by Terrie Rodello, AIUSA Oregon State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator
In 2011, after three stays of execution and a final appeal to the Supreme Court, Troy Anthony Davis, who was convicted of the 1989 murder of a police officer in Savannah, was executed by the state of Georgia, despite a compelling case of innocence. Prominent human rights advocates, fifty-one members of Congress, and many civil rights and peace and justice organizations, including Amnesty International, NAACP, and National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, had joined his family in a twenty-year fight to prevent his execution and reveal evidence that pointed to Troy’s innocence.
On Thursday, April 10 at 7:30 PM in the First United Methodist Church Fireside Room (1838 SW Jefferson St, Portland), Seattle-based human rights activist, writer, and filmmaker Jen Marlowe will talk about the story of Troy Davis and his family and the human impact of the death penalty detailed in her book, I Am Troy Davis which she co-authored with Davis’ older sister Martina Davis-Correia. Marlowe will be joined by Kimberly Davis, the surviving sister of Troy Davis. They will be introduced by Dr. Audrey Terrell, President of the NAACP Portland Chapter.