Overlooked: G Davis Is Innocent — Feb 13th 2008

By Dakota Smith

Via flickr user Sarflondunc

Story: Graffiti Heroes: G Davis is Innocent
Submitted by: Grungeplunge

In Los Angeles, the widespread tagging of public and private property--scrawls made by gangs to mark their territory--has the unfortunate effect of overshadowing the work of legitimate graffiti artists. So when a new mural by the anonymous, London-based Bansky was spotted in the city, that was real news. According to a local blog, Laist.com, Banksy's latest creation appeared last week on the side of a movie theater on Beverly Boulevard.

And Banksy's official website is where this week's Overlooked story emerges. Was it posted by Banksy himself? It's not clear, but the post entitled "Graffiti Hero" tells the story of George Davis, a 33-year-old British man sentenced to 20 years for the armed robbery of a Leeds bank. Convinced that Davis was innocent, his friend Peter Chappell embarked on one of the "largest sustained graffiti campaigns Britain has ever seen." The phrase "G Davis is innocent" appeared on walls, bridges and tunnels across London. The campaign culminated in Chappell's arrest in 1977, when he and several collaborators vandalized a Headingley cricket ground before an important Australian-English match. (After breaking in, the culprits had written "Sorry it had to be done, but George Davis is innocent" on the surrounding walls.)

Chappell's actions brought attention to the case, and Davis was released after serving two years. His conviction wasn't actually overturned by British officials, who, according to the Independent, were by no means persuaded of his innocence. So the British legal system barely raised an eyebrow when, a year after his release, Davis was caught robbing a Bank of Cyprus branch. After his release for that crime, he was caught robbing a mail train in 1987.

In an interview with the Independent last year, Davis, who is now living in London and married to the daughter of a police chief inspector, said he is looking to clear his name and overturn his original conviction. "My life and livelihood has been very badly affected by that conviction," he told the paper. As for those valid convictions: ""Yes I did them, I pleaded guilty. But I have been a good boy since then and just kept out of trouble." What will happen next is unclear, but Davis still has his anonymous supporters. To this day, signs around the country still boast the "G Davis is Innocent" message. A few Flickr examples can be seen here and here. And Davis also has the support, for better or for worse, of the country's most famous graffiti artist.

More information on Bansky here.
BBC arrest on George Davis here.

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