Pants On The Ground Song Stimulates Interest In Troy Anthony Davis Case

– January 25, 2010

The following status has been passing like wildfire on Facebook:

While the “Pants On The Ground” song is funny, please think twice before giving this idiot more publicity than he already has. During his Idol audition, he’s wearing a “Free Troy Davis” button. Troy Davis currently sits on death row in Georgia for the murder of a police officer in 1989……. He shot an officer in the…face…leaving his wife a widow and his son without a father. Please pass the word by putting this in your status.

This copy and paste status came on the heels of 62-year-old General Larry Platt’s American Idol audition in Atlanta, Georgia, where he sang a self-written rap (of sorts) titled Pants on the Ground while wearing “Free Troy Davis” buttons.

What absolutely amazes me is the willingness of people to pass this message to others without knowing the facts behind the case.

While you can read about the case in its entirety, the ghist is that Troy Anthony Davis was convicted of the murder of off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail at a Savannah, Georgia Burger King.

A friend and associate, Sylvester “Redd” Coles was also present at the time of this occurence, as well as a shooting that had happened at a pool party earlier in the day. While Davis was present at the same party, he was not seen in the company of Coles, who was implicated in that shooting by his own sister.

Coles later made the allegation to investigators that Davis was responsible for the shooting.

Foresnics identified the murder weapon as a .38 caliber revolver. Although Coles later admitted to the police he had been carrying this same type weapon on the night of the shootings, he later claimed it was lost when police attempted to collect it for testing.

Aside from Coles accusations, police had a few other pieces of evidence used at trial, including: (1) Davis changing shirts and fleeing to his sisters home in Atlanta; (2) a jailhouse snitch’s testimony; and (3) the testimony of witnesses, some (80%) whom have recanted since the trial.

After many appeals, in August 2009, the United States Supreme Court ordered a Federal District Court in Georgia to consider and rule on Davis’ claim of innocence; in essence, to take a second look at the evidence.

This ruling has put the execution of Troy Davis on hold indefinitely.

Is Troy Davis guilty of this crime?

I don’t know. Looking at the evidence as a whole, along with witness recantations, I believe there is reasonable enough doubt. At the very least, even as a supporter of the death penalty, there just simply isn’t enough evidence to justify an execution.

And my heart goes out to the family of Office MacPhail. I want to see justice for this slain hero and for his family.

But not at the price of all that is great and good about America.

What I do know, however, is that I wish, before updating a Facebook or Twitter or any other social networking status, that is making a plea based on a person’s life, they educate themselves.

If they believe in what they are posting, after being a THINKER, not a FOLLOWER, then by all means, I embrace their freedom of speech.

Even if I don’t agree with it.

EKRoughen

Hi there,

Troy Davis was rightly convicted of executing young off duty police office Mark MacPhail nearly 20 years ago, leaving his widow to raise his infant son. Mark was attempting to break up a fight, if the beating of an unfortunate homeless man by a larger and well fed man can be called a “fight”, when he was knocked to the ground, and the killer (Troy Davis) stood over him and shot him in the face and head, ending his short life. Mark was still in his twenties, and like many young married fathers, was trying to pay the bills by taking a second job (after his full time job as a Savannah Police Officer), as a Security Guard at Trailways bus station and the attached Burger King. He was there to protect the patrons from being preyed upon by just the type of character that Troy Davis is. For this, he lost his life. Brutally, callously, and Needlessly.

Since his conviction, seven of the nine witnesses recanted their statements, based on threats they received in the intervening years, or other improper reasons.

Wisely ignoring ” these new developments “, the state of Georgia is putting Davis on track to be executed — a few years too late in most folks opinion. But with luck perhaps as early as next month, the tax payers will be free of this burden. You can help spare the Victim’s widow and Fatherless Son further anguish by adding your voice to those ashamed of the NAACP’s “name wall”. Also, please ask the Georgia Parole Board to ignore any temptation to tamper with the legally ordained sentence:

http://action.naacp.org/Fry-Troy

I have already added my name, and urge you to do the same. This truly is a matter of honor and responsibility.

Please remember Mark’s life, and end Troy’s. To do otherwise is like standing over Mark’s supine body, and pulling the triger again. Please spare his family and the community this anguish.

Thank you!
vanessa

As an individual who sat in a SCMPD home and listen to officer state – “There was pressure to get someone – anyone. We were all told no one is going home until there is an arrest.” And this after all the police had been running like crazy for over 72 hours trying to make an arrest.
What proof do you have that any witness has been threated to recant their testimony? That is simply absurd. Did you not read what was actually said in court and the pressure of some of the witnesses to come forward even today with the truth? The only threats those witnesses received was during the orginial interregations when the police told them to say it was Troy Davis. Face it, Sylvestor Coles shows up with Mr. Calhoun – what is Spencer Lawton going to do? Spencer Lawton didn’t want to go up against Mr. Calhoun- he would have lost the case without any physical evidence with an attorney like John Calhoun. Mr. Lawton knows this and pretty much everyone else in Savannah knows this as well. So of course – go with the weakest link – Troy Davis who is young, poor and unrepresented and certainly not walking into the precinct with Mr. Calhoun.

Please just think about this thing LOGICALLY and without emotion. There is a reason so many people all over the world are concerned about this case – read the testimony, think back to the situation and what it was like in Savannah, They should have never held the trial in Savannah the first time and certainly not the second hearing that took place with Judge Moore. That man is as biased about this case as the officer’s family and all the locals know this! How can the rest of the world and numerous people in the US feel so strongly that things just don’t add up- that even supreme court justices felt there was such a major problem with the case that they even allowed another hearing – this even before they heard the more recent testimony?

I truly believe that if Mr. Davis is executed those who support the execution and even the officer’s family will end up seeing how much the world and even people in their community are against them for seeking their own emotional needs and some kind of “closure” over that of an innocent man’s life.

Just because a few cops became too emotional during the investigation and made fatal mistakes doesn’t make the police unworthy of our respect and admiration -they and no one else is out there every single day in Savannah with a uniform that simply makes them a target- putting their lives on the line BUT that respect and admiration should NEVER allow fhe actual facts of a case get distorted and lost in the emotion of a crime – no matter who it involves. There will be no closure, there will be no real justice for Officer MacPhail and his family if an innocent person is executed.

There is plenty of reasons (and lack of physical evidence) to believe that Mr. Davis is in fact innocent of this murder. If you are from Savannah then you know how things work, the politics involved with our judges, our DA office,the local attorneys -all the behind closed door relationships that often determine the outcome of a case. not if the person is actually guity or innocent. It has always been like this and unfortunatelyl ooks like it always will – I promise you – they got the wrong guy.
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Pants On The Ground Song Stimulates Interest In Troy Anthony Davis Case

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