Breaking News: Judge Sets Troy Davis Execution Date for Sep. 21 | via- NAACP.ORG

Breaking News: Judge Sets Troy Davis Execution Date for Sep. 21 | NAACP

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We’ve just received terrible news: the State of Georgia has set Troy Davis’s execution date for midnight on September 21, just two weeks from today.

This is our justice system at its very worst, and we are alive to witness it. There is just too much doubt.

Consider the situation: Seven out of nine witnesses have recanted their statements; several more have come forward to identify one of the two remaining witnesses as the actual killer; and, earlier this summer, the judge in his final hearing labeled the case against troy as “not ironclad.” Nonetheless, the state of Georgia is set to execute Troy anyway.

Time is running out, and this is truly Troy’s last chance for life.

But through the frustration and the tears, there is one thing to remain focused on: We are now Troy Davis’ last hope. And I know we won’t let him down.

There are three steps you can take to help Troy:

1. Sign the petition to the Board of Pardons and pass this on to your friends and family. Each name means a more united front for justice:

http://action.naacp.org/Name-Wall

2. Send a message of support to Troy as he fights for justice on what may be the final days of his life.

http://action.naacp.org/LettersOfSupport

3. Make sure everyone knows about this injustice. Spread the word on Facebook and Twitter (hashtag #TooMuchDoubt) so that Troy Davis’ story can be heard. We still have a chance to save his life, but only if people are willing to speak out against injustice.

Today, the State of Georgia has declared their intention to execute a man even though the majority of the people who put him on the row now say he is innocent many implicate one of the other witnesses as the actual killer. Now that a date has been set, we cannot relent. We must redouble our efforts. Thank you for your help.

Family of alleged Mississippi hate killing victim files suit

Jackson, Mississippi (CNN) -- The family of an African-American man who was killed when he was beaten and run over with a truck has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a group of teens alleged to have been present at the time of the attack.
The lawsuit -- filed Tuesday in a Mississippi district court -- alleges that seven white teenagers "set out on a mission" to find and harass African-Americans.
The lawsuit, filed by Anderson's sister, mother and two brothers, seeks a jury trial and damages. It names not only the two teens facing criminal charges in the incident but others who, the suit alleges, acted as lookouts and prevented Anderson from escaping. Read more.....

Link to Lawsuit Click here 

Nation's Jails Struggle With Mentally Ill Prisoners

Via npr.org
September 4, 2011
Three hundred and fifty thousand: That's a conservative estimate for the number of offenders with mental illness confined in America's prisons and jails.
More Americans receive mental health treatment in prisons and jails than in hospitals or treatment centers. In fact, the three largest inpatient psychiatric facilities in the country are jails: Los Angeles County Jail, Rikers Island Jail in New York City and Cook County Jail in Illinois.
"We have a criminal justice system which has a very clear purpose: You get arrested. We want justice. We try you, and justice hopefully prevails. It was never built to handle people that were very, very ill, at least with mental illness," Judge Steve Leifman tells Laura Sullivan, guest host of weekends on All Things Considered.  read more....

Court: Panelist secretly blocked ex-Panther's parole

 ATLANTA (AP) -- A former Black Panther convicted of murdering a California park ranger is getting another shot at freedom after a federal appeals court found that a parole official improperly worked to keep him behind bars by secretly handing over information to Justice Department officials.
The Atlanta-based 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decision last week found that then-U.S. Parole Commissioner Deborah Spagnoli "impermissibly tainted" the board's decision to delay Veronza Bowers' release when she wrote a memo to government attorneys about the case. Her actions, the three-judge panel said, violated the commission's mandate as an independent arbiter. from thegrio.com Read more....

Deputy indicted for allowing dog to attack suspect - The Mississippi Link: News: billy charles scott, jr. arrested,

Deputy indicted for allowing dog to attack suspect - The Mississippi Link: News: billy charles scott, jr. arrested,: OXFORD - A Choctaw County Sheriff's Deputy has
been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly allowing his
police dog to attack a black m…