Troy Davis Mourned as Death-Penalty Martyr
Troy Davis, who was executed despite pleading innocence until the end, was called a “martyr” at his funeral attended by over 1,000 family members, supporters and activists in Georgia Saturday.
“Troy’s last words that night were he told us to keep fighting until his name is cleared in Georgia,” said Benjamin Todd Jealous, national president of the civil rights group National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, according to The Associated Press.
“But most important, keep fighting until the death penalty is abolished and this can never be done to anyone else,” Jealous added. The funeral was held at Jonesville Baptist Church in Savannah.
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Amnesty International had called for Saturday to be a “Day of Remembrance” for the 42-year-old Davis, who was executed by lethal injection Sept. 21 for the murder of off-duty police officer Mark Macphail, who was shot twice while trying to help a homeless man being attacked outside a bus station in 1989.
The advocacy group, which sees the execution as “the best argument for abolishing the death penalty,” had urged its supporters worldwide to remember Davis Saturday by wearing black armbands and “I am Troy Davis.”
Davis’ execution led to protests in many parts of the United States and in other countries.
Years of extraordinary efforts by supporters and activists to persuade judges and Georgia prison officials that Davis was innocent failed. Those speaking for Davis included former President Jimmy Carter and Pope Benedict XVI. Davis maintained to the very end that he was innocent and asked God to have mercy on the Georgia prison officials who were “about to take [his] life.” However, MacPhail’s family and prosecutors said they were sure that Davis was guilty.
At the funeral service, which was marked by outrage more than remorse, the congregation prayed together, saying, “We pray to the Lord for our souls and the soul of Troy Davis, martyr and foot soldier.” As Davis loved the Dallas Cowboys pro football team, supporters placed blue and white roses on the casket.
Amnesty’s U.S. Executive Director Larry Cox, who spoke at the funeral, urged the advocates not to give up until the death penalty was abolished in America. “If you thought you saw us fighting to save Troy Davis, now that we’ve been inspired by Troy Davis, you ain’t seen nothing yet,” he was quoted as saying.
Davis’ 17-year-old nephew, DeJaun Davis-Correia, recalled that his uncle used to spend hours helping him with homework over the phone. “You really shouldn’t be sad all the time, you should be happy and be positive. That’s the attitude my uncle instilled in me,” he added.
The Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, who served as a spiritual adviser to Davis on death row and delivered the eulogy at the funeral, said, “I did not come here all the way from Atlanta to tell you this is God’s will. God’s will is not revealed in this tragedy.” The pastor added that Davis “transformed a prison sentence into a pulpit… turned death row into a sanctuary.”
Days before the scheduled funeral, Davis’ sister, Kim, said in an interview with The Associated Press, “Our family isn’t only our physical blood relatives. It expands way beyond that.”
Kim’s statement followed thousands joining social media sites posting desperate pleas for prayer for Davis.
