On anniversary of Troy Davis' execution

Thanks to Michele O'Brien

Since that terrible night which rocked so many of us to our core, we at the National Coaition to Abolish the Death Penalty have tried to be true to Troy Davis’ last wishes. As a movement, we’ve bound ourselves up after each execution and relied on our faith to stand us back on our feet and to make a way where the way was not clear. It has been three years since Troy's execution. What have we learned? We learned about the importance of galvanizing our collective voices with a single purpose — to save a life. And while we did not succeed in saving Troy Davis, we – you and I- succeeded in making his his story known and his name a household name. You wrote letters, signed petitions and marched, called your family and friends to tell them what we were doing. National organizations with agendas covering a broad range of concerns collaborated and cooperated.

The death penalty has not been and never will be viewed the same, by millions who might otherwise have never given it a thought.

So what have we learned? We learned we can’t stop. And the path is clear: we have to systematically organize and grow the power of millions of people like you and me who know that Troy Davis’ execution was wrong-- and that every execution is wrong.

The use of the death penalty in the United States has been steadily declining in recent years.  The death penalty is now largely isolated to only a small handful of states which actively use it.  Despite this diminished use, the flaws and failures of the death penalty are more apparent than ever. Read more: http://www.ncadp.org/pages/about