Your Black Brothers: YBW Speaks To, Martina Correia -- Troy Davis's Older Sister

Interview with older sister of Death Row Inmate, Troy Davis, by Tolu Olorunda.


If it was up to the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department and the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, Troy Davis would, at this moment, be an after-thought. As a matter of fact, he would have been executed as early as July 17, 2007. But due to the effervescent work of the international coalition of supporters, family and friends, who insist his innocence, Troy Davis is still believed to have a fighting chance at not only clemency, but exoneration. Since his conviction in 1991, Davis has remained on Georgia’s Death Row. The case of Troy Davis is one which has rallied international support and garnered national attention. None other than President Jimmy Carter and former Sen. Bob Barr are among that diverse group of supporters who seek clemency for Troy Davis. As Carter and Barr see it, “proper level of fairness and accuracy required for the ultimate punishment has not been met in Davis’ case.” Troy Davis is also fortunate to have a sister such as Martina Correia. Martina, a cancer survivor, has worked tirelessly, night and day, for the opportunity to witness, someday, her brother walk free again. I had the honor of speaking with Martina on the case of her brother, which, as she describes it, “is transcending across continent-lines.”

Thanks for being with us, Martina. Can you start by telling us - what you can - about Troy Davis -- before the incident in 1989?

Before the incident, Troy was a young junior coach for the police athletic league; he did things in the community, always helping out little kids and people that had problems. If there was any problem, he would try to solve it. He used to line up the kids in his league, and buy them Ice-Cream and other snacks. But Troy spent most of his time at home, because I had a sister who was paralyzed from the neck-down, and Troy went to night school and worked. When my mother was working during the day, Troy took care of my sister. When he worked, he pretty much gave my mom his entire paycheck – eating hotdogs and soda for lunch. That’s the kind of person that he was.

What was it that took place on that fateful day in 1989?

In 1989, Troy was actually preparing to go back to Atlanta because he had been waiting on a delay-entry program into the army corp. His vehicle was broken down, so he decided to work on a construction site to get the money to fix his car. That specific day, some of his friends talked him into going downtown to play some pool, and when they got there, an altercation took place between a homeless man and a drug dealer. When my brother heard about the incident – doing his normal “Troy-Davis-Batman” thing – he and a 16-year old were walking up the street to try to intervene. When they got to the scene, they saw the drug-dealer pistol-whipping the homeless man. The drug dealer then turned his gun on Troy and the 16-year old with him; so Troy and the 16-year old took off running. At that time, the girlfriend of the homeless man ran into the station, asking for help; so a police officer came outside yelling to the person in the parking lot, who then shot and killed him. The drug dealer then ran away, threw his gun away, and changed his clothes. 15 hours later, the drug dealer showed up at the police station with a lawyer, saying that Troy had committed the crime.

What about the fact that most of the witnesses who initially accused Troy of being the murderer have recanted their stories, except for one – who is believed to be the actual killer?

There were 9 eye-witnesses used against Troy. Seven of them later stated that they either had either lied or were forced/coerced by the police to testify against Troy. One of them couldn’t read or write, so he signed a statement that the police should type for him. A couple witnesses were on parole or probation; a couple of them were 15 or 16-year olds. They were interrogated for 6 or 7 hours without any attorney or parents. The homeless man was refused medical treatment until he falsely admitted that Troy did it. The 8^th witness who did not recant his testimony said that the only thing he knew was that the shooter was left-handed, and Troy is right handed. The 9^th witness is, of course, they guy believed to be the actual shooter. 9 additional witnesses, who have not been heard in court, also came forward and said the drug dealer was the shooter. They either saw the murder first-hand, or he bragged about it to them. And one of the people who saw the murder first-hand was his actual nephew, who signed an affidavit against him.

What has the road been like since 1991, when the jury found Troy guilty?

When Troy was convicted in 1991, Newt Gingrich funded a resource center. So Georgia is the only death penalty state where you do not have to have a lawyer for post-conviction appeal, and they actually held that first heinous hearing in the prison. From 1991-1996, Troy had no attorney. You had one attorney from the resource center trying to handle 90 death-penalty cases, and the only time they could do anything was when something was filed. In 1996, when we got a lawyer, and some money - with witnesses coming forth and recanting their stories - President Clinton signed into law the Anti-Terrorist and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) -- which said that one has one year from conviction to prove innocence. President Clinton made it retroactive 10 years, which was against International Human Rights Law. So when Troy’s lawyers started coming forward with affidavits and filing claims of innocence, the court said “you should have brought that in 1992.” Well, the law wasn’t even in effect until 1996. So we got entrapped by a legal technicality, and that’s what we’ve been fighting. The witnesses who claim Troy is innocent came before the parole board and were told by the District Attorney, that if they changed their story they would go to jail and face perjury. Even though they still face perjury now, they came forth and testified. Three of the five members of the parole board are police officers themselves; two are former prosecutors. The parole board rules in secrecy, and are completely unaccountable.

When is the slated execution date for Troy Davis?

It is Tuesday, September 23^rd at 7:00 PM.

What kind of activities would you be involved in, leading up to September 23rd?

We would be holding rallies and diverse events in Georgia and beyond. Rev. Al Sharpton and Pastor Warner from Ebenezer Baptist church just held a successful press conference for Troy.

What kind of help have you been offered, with regards to your fight against the execution of your brother?

We’ve had national and international support; people have been faxing and calling the parole board – asking for reconsideration. President Jimmy Carter and Former Sen. Bob Barr have come forward saying it is not right that innocent people are executed. Over 380,000 faxes have come in so far, and they are still trying to flex their muscle.

You are battling cancer, Martina, and were honored alongside Nancy Pelosi last year. How are you doing right now?

I was diagnosed with Advanced Metastatic Breast Cancer in 2001, and was given 6 months. I take chemo on a weekly basis, and I have for 71/2 years. I asked God to allow me to fight for my brother and see him walk free; so I’m still battling. I do a lot of work in my community. I am the Executive director of the Savannah coalition of The National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer (NBLIC). Since the doctors suggest that I don’t go back to work, I volunteer all my time. Within the last 3 years, I have gotten close to 50 National and State awards for my work on cancer, but that’s not why I do it. I do it because inadequate healthcare, or no healthcare at all, is a Human Rights issue, and I’m a Human-Rights defender. I don’t get paid for what I do, but I try to make a difference so that my battle would lead to a better life for my child, and other children coming up behind me.

You have been visiting Troy recently. What is his state of mind?

It’s amazing, because Troy says that he’s in a secret place with God, and that nothing they can do can harm him. The only thing they can do is take his physical form. Troy has received over 50,000 letters within the last year, and when we left him today, he was talking about footprints, and how this is the moment when God is carrying him. He said he’s not bothered about Monday or Tuesday, but rather walking out of jail a free man.

It’s a little bit strange that you just said that, because when Stanley “Tookie” Williams was about to be executed, he mentioned the kind of peace that Troy seems to be experiencing. But also, we have precedents with the cases of Mumia Abu Jamal and Kenneth Foster. Do you have hope that his life would be speared, and possibly exonerated?

Of course I have hope. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be fighting as hard as I am in exposing the system for what it is. I got a call yesterday from some gentlemen on San Quentin Death Row. They were calling because they wanted to say a prayer for Troy. They said that Troy’s case is making room for them. Troy’s case is transcending across continent-lines. I was in France, and every Wednesday, they had three tables set up downtown for Tookie Williams, Mumia, and Troy. I’m confident that we would win, and no matter what happens on the 23^rd, we would win; and my brother understands that. No matter what happens, I wouldn’t be deterred in my fight against the death-penalty.

What can the general public do to avert this injustice?

We want people to go to TroyAnthonyDavis.org, and sign the online petition. They can also text the word “TROY” to 90999. We also need as many people as possible to call the Governor’s office and the parole board all day on Monday, asking them to reconsider. Call your Senators to speak forward. CNN and Nightly News have, for a while, wanted to put together a story on Troy, but the jail is not permitting him to conduct any interviews. We need people to flood CNN with calls, urging them to do the story regardless. We need people to start saying, “I AM TROY DAVIS.” Faith without work is dead, so we need work to be done. Don’t wait until Troy becomes your brother, cousin, nephew, father or even, you. What we tell people is that, you have to do something.

For more on the case of Troy Davis, visit:

http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=ENGAMR510232007

http://www.amnestyusa.org/uploads/file/TroyDavisfactsandtimeline.pdf

http://www.troyanthonydavis.org/call-to-action.html

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1265/t/5820/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=23774

This interview was conducted by Tolu Olorunda, Staff Writer for YourBlackWorld.com

Your Black Power: Mumia Abu Jamal Wants Another Trial

WASHINGTON, (AFP) - Black Panther-turned human rights campaigner Mumia Abu-Jamal has requested a retrial on his conviction of murdering a police officer, after his death sentence was overturned in March, his lawyer said Sunday.

A three-member Philadelphia appeals court on March 27 voted two-to-one to overturn the former radio journalist’s death sentence, while upholding his conviction for the 1981 murder of Daniel Faulkner.

The court said Abu-Jamal, 54, should face a new sentencing hearing or have his sentence commuted to life in jail.

Abu-Jamal, 54, has always claimed his innocence while on death row for 25 years. While in jail, he became a leading campaigner against the death penalty.

In his request for a retrial, Abu-Jamal’s lawyer Robert Bryan asked for a decision by a full panel of 12 judges, not a three-member court like Philadelphia’s…

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Mumia Abu Jamal: Failure of Black Leadership

SUNDIATA SADIQ
10 Madison ave
Ossining NY 10562

DEAR EDITOR
,
Critical Moment for Mumia Abu Jamal and Black Leadership is Silent
On March 29, 2008, hundreds of Black, white, and Latino folk gathered at the Adam Clayton Powell Office Building on 125th Street in Harlem to protest the Third Circuit Court of Appeals decision denying Mumia Abu-Jamal a new trial, or even a hearing detailing his trumped-up murder conviction of Police Officer Daniel Faulkner in Philadelphia 26 years ago. Congressman Charles Rangel, senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), has his office there.
The Adam Clayton Powell Office Building was chosen after numerous calls were made on the Congressional Black Caucus to reaffirm their 1995 and 1999 support for Mumia. At this crucial time, Mumia needs that support once again.
The executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus, Dr. Joe Leonard, directed us to stop calling because the Black Caucus has a procedure to follow. He said he would relay these issues to the proper individuals, and they would get back to us. The chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus is Carolyn Kilpatrick; given the attitude Leonard displayed, she probably never even received our request to meet with her. Regardless, no one ever contacted us. She must now hear from all of Mumia Abu-Jamal’s supporters.
Ten months ago, when we contacted the executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus, Dr. Joe Leonard, his response was a familiar one. We were given the same runaround over two years ago by the national NAACP’s Dennis Hayes, their national legal counsel and now interim CEO. He wrote us saying the NAACP was too busy to meet with us but instead would meet with Governor Ed Rendell to discuss Mumia’s case. That struck us as odd since Rendell promised to sign the death warrant for Mumia as soon as it came across his desk. This was his campaign promise when he ran for governor. When Tookie Williams was facing execution at the hands of the California authorities, the NAACP visited him in jail and even offered him a job with the national organization. We applaud that move even though it was not part of their national call, as Mumia was and is. Some of us feel that this was a move by the NAACP to drum up membership and donations since there were no serious demonstrations by the organization or a national call to stop the execution. We also wonder why they have not offered a similar offer to Mumia at a time when such pressure could make a difference. Funny, the NAACP could turn out 10,000 folk in South Carolina to demonstrate about the Confederate flag flying over the South Carolina capitol building, but not one demo to stop the execution of Tookie. The NAACP also turned out thousands in Detroit to bury the word “nigger,” but not one demo to support Mumia.
Maybe we should have buried some of our Black leadership with the n-word.
Mumia Abu-Jamal has strong support among the rank and file of working-class people and also such notables as former mayor of New York City David Dinkins. He is a lawyer and after studiously reviewing the case of Mumia declared his support for Mumia’s freedom. Support also came from other notables in the Afrikan community such as Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Dick Gregory, Danny Glover, and many others in that same vein.
At the national convention of the NAACP in Philadelphia in 2004, after great pressure from Mumia supporters outside and inside the convention hall, the NAACP passed a resolution urging all chapters of the NAACP at home and abroad to study the case of Mumia and demand a new and fair trial for our brother. What transpired after the 2004 convention was that the only chapter in America (the Ossining NAACP) that brought the resolution to the national convention was suspended by Hazel Dukes, president of the New York State NAACP chapter. Dukes was earlier convicted of stealing money from a dying friend who had entrusted Duke to handle her estate. Strangely enough, after the controversy of her conviction subsided, Dukes was re-elected in 1999 to her former post. Her re-election has long since been thought of by many members to have been rigged.
In 2005, after we made the NAACP nervous at the national convention in Washington, DC, with our demonstration and speaking to the membership, Hilary Shelton, lobbyist for the national NAACP, promised to meet with us. During a visit to his office in Washington, DC, Shelton told us that he would get us an audience with at least a couple of brothers or sisters in the CBC who would listen to what we have to say. Shelton “played us” like his namesake, who “came under fire” during a landing in Bosnia, because we never got a hearing.
We have seen our legislators and lawmakers become frightened by the attacks of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) lobbyist in Washington, DC, whose only purpose is to see that Mumia and other Black people are executed. Congressman Chaka Fattah from Pennsylvania, a Mumia supporter, fell victim to the FOP as did John Street, former mayor of Philadelphia.
If it were not for the working people of these United States and the world, Mumia would be dead by now. Those Black leaders in office that pretend to advocate for justice when we fall in the hands of the injustice system have failed to step up to the plate. The rank and file people must step up the struggle for Mumia’s freedom. We must expose these Black leaders for their cowardice and hypocrisy.
Mumia has spoken about this subject, and they want him silenced. His national radio comments never talk about his case but about the oppressed around America. His comments have been diametrically opposed to some Black leaders’ positions. One such contradiction is in New York and cities where our people are suffering. In New York, we are facing the loss of Harlem to avaricious developers and the Columbia University plan to gentrify what we call our beloved Mecca (Harlem) for Afrikan folk around the world. When we look at who is leading this land grab, we find Hazel Dukes and certain NAACP chapters in support of this ethnic cleansing of Harlem under the guise of redevelopment. When we pull back the covers, we see Congressman Charles Rangel and David Dinkins, along with various clergy, supporting this process that threatens “the village of Harlem as we know it.”
The 2004 resolution in Philadelphia by the NAACP was a move to silence the Mumia movement because they merely meant to throw us a few bones. They had no intention of dealing with the Mumia issue in any meaningful way. This was evident in Dukes’s statement shortly thereafter that the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal was not a priority of the NAACP. The Black leadership took a chapter right out of the counterintelligence program (COINTELPRO), whose predecessor (COM-FIL) carried out infiltration of suspected Communist organizations and individuals. One such person was radical Black leader W. E. B. Du Bois, one of the founders of the NAACP who created the Crisis magazine. He exposed the lynching of hundreds of Black men and women around America. Finally, the NAACP succumbed to the federal government’s demands and kicked W. E. B. Du Bois to the curb.
In spite of the courts that violate their own decisions and our rights every day, these same Black leaders have not stood up as the NAACP and Congressional Black Caucus and said, hell no, we ain’t lettin’ this brother Mumia go down like this!
Even after Judge Ambro of the Philadelphia Third Circuit Court of Appeals in his dissent on a 2-1 decision said that the decision not to hear Mumia’s appeal around “Batson” was part of a double standard not to hear Mumia out. Ambro’s minority opinion states further that every other “Batson appeal” that was reasonable before that court was granted. Mumia has been the only exception. Mumia’s' appeal went beyond reasonable.
The prosecutor Lynn Abrahams has stated her intent to execute Mumia. Surprisingly, even after this outrageous decision by the appellate court, we have not heard a “mumblin” word from the NAACP, Black elected officials, or the Congressional Black Caucus.
Brothers and sisters, it is time for us to act.
First, let us start holding Black leadership accountable. Call and write these folk as soon as possible and tell them this decision is too outrageous for their organizations or individual political affiliations to stand by in silence while this lynching of an innocent man is playing out before the world.
Rep. Charles Rangel, 212 862 4490
Dennis Hayes, Interim CEO and President, NAACP (National), 410 580 5777
Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick, Chair of Congressional Black Caucus, 202 225 2261
Richard Macintyre, Communication and Media, NAACP, 410 580 5787
Dr. Joe Leonard, CBC Executive Director, 202 226 9776
National Caucus of Black Legislators, 202 624 5457
Or e-mail congressionalblackcaucus@mail.house.gov.
Sundiata Sadiq 914 941 6046
New York Coalition to Free Mumia Abu Jamal
Former President-Ossining NAACP (In Suspension)