Troy Davis was executed on Wednesday, Sept. 21 for the 1989 murder of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail.
I wanted to do a timeline of the case and post videos at the end of his execution.
The timeline is provided by 11 Alive News in Atlanta.
August 19, 1989 - Off-duty Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail was shot and killed when intervening in an argument between two men in a parking lot near a restaurant where he worked as a security guard.
August 23, 1989 - One of the men in the altercation, Sylvester "Redd" Coles went to Savannah police and implicated Davis in the shooting, resulting in the arrest of Davis.
August 1991 - In Davis' murder trial, a number of witnesses came forward and said they had seen Davis shoot Officer MacPhail, while two other people said Davis confessed to killing MacPhail. No murder weapon was located, and no other physical evidence connected Davis to the murder.
August 30, 1991 - Davis was convicted in MacPhail's murder and sentenced to death.
2000 - Davis challenged use of Georgia's electric chair for executions in Georgia, saying it constituted cruel and unusual punishment.
July 17, 2007 - First scheduled execution date. Execution was stayed after appeals from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Pope Benedict XVI, Harry Belafonte, Amnesty International and the European Parliament.
September 2008 - Second scheduled execution date. Execution was stayed after statements from Amnesty International, Rev. Al Sharpton, former GOP Congressman Bob Barr and former President Jimmy Carter.
A last minute stay by the US Supreme Court was issued two hours before Davis was set to be executed, permitting the high court to determine whether on not to hear the case.
October 27, 2008 - Scheduled execution date. Execution was stayed by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in order to consider a newly-filed federal petition. A petition with 140,000 signatures was presented to the state Board of Pardons and Paroles. An appeal also came from the European Union.
August 17, 2009 - US Supreme Court orders federal district court to consider if new evidence that could not have been easily obtained at the time of the initial trial could establish Davis' innocence.
June 2010 - Evidentiary hearing before federal district court; a number of prosecution witnesses recant their testimony. Some witnesses describe what they called police coercion in the case. At least one other witness says Coles confessed to the shooting. That evidence was not permitted to be entered since Coles did not have the opportunity to rebut it.
August 2010 - Federal district court upholds conviction.
March 2011 - US Supreme Court rejects Davis appeal.
May 2011 - Amnesty International and People of Faith Against the Death Penalty send out a call for signatures on a new petition calling for the commutation of Davis' execution.
September 17, 2011 - More than 600,000 signatures are presented to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles on petitions asking for clemency.
September 19, 2011 - Clemency hearing before the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles.
September 20, 2011 - Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles denies clemency for Davis. Statements from politicians and others decry the board's decision. Georgia state senator Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta) calls for a general strike by staffers at the prison where the execution is scheduled.
September 21, 2011 - Scheduled execution date, at 7 p.m., at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, Ga.
Obviously this case raises a lot of questions regarding race, injustice, and whether the right guy was executed. No matter what side of the isle you are on, it is important to remember what happened to Troy Davis and that his story is one for the history books.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Students volunteer Labor Day weekend
One of my assignments in my News Writing and Reporting class is to write three articles for our school's newspaper . To give you a little background about myself, I was a news reporter second semester of my freshman (2009) year. During that time, I was learning how to put together a news story. My news editor, Luke Farmer would call Tuesday nights and ask me to correct and clarify aspects of my article. Though, it was frustrating at times, I learned a lot.
Then my sophomore year, I was news editor and I was helping writers edit their articles. And boy that was challenging! But during that process, my writing became better and I am thankful for the opportunity.
Lastly, my junior (first semester), I spent in D.C., but I blogged for the magazine I was interning for. When I came back to Armstrong my second semester, I took a break from the paper and just focused on school. So when my teacher told the class that part of our grade was writing for the newspaper, I was scared because I had not written in a while. And I kept wondering if I would remember everything I learned from when I wrote and edited for the paper.
So I called Reese and he gave my a story. The story was Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity volunteering at animal control Labor Day weekend. Though it was a simple story, I was scared of writing the article. Scared about getting back into the swing of writing. But once I had my interviews, I felt more and more confident as the story started to come together.
The event took place on Saturday and there is a 24-hour turnaround when writing events. So I began writing Saturday night, but did not like where the story was heading. So I let it sit overnight. In my journalism class, we learned about alternative leads. So for this piece, since is was not a hard news piece, I wanted to try an alternative lead out.
This is what I came up:
It began as an individual community service project for Garrett Austin, a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Every Friday and Saturday, Austin volunteered at Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department's Animal Control right behind the Humane Society for Greater Savannah on Sallie Mood Drive.
Since Garrett Austin was the organizer, I knew he would give me my story. I thought it was interesting how it started off as volunteering he did on his own and then once he became a part of this fraternity, he brought the idea to other members. Once I was able to write a lead I was satisfied with, I was able to develop the rest of the story. The whole story was 600 words and I was able to add a side bar.
After turning it in, I was nervous. I was nervous that I was going to have to change things or the quotes did not make sense. I had a million thoughts running through my head. But when I saw it in the paper, I noticed the article was not changed. Maybe a few things here and there, but for the most part it was the story I wrote. I was really excited and am looking forward to writing another article.
Here is my story:
http://www.theinkwellonline.com/news/students-volunteer-for-labor-day-weekend-1.2579755
Here is the story I wrote during Labor Day weekend.
Students volunteer Labor Day weekend
By Carmen Singleton
Staff Reporter
It began as an individual community service project for Garrett Austin, a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Every Friday and Saturday, Austin volunteered at Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Animal Control Police Department (SCMACPD) right behind the Humane Society.
When Austin arrived at Armstrong Atlantic State University (AASU) in the fall of 2010, he joined Pi Kappa Alpha; once a member, he explained his community service to other members and it was approved as a fraternity event.
“This is something I had started; trying to get Greek students and non-Greek students to give back to the community. I invited Greeks from Savannah State, so Armstrong and Savannah State could do something together,” Austin said.
At least 30 students came out to the event last semester; this time, though the number was not as big, students still wanted to give back to their community.
Max Everett, a freshman and pledge, said he came to support the community and to meet new people.
“Cleaning up the kennel, it’s something different. I love animals and thought this would be a neat experience to give back to the community,” Everett said.
Anthony Chimwala, junior from Savannah State and member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity said this was his second time volunteering with AASU and wanted to help the animals in whichever way he could.
Once the students arrived at SCMAPD, Mrs. Diane Abolt, volunteer director greeted them with an orientation and tour of the building.
She told everyone the dos and don’ts of volunteering and how crucial it was to have volunteers, because they are very understaffed.
“Volunteer hours are worth $21 an hour,” Abolt said.
The facility has 116 kennels for dogs and they average about 130 dogs each day.
“By law we only have to keep the dogs for five days. After that, the dogs can be euthanized. The sad part of this is putting a dog down,” Abolt said.
However, she said they try to keep the dogs much longer by opening cages up for adoptions and rescue groups.
“We are very thorough when doing an adoption. The animal must be up-to-date on shots, spade or neutered. If the family has another animal or small child, they must bring them in for a meet and greet. And if living in an apartment, they must show us proof that they can have an animal,” Abolt said.
She also said they do not charge rescue groups, but groups must prove that they are a rescue group, through their 501(c)(3) papers, which states if a group is a non-profit organization. Groups must also have their Department of Agriculture License (AG), which allows groups to take care of animals. Lastly, she said groups must have up-to-date vet records before they give away any animal.
After orientation and the tour, students went right to work. Some students scooped up poop; others rinsed and scrubbed the animal’s pins and others walked and played with some of the dogs.
After the students were done, Abolt passed out t-shirts to all the volunteers to show appreciation for their work.
“I want volunteers to realize how valuable volunteering is; to help something less fortunate. When an animal trust you it trust you totally. You are the animals advocate,” Abolt said.
Austin said the event was a success and would like to volunteer each semester.
“You should give back. Whenever you do stuff together, it builds bonds. I want each semester to have a bigger turnout,” Austin said.
Break-Out Box, if you want.
Animal Control has a donation wish list.
1. Card board carriers for cats
2. News Paper
3. Flea Medications
4. Heartworm Prevention
5. Pill Poppers
6. Large and Small carriers to use for evacuation purposes
7. Puppy and kitten replacement formula
8. Blankets/Towels/Rags
9. Paper Towels
10. Donation’s to Veterinary Hospital for treatments
Then my sophomore year, I was news editor and I was helping writers edit their articles. And boy that was challenging! But during that process, my writing became better and I am thankful for the opportunity.
Lastly, my junior (first semester), I spent in D.C., but I blogged for the magazine I was interning for. When I came back to Armstrong my second semester, I took a break from the paper and just focused on school. So when my teacher told the class that part of our grade was writing for the newspaper, I was scared because I had not written in a while. And I kept wondering if I would remember everything I learned from when I wrote and edited for the paper.
So I called Reese and he gave my a story. The story was Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity volunteering at animal control Labor Day weekend. Though it was a simple story, I was scared of writing the article. Scared about getting back into the swing of writing. But once I had my interviews, I felt more and more confident as the story started to come together.
The event took place on Saturday and there is a 24-hour turnaround when writing events. So I began writing Saturday night, but did not like where the story was heading. So I let it sit overnight. In my journalism class, we learned about alternative leads. So for this piece, since is was not a hard news piece, I wanted to try an alternative lead out.
This is what I came up:
It began as an individual community service project for Garrett Austin, a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Every Friday and Saturday, Austin volunteered at Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department's Animal Control right behind the Humane Society for Greater Savannah on Sallie Mood Drive.
Since Garrett Austin was the organizer, I knew he would give me my story. I thought it was interesting how it started off as volunteering he did on his own and then once he became a part of this fraternity, he brought the idea to other members. Once I was able to write a lead I was satisfied with, I was able to develop the rest of the story. The whole story was 600 words and I was able to add a side bar.
After turning it in, I was nervous. I was nervous that I was going to have to change things or the quotes did not make sense. I had a million thoughts running through my head. But when I saw it in the paper, I noticed the article was not changed. Maybe a few things here and there, but for the most part it was the story I wrote. I was really excited and am looking forward to writing another article.
Here is my story:
http://www.theinkwellonline.com/news/students-volunteer-for-labor-day-weekend-1.2579755
Here is the story I wrote during Labor Day weekend.
Students volunteer Labor Day weekend
By Carmen Singleton
Staff Reporter
It began as an individual community service project for Garrett Austin, a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Every Friday and Saturday, Austin volunteered at Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Animal Control Police Department (SCMACPD) right behind the Humane Society.
When Austin arrived at Armstrong Atlantic State University (AASU) in the fall of 2010, he joined Pi Kappa Alpha; once a member, he explained his community service to other members and it was approved as a fraternity event.
“This is something I had started; trying to get Greek students and non-Greek students to give back to the community. I invited Greeks from Savannah State, so Armstrong and Savannah State could do something together,” Austin said.
At least 30 students came out to the event last semester; this time, though the number was not as big, students still wanted to give back to their community.
Max Everett, a freshman and pledge, said he came to support the community and to meet new people.
“Cleaning up the kennel, it’s something different. I love animals and thought this would be a neat experience to give back to the community,” Everett said.
Anthony Chimwala, junior from Savannah State and member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity said this was his second time volunteering with AASU and wanted to help the animals in whichever way he could.
Once the students arrived at SCMAPD, Mrs. Diane Abolt, volunteer director greeted them with an orientation and tour of the building.
She told everyone the dos and don’ts of volunteering and how crucial it was to have volunteers, because they are very understaffed.
“Volunteer hours are worth $21 an hour,” Abolt said.
The facility has 116 kennels for dogs and they average about 130 dogs each day.
“By law we only have to keep the dogs for five days. After that, the dogs can be euthanized. The sad part of this is putting a dog down,” Abolt said.
However, she said they try to keep the dogs much longer by opening cages up for adoptions and rescue groups.
“We are very thorough when doing an adoption. The animal must be up-to-date on shots, spade or neutered. If the family has another animal or small child, they must bring them in for a meet and greet. And if living in an apartment, they must show us proof that they can have an animal,” Abolt said.
She also said they do not charge rescue groups, but groups must prove that they are a rescue group, through their 501(c)(3) papers, which states if a group is a non-profit organization. Groups must also have their Department of Agriculture License (AG), which allows groups to take care of animals. Lastly, she said groups must have up-to-date vet records before they give away any animal.
After orientation and the tour, students went right to work. Some students scooped up poop; others rinsed and scrubbed the animal’s pins and others walked and played with some of the dogs.
After the students were done, Abolt passed out t-shirts to all the volunteers to show appreciation for their work.
“I want volunteers to realize how valuable volunteering is; to help something less fortunate. When an animal trust you it trust you totally. You are the animals advocate,” Abolt said.
Austin said the event was a success and would like to volunteer each semester.
“You should give back. Whenever you do stuff together, it builds bonds. I want each semester to have a bigger turnout,” Austin said.
Break-Out Box, if you want.
Animal Control has a donation wish list.
1. Card board carriers for cats
2. News Paper
3. Flea Medications
4. Heartworm Prevention
5. Pill Poppers
6. Large and Small carriers to use for evacuation purposes
7. Puppy and kitten replacement formula
8. Blankets/Towels/Rags
9. Paper Towels
10. Donation’s to Veterinary Hospital for treatments
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Commemorating 9/11
Today is the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I remember I was in sixth grade, between 3rd and 4th period when my teacher was asked to turn on the news. New York was in utter chaos. I remember I was confused, but not angry. Who on earth would do such a thing, especially harming and killing innocent lives. I cannot believe 10 years have passed.
Last semester, when I was in D.C., I had a chance to visit the Newseum, a museum dedicated to journalism. They had two exhibits, the Hurricane Katrina exhibit and the 9/11 exhibit. Both exhibits were hard to go through. To see people in such pain, brought tears to my eyes.
So today as I was watching the football game, I noticed all the commercials that were a tribute to 9/11 and I wanted to post these commercials on my blog. I want to take sometime to remember all those who lost their lives on that tragic day. So Enjoy!
Last semester, when I was in D.C., I had a chance to visit the Newseum, a museum dedicated to journalism. They had two exhibits, the Hurricane Katrina exhibit and the 9/11 exhibit. Both exhibits were hard to go through. To see people in such pain, brought tears to my eyes.
So today as I was watching the football game, I noticed all the commercials that were a tribute to 9/11 and I wanted to post these commercials on my blog. I want to take sometime to remember all those who lost their lives on that tragic day. So Enjoy!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
You TwitFace!
A few weeks ago in my Intro to Communications class, we had to post on Vista a term that has become our reality. My term was Social Networking. I discussed how it started with Myspace, then moved to Facebook, and now Twitter. Not only has social networking changed the game as far as our personal lives are concerned, but also how we receive and find information.
Though I am not a member of Twitter, I do enjoy reading about my favorite celebs and not to mention, I do have a bunch of friends who use twitter and are twitter addicts.
I have not decided if I wanted to join the trend, but I did give it a shot for blogging purposes.
Twitter, like Facebook is a free service and is a mixture of micro-blogging and social networking. It allows people to generate more traffic for their blog, website, and/or news-site, by posting links, opinions, or snippets of whatever information they want traffic for. However, there is a 140 character limit, so you need keep your messages brief and to the point.
Twitter has two major components. You can add "followers" and follow other people as well. They will receive your updates and you will receive theirs.
Tweeting is similar to news writing because you have to gain your follower's attention quickly, or they will "unfollow" you. Just like in a news article, you need to engage the readers quickly, or they will stop reading.
Also, since twitter allows for opinions, unlike a news story, this is a chance for readers to get to know the person behind the story. You can make an account that represents you or your publication.
And another concept is since Twitter is fast paced, people can reply to your article or statement as soon as you put it out there. This allows for constant discussions about whatever the issue is. And if your followers like a statement or article they will "re-tweet" it, almost like re-posting something so others can read it as well.
Lastly, since you are following other people, you also can join in on their conversations.
After taking the time to experience Twitter, I can see how news reporters and publications use this site. Reporters can use this site to engage readers on stories as they happen. Also, reporters can now talk to their readers and receive instant feedback.
Twitter fits the 24 hour news cycle because reporters can constantly update readers about breaking news or just news stories in general; therefore, it will be interesting to see if twitter is here to stay or will there be another site better than twitter.
Sites used:
www.twitter.com
http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-use-twitter
Though I am not a member of Twitter, I do enjoy reading about my favorite celebs and not to mention, I do have a bunch of friends who use twitter and are twitter addicts.
I have not decided if I wanted to join the trend, but I did give it a shot for blogging purposes.
Twitter, like Facebook is a free service and is a mixture of micro-blogging and social networking. It allows people to generate more traffic for their blog, website, and/or news-site, by posting links, opinions, or snippets of whatever information they want traffic for. However, there is a 140 character limit, so you need keep your messages brief and to the point.
Twitter has two major components. You can add "followers" and follow other people as well. They will receive your updates and you will receive theirs.
Tweeting is similar to news writing because you have to gain your follower's attention quickly, or they will "unfollow" you. Just like in a news article, you need to engage the readers quickly, or they will stop reading.
Also, since twitter allows for opinions, unlike a news story, this is a chance for readers to get to know the person behind the story. You can make an account that represents you or your publication.
And another concept is since Twitter is fast paced, people can reply to your article or statement as soon as you put it out there. This allows for constant discussions about whatever the issue is. And if your followers like a statement or article they will "re-tweet" it, almost like re-posting something so others can read it as well.
Lastly, since you are following other people, you also can join in on their conversations.
After taking the time to experience Twitter, I can see how news reporters and publications use this site. Reporters can use this site to engage readers on stories as they happen. Also, reporters can now talk to their readers and receive instant feedback.
Twitter fits the 24 hour news cycle because reporters can constantly update readers about breaking news or just news stories in general; therefore, it will be interesting to see if twitter is here to stay or will there be another site better than twitter.
Sites used:
www.twitter.com
http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-use-twitter
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