Qcity reacts to the execution of Troy Davis
By now, most of us have heard of Troy Davis -- the man executed Wednesday night in Georgia for the 1989 slaying of a Savannah police officer. While some questioned the evidence against him and equated his death to a “legal lynching” of an innocent black man, others disagree.
Qcitymetro.com took to the streets of Charlotte to see what locals are saying. Feel free to join the discussion by voicing your opinion in the comments section below.
Here's what some told us:
“As a p
erson of God, I don’t think you should take a man’s life. I don’t know (Davis’) personal situation; I only know what the Bible says. So, I don’t believe in the death penalty. ‘Thy shall not kill.’ That’s what I believe in. I really couldn’t give a comment on his execution. That’s man passing judgment. God is the only one who can pass judgment on what we do.” ~ Stanley Easter, 51, barber
***
“I was
outraged over it, and very disturbed. I took it personally, like a family member… So many people were against it. Seven out of nine of his witnesses all recanted, and still they gave him no thought. I felt like the Supreme Court didn’t really give him any consideration, and I feel a real loss for him. I never even met the man, but I feel a loss just as a human being. I can just feel the pain that his family is feeling. I feel as if I’m apart of that family. I feel so sad and very disturbed by it.” ~ Nancy Johnson, 43, stay-at-home mom
***
“My hea
rt broke. I cried. I just feel that it is time now for this country to take another look at the death penalty. We need to know what it is that we are voting for when we go out there and vote. I just feel as though too many innocent people are being sentenced to death. It’s not right. We lose one life, another life goes. We need to reevaluate this death penalty. I do think he was innocent…The witnesses recanted their statements... Then, there was the pastor to whom he actually turned himself into prior to turning himself in (to the police). No one called him in as a witness to testify... Taking all these things into account and looking at what was going on at that time in Georgia as far as racism 20 years ago, I question it. And it was a police officer. Someone had to pay a price. He was not innocent, in the sense that I understand he may have pistol whipped someone. However, I do not think that he did the crime he was put to death for.” ~ Cathleen Parks, 49, substitute teacher
***
“I don’t k
now much about the case, but from what I heard, he was innocent. I think they should have looked at it differently and given him another chance.” ~ Sylvester Berkley, 43, mental health worker
***
“I don’t t
hink he was proven guilty enough to be executed. I don’t think there was enough evidence. From what I’ve heard, I think that his trial was treated unfairly… I think they should do away with the death penalty. It’s unfair to execute someone. Unless they can be proven guilty, you are executing someone for an unjust cause.” ~ Philip Smith, retired
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