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Troy Davis and Jamey Rodemeyer: By A Jury Of Our Peers

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Troy Anthony Davis is dead, executed by the state of Georgia, September 21, 2011 at 10:00 pm. Ten days later, now that other stories have caught the media’s eye, Davis may seem forgotten. But in Harlem, where I live, his face stares out from orange posters plastered to lampposts along my street, announcing an emergency rally organized to save his life.

It feels like a bad dream, the kind you can’t shake for days: the final countdown to his death by the protests around the country, the supporters from all over the world, including politicians, celebrities and religious figures, asking that his life be spared so that questions about the fairness of his trial could be answered. That day, riding on the subway at seven o’clock, the original time set for his execution, I assumed Troy Davis was gone, only to arrive home and find out that he’d had another reprieve: the U.S. Supreme Court was considering his case; there was hope. Hours later, his appeal rejected, Davis was dead by lethal injection.

I didn’t know Troy Davis, and I don’t know whether he committed the crime he was convicted of or not. But I know that with Troy Davis dead, there won’t be another appeal for him, no new trial. There will be many more conversations about Troy Davis in the years to come, but the critical one, the one that might have saved his life, is over.

Execution is a curious kind of death. Some deaths are natural, others accidental, or premeditated; some people are killed out of jealousy, taken in the passion in the moment. But execution is death you can set your watch to.  Knowing that at a specific time, at a specific hour, someone is going to be killed, creates a strange psychological predicament for all involved. Regardless of whether you believe the person is guilty or not, the instinct to preserve life is suppressed; you know they are going to be murdered and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Trying to make sense of the incomprehensible, we live out the mundane aspects of our lives against the backdrop of “justice being served”: I have to go pick up the kids from school (Troy Davis will be dead in four hours), What are we having for dinner? (Troy Davis will be dead in two hours), I forgot to pick up the dry-cleaning, will you get it tomorrow? (Troy Davis will be dead an hour from now.)

The morning after Troy Davis’ execution, I kept seeing him everywhere I looked, the almost serene look on his face, the round glasses, the hint of challenge. On the posters, Davis doesn’t look like a cold-blooded killer, but like a graduate student. That doesn’t mean he couldn’t have killed that officer. But it’s easier to deal with the horror of Troy Davis’ execution if you think to yourself, despite the number of “witnesses” who recanted their testimonies after his trial, “Maybe he did do it.” And if he didn’t do it, he probably did something else. Because life can’t be this unfair, God can’t be this unfair. An innocent person can’t be executed; he must have done it.

Underneath Davis’ picture was the slogan that became part of the campaign to save his life: “I am Troy Davis.”  My mother’s maiden name was Davis, and he actually looks like a cousin of mine. When I look at those posters I want to protect Troy — many of us felt that way. But if our system chose not to protect him, why didn’t it protect justice? Justice – what we teach our 4th grade kids about in history, what our country is supposedly built on.

Just when I start feeling self-righteous about the unfairness of the death penalty, I read that Lawrence Russell Brewer was executed in Texas for the murder of James Byrd, Jr., the same day Davis was put to death. Good ol’ Texas, where at times it seems they are so eager to execute, you can practically get the death penalty for having your credit card declined. According to the Los Angeles Times, Rick Perry, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, was asked during a GOP debate about Texas’ 234 executions during his nearly 11 years as governor. He said he “never struggled” with the issue because “the state of Texas has a very thoughtful, very clear process in place.”

If there was ever a death penalty case where the person seemed to deserve it it’s Brewer’s. An avowed white supremacist, with an accomplice still on death row, Brewer beat Byrd severely, urinated on him, and then chained him, still conscious, to the back of his truck, dragging him three miles to his death. Part of me wants Brewer hurt in unimaginable ways, slowly brutalized. But more than revenge, I want him alive, so that we can question him, so that he can be studied. I want his brain to be examined before and after his death so that we can understand what circumstances in our culture, or biologically, created someone capable of this kind of evil; so that we can figure out what to do before the next white supremacist comes off the assembly line.

We must ask where this violence comes from, specifically in men: what are we teaching our boys? How can anyone be capable of the cruelty shown recently in Fullerton, California, where six police officers beat and tasered 37-year-old Kelly Thomas to death? Bystanders watched as Thomas screamed for help, calling out, “Dad! Dad!” as police beat him beyond recognition, as Thomas no longer resisted. When you look at the picture of Thomas released to the media before his beating, you will see an “All-American” white man, and you can’t help but think this isn’t the face the police usually vent their rage on. But if you compare it to the photograph taken after his murder, you realize this isn’t the face the police saw that day. Kelly Thomas was schizophrenic and homeless. With a long red beard, and unkempt tangled hair, he wasn’t the boy next door anymore. He was the homeless, mentally ill nuisance on the street corner – someone killable because mental illness pushed him outside the familiar circles. We no longer recognized him as someone who deserved to be saved, and so he didn’t belong to us anymore.

Maybe it is enough, for some, that Troy Davis had to pay for the crime of killing off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail, whether he did it or not, because the person who did it was probably black, and as long as a black person pays, any black person, then that’s enough. Which makes Troy Davis’ execution a lynching. Perhaps Troy Davis was just another black man in America whose life was worth something only as a consumer – not worth enough to protect, not worth enough to save.

2

Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14-year-old boy from Buffalo, New York, is dead. Bullied by children at his school, Jamey asked for help, but at some point it clearly became too much for him and he took his own life on September 18, 2011.

Jamey acknowledged before his death that he was teased, in part, because most of his friends were girls. ABC News reported that Jamey received messages from his peers that said, “JAMIE IS STUPID, GAY, FAT ANND [sic] UGLY. HE MUST DIE!” Another read, “I wouldn’t care if you died. No one would. So just do it. It would make everyone WAY more happier!”

Jamey’s death particularly stings because he had resources. He had “come out” as a bisexual, and knew where to get some help and support, at least online. He was a fan of Lady Gaga, and her song, “Born This Way” inspired him. He knew about Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” Project, and had even recorded a video to encourage other gay and bisexual people to have hope.  Jamey had some help, but in the end it wasn’t the help he needed.  It simply wasn’t enough.

The loss of Jamey Rodemeyer recalls the suicides last year of 14-year-old Kameron Jacobsen, bullied on Facebook by other students in Orange County, New York because of his perceived sexual orientation, of 18-year-old Rutgers student Tyler Clemente who, after being video-streamed kissing another man by his roommate without his knowledge, and rejected by his mother after coming out, jumped off the George Washington Bridge; and Joseph Jefferson, a 26-year-old black gay-rights activist based in Brooklyn, New York. Jefferson, who had been a graduate from Harvey Milk High School and belonged to several gay organizations, wrote before his death:

“Belonging is one of the basic human needs; when people feel isolated and excluded from a sense of communion with others, they suffer. I have been an advocate for my peers and most importantly youth because most have never had a deep emotional attachment to anyone. They don’t know how to love and be loved in return. The need to be loved can sometimes translate to the need to belong to someone or something. Driven by that need….most will do anything to belong.”

 

Please continue to Part II.

Max Gordon is a writer and activist. He has been published in the anthologies Inside Separate Worlds: Life Stories of Young Blacks, Jews and Latinos (University of Michigan Press, 1991), Go the Way Your Blood Beats: An Anthology of African-American Lesbian and Gay Fiction (Henry Holt, 1996) and Mixed Messages: An Anthology of Literature to Benefit Hospice and Cancer Causes. His work has also appeared on openDemocracy, Democratic Underground and Truthout, in Z Magazine, Gay Times, Sapience, and other progressive on-line and print magazines in the U.S. and internationally.

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News

White House and Eric Trump Mocked Amid Dueling Tariff Tactics

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10 hours ago

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April 3, 2025

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The White House has been adamant: President Donald Trump’s sweeping mass tariffs, which he is imposing on nearly every country across the globe, are a line in the sand—non-negotiable, not up for discussion, debate, or deviation.

“This is not a negotiation,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN on Thursday, “emphasizing that the tariffs are part of a national emergency response to countries that have, in her view, harmed American workers for decades,” according to Newsweek.

“Trump administration officials insist that the sweeping tariffs are not a negotiation tactic, and that Trump “is not going to back off,” CNBC reported Thursday afternoon.

CNN’s Brian Stelter reported, however, “While the Trump White House says the tariff rates are not the start of a negotiation, Wall Street thinks they are, because otherwise the markets would be down ‘like 30%’ today.”

READ MORE: Trump Fires Three National Security Officials for ‘Disloyalty’ After Multiple Crises

The Dow closed down almost 1700 points on Thursday, or almost 4%, with Barron’s reporting: “The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq had their worst day since 2020 after President Donald Trump announced global tariffs.”

But according to the President’s former White House and campaign press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, who called it “posturing” on Fox News, she believes there’s definitely room for negotiation.

“You heard the White House there saying, you know, ‘this is not part of a negotiation, this is here to stay.’ I firmly believe that is posturing,” she told her Fox News co-hosts. “Trump is the great dealmaker, a great negotiator. And he’s someone who understands how to get to the, to a good end result. And with that in mind, you set the posture ‘that this isn’t going away, these are here to stay, you’ve had 70 years to negotiate.’ That’s what I think this is.”

“We’ll see what happens,” she added, “but I would not be surprised if the great negotiator has an endgame and mine here.”

Trump’s son, Eric Trump, took a similar stance.

“I wouldn’t want to be the last country that tries to negotiate a trade deal with @realDonaldTrump,” wrote Eric Trump on Thursday. “The first to negotiate will win – the last will absolutely lose. I have seen this movie my entire life…”

Fox Business senior correspondent Charles Gasparino replied, “I agree.”

NBC News Justice and Intelligence Correspondent Ken Dilation responded: “Wait, so this IS a negotiating bid? Because the White House said it isn’t.”

READ MORE: ‘Indescribably Crazy’: Trump Heads to Golf Tournament After ‘Blowing Up’ World Trade

Possibly more telling than the President’s son appearing to give the game away, the President’s political operation, via his “War Room,” responded with the “eyes” emoji, promoting Eric Trump’s post and suggesting interest.

Meanwhile, both the Trump White House and Eric Trump were mocked.

“How many of those movies ended in bankruptcy, honey?” asked national security and civil rights journalist Marcy Wheeler.

“This entire family appears to see every relationship as a zero sum game,” observed HuffPost White House correspondent S.V. Dáte. “Explains a lot.”

Journalist Jack Schlossberg also mocked Eric Trump:

“Grand strategist eric trump — brilliant !! Negotiation 101: 1) Fire all your ammunition in every direction 2) Give up your leverage to the first at the table 3) Have nothing left to bargain with 4) declare victory.”

It appears that the “first to negotiate” may be Trump’s “favorite” president—besides himself.

“The day after President Trump antagonized world leaders across the globe with his most sweeping set of tariffs yet, he was scheduled to fly to Florida and potentially see the one leader he has called his “favorite president’,” The New York Times reports. “That leader, President Javier Milei of Argentina, had flown overnight to receive an award on Thursday at a right-wing gala at Mar-a-Lago. Mr. Trump was scheduled to also be there late Thursday — Mr. Milei said Mr. Trump would receive an award, too — and Mr. Milei said he hoped the two would meet.”

President Milei responded to Eric Trump’s post:

See the social media posts and video above or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Parade of Incompetence’: Trump Security Adviser Set Up Numerous Signal Chats on Key Crises

 

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Trump Fires Three National Security Officials for ‘Disloyalty’ After Multiple Crises

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14 hours ago

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April 3, 2025

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After multiple Trump administration national security crises including SignalGate, GmailGate, the passwords scandal, and new revelations that the National Security Advisor’s team set up at least 20 Signal chats to handle crises, President Donald Trump reportedly has fired three national security officials for “disloyalty.”

“President Donald Trump has moved to fire several senior White House National Security Council officials soon after he was urged by far-right activist Laura Loomer to purge staffers she deemed insufficiently committed to his Make America Great Again agenda, according to several people familiar with the matter Thursday,” the Associated Press reports.

Loomer, who promotes conspiracy theories and appeared to be close to the President near the end of the 2024 campaign, met with Trump, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, national security adviser Mike Waltz, and Sergio Gor, the director of the Presidential Personnel Office, according to the AP. Loomer reportedly presented her “research” to the President.

It does not appear Trump has fired anyone for the growing list of national security breaches that experts say have put the nation, the military, and other nations at risk.

READ MORE: ‘Indescribably Crazy’: Trump Heads to Golf Tournament After ‘Blowing Up’ World Trade

CNN reports the three fired officials include “Brian Walsh, a director for intelligence and a former top staffer for now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the Senate Intelligence Committee; Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs who previously served as Waltz’s legislative director in Congress; and David Feith, a senior director overseeing technology and national security who served in the State Department during Trump’s first administration.”

A fourth, Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Alex Wong,”was not among those who had been dismissed on Wednesday, however, one White House official speculated to CNN Thursday that Wong could be out as soon as today, though a final decision remains to be seen.”

Many, including some Republicans, have expressed concern over National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who admitted to setting up the Signal chat that mistakenly included the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.

Waltz was not fired on Thursday, despite reports of bipartisan calls for his dismissal or resignation. Those calls included Vice President JD Vance, chief of staff Susie Wiles, and top personnel official Sergio Gor, in a private meeting, according to Politico.

“The president agreed that Waltz had messed up,” Politico reported, “but Trump ultimately decided not to fire him for one reason — for now: Like hell he’d give the liberal media and pearl-clutching Democrats a win.”

President Trump has repeatedly bragged that his administration would be “merit-based” only.

“President Trump believes in a new approach to hiring and workplace matters. This emerging movement advocates for ‘Merit, Excellence, and Intelligence (MEI),’ which emphasizes selecting candidates based solely on their qualifications, abilities and intelligence,” Forbes reported in February.

READ MORE: ‘Parade of Incompetence’: Trump Security Adviser Set Up Numerous Signal Chats on Key Crises

Meanwhile, The New York Times, which detailed Loomer’s meeting with the President, reported that “Ms. Loomer’s rhetoric and actions have been so extreme that she has alienated even others on the far right. She has shared a conspiracy theory on social media calling the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks an ‘inside job.’ During the 2024 campaign, Ms. Loomer said that ‘the White House will smell like curry’ if Kamala Harris were elected, a jab at her Indian heritage. During the Republican primary campaign, in which she served as Mr. Trump’s online attack dog against Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, Ms. Loomer floated the baseless notion than Mr. DeSantis’s wife, Casey, had lied about having breast cancer.”

However, the Times reports, “on Wednesday afternoon, she sat with the president in the Oval Office, plying him with claims about staff members whom she insisted he should dismiss. News of her attendance was first reported by the newsletter Status, but the details of what was discussed had not been revealed.”

SignalGate is the Trump administration’s national security scandal that potentially endangered the lives of U.S. service members, and risked exposing military plans. GmailGate is the Trump administration’s use of the even less-secure commercial email app, to conduct government business. In the Trump administration’s passwords scandal, passwords, email addresses, and phone numbers of top Trump national security officials were easily found online. Wednesday brought revelations that the National Security Advisor’s team had set up at least 20 Signal chats to handle crises.

READ MORE: ‘Just Plain Dumb’: Trump’s Smuggled Fentanyl Tariff Mocked

 

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‘Indescribably Crazy’: Trump Heads to Golf Tournament After ‘Blowing Up’ World Trade

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15 hours ago

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April 3, 2025

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Declaring a “national emergency that threatens our security and our very way of life,” President Donald Trump, after markets closed on Wednesday afternoon, announced sweeping tariffs on nearly every nation across the globe—tanking stock market futures in the U.S. and abroad, unleashing global “chaos,” and pushing the so-called “fear index” to “extreme.” Just 24 hours after what he dubbed “Liberation Day,” the President, on Thursday afternoon, will land at Miami International Airport and head straight to his Trump National Doral Golf Club for the LIV dinner, ahead of this weekend’s golf tournament, which he is expected to attend.

As global leaders prepare to make contact with President Trump to stave off what may become a “global trade war,” he will not be in the Oval Office, but in Florida—likely hitting the greens for the remainder of the week, something he himself accused federal workers of doing back in February. (At the same time, the House of Representatives has shut down, stalled by internal Republican divisions.)

Some critics are blasting Trump’s decision to head to his golf club during this “national emergency,” which he has a long history of doing.

And as Thursday morning unfolded, CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter posted a screenshot of CNBC’s coverage of the “global selloff.”

READ MORE: ‘Parade of Incompetence’: Trump Security Adviser Set Up Numerous Signal Chats on Key Crises

Business media company Morning Brew offered this graphic of how the stock markets are reacting.

Economists and economic experts are stunned by Trump’s massive tariffs, deemed “worse than the worst case scenario,” according to multiple financial experts.

MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle, who spent decades in finance and financial journalism, criticized Trump tariffs.

“Folks who were unhappy with the economy did NOT vote for tariffs. They voted for Trump’s promise to lower inflation. His choice of action – tariff implementation will INCREASE inflation,” she noted.

And calling it “another large step toward a new old era of trade protectionism,” The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board blasted “Trump’s New Protectionist Age.”

“Blowing up the world trading system has consequences that the President isn’t advertising,” they warned, adding they could result in “shrinking world trade and slower growth, recession, or worse.”

They also declared that “Trump’s tariffs look ‘reciprocal’ in name only,” which brings up the question of how and why Trump imposed these tariffs.

“Economists and U.S. trade partners are raising questions about how the White House calculated the tariff rates it claimed other countries ‘charge’ the United States,” CNBC reports.

Meanwhile, economist Justin Wolfers explained why he says Trump’s thinking on tariffs is “bananas,” and “indescribably crazy.”

“Take a simple example,” offered Dr. Wolfers, a public policy scholar and professor of economics. “I run a trade deficit with Trader Joe’s buying their meals, while they buy none of mine. My trade deficit as a share of my imports is 100%. By Trump’s trade logic, this deficit is evidence they’re imposing 100% tariffs on the meals I try to sell them.”

RELATED: ‘Just Plain Dumb’: Trump’s Smuggled Fentanyl Tariff Mocked

“The White House ‘reciprocal’ tariff bears no relation to actual tariff barriers,” he adds. “It’s equal to half of the trade deficit (as a share of imports). This is indescribably crazy.”

Pointing to the “calculations” from the U.S. Trade Representative, Wolfers adds, “Obviously this is nonsense. Even crazier is that they’ve written what they think is a defense of this. I know not everyone speaks economist algebra, so lemme translate: This is muddled nonsense.”

Others, too, have criticized Trump’s method and calculations.

“Trump’s tariff chart was ‘illogical and absurd,’ full of ‘factually incorrect’ numbers about what other countries charge the U.S.,” tech analyst Dan Ives “of Wedbush Securities wrote to clients this morning,” Stelter also reported.

“Trump doesn’t seem to mind the optics of Trump abandoning the White House to skip town early for his golf club after setting the world ablaze with the tariff announcements,” MeidasTouch News writes.

See the social media posts above or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Paralyzed’: Johnson Mocked for Shutting House Down After ‘Brutal’ Defeat

 

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