(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.
