Troy Davis Story: Thousands Tweet Prayers as Execution Looms
Convicted murderer Troy Davis is scheduled to die imminently, as his execution by lethal injection is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. EST Wednesday, despite the recanting of witness testimonies.
As the deadline draws closer thousands are joining social media sites posting desperate pleas for prayer for Davis. Twitter in particular is blowing up with the hash tag “Pray for Troy Davis” Wednesday afternoon.
A host of religious leaders have been speaking out about the pending execution of Troy Davis, a Georgia man convicted of the 1989 murder of off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail. Davis was denied clemency Wednesday.
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MacPhail’s family believes Davis is guilty and supports his execution.
Many religious, political and civil rights leaders point to a lack of physical evidence tying Davis to the crime as proof of his potential innocence. Even Pope Benedict has commented on the case, previously calling for Georgia to “recognize the sacredness of all human life.”
The twitter trend seems to be a mixture of sympathy and outrage toward the controversial execution.
One Twitter user said, “My heart is deeply hurting for Troy Davis and all before and after him because I've done all I can possibly do #PrayforTroyDavis.”
Another pondered what Troy Davis might be thinking in this very moment, “Troy Davis is wondering if were going to be able to save him or not right now #PrayForTroyDavis.”
Commenters also tried to put themselves in Davis' place in an empathetic way.
For example, one user said, “I can't imagine how agonizing it must feel knowing the exact time of your death and trying to savor each precious minute #PrayForTroyDavis.”
Others were tweeting about the outpouring of concern for the convicted murderer.
“I hope Troy Davis realizes just how much love there is in the world for him right now,” wrote another social media user.
“The only thing I am holding onto right now is that Troy Davis is sure going to heaven for being murdered #PrayForTroyDavis,” someone tweeted.
This twitter trend is off the heels of one earlier today with the hash tag #TooMuchDoubt trending on the popular social networking site.
Amnesty International launched a Twitter campaign by with the hash tag and phrase "#TooMuchDoubt to execute Davis," hoping the media attention would encourage the Georgia Board of Pardons & Parole to grant Davis clemency and commute his sentence.”
Possibly hundreds of people, including celebrities, have been using their Twitter accounts to participate in the "#TooMuchDoubt" campaign and voice their frustrations with Davis' case, the U.S. legal system, and the death penalty.
It seems over 200 tweets per minute with the hash tag #PrayForTroyDavis are being released in a frantic countdown fashion.
One user simply said, “2 more hours…:/ #PrayForTroyDavis.”
Prayer for the convicted murderer can be found not only on Twitter but with Davis personally.
Human rights activist and author Jen Marlowe said, “As 7 p.m. approaches, I do not intend to picture Troy strapped onto a gurney. Instead, I will focus on the image which has been seared into my brain since December 2009: Troy standing in silhouette, arms outstretched and palms pressed against the iron grating. His mother’s hand pressed against his on one side, his nephew’s on the other, the rest of the family holding hands in between as he leads a circle of prayer, thanking God for the blessings they have received, and asking for the strength to continue the struggle for justice.”
