Ga. execution protested here
A GROUP of about 100 gathered in Center City last night, joining an international push against the execution of a Georgia cop- killer whose conviction has been called into question.
A GROUP of about 100 gathered in Center City last night, joining an international push against the execution of a Georgia cop- killer whose conviction has been called into question.
The group gathered at 15th and Market streets to support Troy Davis, who was slated to be executed yesterday for killing a police officer in Savannah, Ga., in 1989.
It was to no avail. CNN reported that Davis was executed at 11:08 p.m., about an hour after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a last-ditch appeal. Though Davis' attorneys say seven key witnesses against him have disputed all or parts of their testimony, state and federal judges repeatedly ruled against granting him a new trial.
Davis' supporters staged vigils in the U.S. and Europe, declaring "I am Troy Davis" on signs, T-shirts and the Internet. Some tried increasingly frenzied measures, urging prison workers to stay home and even posting a judge's phone number online, hoping people would press him to put a stop to the lethal injection.
"They say death row; we say hell no!" protesters shouted outside the Jackson prison where Davis was to be executed.
The crowd outside the prison swelled to more than 500 as night fell, and a few dozen riot police stood watch. About 10 counterdemonstrators also were there, showing support for the death penalty and the family of Mark MacPhail, the man Davis was convicted of killing.
In front of City Hall, protesters complained that police were aggressive toward the crowd.
"They were unnecessarily rough, but I stood my ground," said Cambria Hooven, a social worker.
"I'm an advocate for my kids - that's why I'm here. Any one of them could be Troy Davis."
- Staff and wire report
