD, WE ARE NOW SETTING UP FOR A FUTURE USA ANTI~DEATH PENALTY CAMPAIGN THAT WILL BE LIKE NO OTHER EVER ATTEMPTED IN AMERICA PRIOR.

    OUR BILLIONAIRE AMERICAN ELITE WHO CONTINUE NOT WANTING TO GET INVOLVED WITH SERIOUS AMERICAN ISSUES THAT OUR USA MIDDLE~CLASS & POORER AMERICAN’S CONTINUE TO BE PLAGUED WITH HAS TO END.** WE ALL ARE WELL AWARE THAT OUR U.S. ELITE CONTROL 90% of AMERICAN WEALTH & ARE THE ONLY ONES TO PROPERLY CORRECT THESE INJUSTICES HAPPENING DAILY ALL ACROSS THEIR AMERICA !

    WRONGFULLY IMPRISONED & EXECUTED little America’s IS MOSTLY BASED ON OUR ELITE CONTINUING TO ALLOW THEIR UNDER~FINANCED JUDICIAL SYSTEM TO OPERATE DESTROYING INNOCENT LIVES ALL ACROSS AMERICA DAILY.

    CONTINUED MULTI~BILLION$ TAX BREAKS FOR OUR AMERICAN ELITE CONTINUE CREATING DAILY INJUSTICES BEING INFLICTED ON OUR MIDDLE~CLASS & POORER AMERICANS DIRECTLY
    RELATED TO OUR GOVERNMENT’S INABILITY IN NOT BEING CAPABLE OF AFFORDING PROPER LEGAL REPRESENTATION IN OUR U.S. CIVIL,DIVORCE,CRIMINAL & FAMILY COURTS OF LAW !

    THE WEALTHIEST AMERICAN IN AMERICA HAS RECENTLY DECIDED TO OFFER INDIA $10 BILLION TAX~FREE FROM THE BILL & MELINDA GATES CHARITY FOUNDATION FOR ERADICATING THEIR COUNTRIES POLIO ISSUES ?

    WE HAVE SERIOUS ISSUES WITH U.S.TAX~FREE BILLIONAIRE ELITE’S SLU$H FUND FOUNDATIONS TAKING PRECIOUSLY NEEDED TAX EXEMPT DOLLAR$ OUT OF AMERICA FOR OTHERS WORLD~WIDE WHEN TENS OF MILLIONS OF OUR OWN AMERICANS ARE IN DIRE NEED RIGHT HERE IN AMERICA USA WHERE THESE TAX EXEMPTIONS WERE GIVEN !

    OUR OWN UNCLE SAM IS #1 IN THE WORLD IN INTERNATIONAL CHARITY DONATION$ SO WHY ARE WE ALLOWING THE GATES FOUNDATION & OTHER’S TO CONTINUE DEPRIVING OUR OWN NEEDY AMERICAN’S OVER THE NEW WORLD ORDER POOR ?

    OBVIOUSLY,UNTIL little American’s BEGIN TO DEMAND FUTURE GOVERNMENT FINANCED ELECTION$,THERE WILL CONTINUE BEING FUTURE VICTIMS OF OUR ELITE’S DOCUMENTED NEGLECTIVE INJUSTICES !

  4. Mark Azerty says:

    Dr. Watkins, thanks for posting this article! This is very interesting stuff indeed. To learn more about what the witnesses have changed their minds about in the Troy Davis case, see http://www.troydaviscase.com.

Speak Your Mind

Tell us what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!