Amnesty International, Eastern PA

Tuesday, September 16, 2008
7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Peace and Justice Education, Sullivan Hall, Villanova University, Villanova PA

Please read this important update from Kathleen Lucas regarding Troy’s clemency hearing, and go to www.amnestyusa.org/troydavis to send your appeal today!

The GA Board of Pardons and Paroles has set a meeting for THIS FRIDAY, Sept. 12th to discuss clemency for Troy Davis. We had originally been told originally that the clemency hearing would probably be held the day before his scheduled execution. We are now almost out of time to reach the Board before their meeting. His state sponsored murder is scheduled at 7PM on Sept. 23rd. If you are in the Atlanta area, there is a huge rally planned there for tomorrow.

Action must be taken RIGHT NOW to save Troy’s life. As you probably know, Troy was convicted of shooting and killing a police officer. He was convicted solely on eye witness testimony. All but two of those witnesses have recanted and stated that they were pressured by the police to name Troy as the shooter, even those who did not actually see the shooting!

Of the remaining two, one has been implicated as the actual murderer by NINE people. The other remaining witness against Troy only testified that he remembered the color of the shoes of the shooter.

WE MUST ACT NOW! In order to get our appeals to the Parole and Pardons Board it has to be sent electronically today or tomorrow. Anything later than that and the Board will not receive it before their meeting.

As you may also know, Troy’s sister is a long time AI activist, a role she assumed as a teenager, long before the crime in question. As a mother and a sister, I beg you all to please act now by going to www.amnestyusa.org/troydavis You can send an email to the Board and find out more about Troy’s case and his sister.

Please also spread the word. AI’s server in the DC office is down and they are not able to send emails at this time. Email and call others quickly, before it is too late.

With gratitude for your help,

Kathleen Lucas
York, PA

Please act now to save the life of Troy Davis. Despite overwhelming evidence questioning his guilt, Troy is scheduled to be executed on September 23. You may take action via the Amnesty website at www.aiusa.org/troydavis or copy the simple letter below and mail it ASAP.

Thanks to our state Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator, Maria, for providing this letter.

Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles
2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, SE
Suite 458, Balcony Level, East Tower
Atlanta, Georgia 30334-4909

Dear Board Members,

I urge you, I implore you, to uphold justice and commute the death sentence of Troy Davis. The Board has stated that it “will not allow an execution to proceed in this State unless and until its members are convinced that there is no doubt as to the guilt of the accused.”

For any reasonable person looking at the facts of the case, there must be overwhelming doubt that Troy Davis is guilty of murdering Officer Mark MacPhail. There was no physical evidence implicating Troy Davis as the murderer, and the murder weapon was never found. Troy Davis was convicted solely on the basis of eyewitness testimony, and seven of the nine eyewitnesses originally accusing Mr. Davis have since recanted or changed their testimony citing police coercion. Further, one of the unrecanting witnesses has been identified by others as the actual killer.

The Board must defend Troy Davis and justice itself from the atrocity of executing an innocent man.

Sincerely,

The University of Delaware group held its first meeting of the semester yesterday evening.

They discussed ideas for activities for the school year, such as fundraising on Main Street, a Film Fest, Refugee UD, tabling, a benefit concert, movie nights, bringing a speaker to campus, and more.

If you are use Facebook, you can keep in touch and get involved with the UD Amnesty group by joining Amnesty UD’s Facebook group.

Four Lehigh County area Amnesty International groups will be working once more at Dorney Park to raise money for Amnesty.

On Saturday, September 27, from 10:45 am to 7:00 pm, ten Amnesty activists from Bethlehem Group 347, Allentown Group 531, Freedom High School, and Moravian Academy will be working at Dorney Park on the Halloween Trick-or-Treat Trail. The volunteers will don costumes, give out candy to youngsters and help with mask-making. In return they receive $500, which these groups are contributing to our AIUSA Mid-Atlantic Region.

Thanks to all of these volunteers and their respective groups for their work!

The Haverford College Amnesty International group will hold its first meeting this Thursday, September 11, at 7:00 pm in Ikea Lounge next to the Coop counter in Campus Center.

For more information on the Haverford Amnesty group, please visit contact the group via their web page.

Thursday, September 11, 2008
7:00 pm
Campus Center, Ikea Lounge next to the Coop counter, Haverford College, Haverford PA

The University of Delaware Amnesty International group will hold its first meeting of the semester tomorrow night, Tuesday, September 9, at 7:00 pm in Gore Hall room 204.

To keep in touch with the University of Delaware group, please join:

• UD Group E-mail List

Saturday, September 20, 2008
9:00 am to 5:00 pm
First Unitarian Church, 605 Morewood Avenue, Pittsburgh PA

Pittsburgh Against Torture Coalition Event

What: Talking About Torture: How can we learn to speak about the unspeakable?
All day conference consisting of a morning panel and small group discussions. There will be an afternoon presentation by Hector Aristizabal, a torture survivor from Colombia.

When: Saturday, September 20 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Where: First Unitarian Church, 605 Morewood Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA
For more information, visit: http://www.pittsburghagainsttorture.org/

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference - Register Early!

This year activists like you will be meeting up in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia to learn more about AIUSA, network with other activists, and engage around this year’s theme: “Educate to Activate: Building a Human Rights Movement for All”.

Register before October 5th to get the early bird rate of $40 for non-members, $30 for members, and $20 for members who are students, seniors, or people of limited income.

To learn more about the conference visit: http://tinyurl.com/5bz68c
To register at the reduced early bird rate visit: http://tinyurl.com/63dgtp