Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Effort mounts to stop the 12/13 execution of the co-founder of the Crips. (9:01 pm)

The path that took Stanley “Tookie” Williams from gang life to Nobel Peace Prize nomination has been a remarkable and most unusual one.

Co-founder of the blue-clothing-drenched Crips in S. Central Los Angeles, Williams was eventually convicted of the murder of four people in 1981, a heinous crime that Williams continues to deny he ever committed. What he doesn’t deny is the fact of his immersion in a brutal, intensely lived gang lifestyle in which drugs and violence simply went hand in hand. Williams had a well-deserved reputation for being a bad-ass in every possible sense, and not even incarceration on death row initially took that away from him.

That is until Williams began to take a hard look at his life, and the circumstances that led him (and other young men) down a particularly self-destructive and violent path.

From his cell in San Quentin State Prison, Williams set about writing children’s books about ways to avoid gangs, violence, drugs, self-hatred, and incarceration. To date, Williams has written ten of those children’s books, in addition to his memoir, Blue Rage, Black Redemption.

This summer, Williams received a presidential award from George W. for his volunteer work. None of the recognition matters one bit come Dec. 13th, 2005, the date when Williams is set to be executed by lethal injection by the State of California.

Although a federal court recommended clemency in 2002, Gov. Schwarzenegger has not expressed any interest in reversing the planned execution. Organizations including the NAACP have mounted last-minute campaigns to try to stop the execution, in addition to numerous pleas from celebrities, religious leaders and politicians.








posted by Silja J.A. Talvi

Reader Comments

A day after “World Cities Against the Death Penalty Day” marking the anneversary of the first city to abolish a death penalty (Republic of Toscana/ November 30, 1786), the California Supreme Court refuses to intervene in the scheduled execution of “Tookey” Williams. This indeed sends a message: “Just do it!”

posted by Tim Christopher on 12-1-05 at 11:42 AM

If ?Tookey” Williams is granted clemency, then the phrase “just do it ?will take on a whole new meaning.  It will tell ALL gang members to just go out and kill people. When convicted and awaiting your punishment ponder your live and write books about how you went wrong and that nobody else should follow in your foot steps. Have it published get a nomination for the peace prize (from a man against the death penalty) and live life happily ever after.

posted by Bob Nicholson on 12-5-05 at 12:01 PM

HI LOVERES OF MERCY!!!!!!
  FOR EVERY DAMEGE THERE IS A REPARE
  TOOKEY MADE A MISTAKE (HE HURT THE SOCIETY)BUT NOT ONLY HE ASKED FOR FORGIVENESS VERBALLY HE SHOWED IT PRACTICALLY BY WRITTING BOOKS TO EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN NOT TO MAKE THE SAME SIN AS HE DID.THE ONLY THINK WE CAN DO TO REDEEM THE HEAT IS BY FORGIVENESS AS OUR FATHER JUSES CHIRIST DID.
  AFTER ALL WE EVEN FORGIVE, THE PEOPLE WHO (INSLAVE US,BURN US ALIVE,RAPE US,THROW US TO THE FOUR LEGED DOGES AND THIER CRUEL TWO LEGED DOGS,)WITHOUT BEING ASKED TO FORGIVE

posted by mebrahtom abraha PORTLAND OR on 12-5-05 at 8:32 PM

Alfred Nobel created the Nobel Prize as an act of atonement for inventing the means of brutal murder orders of magnitude beyond what all the gang-bangers in LA have done. 

I heard Tookie Williams speaking from San Quentin on Democracy Now last week. I challenge anyone (I mean you, Bob) to listen to the man and deny he is sincere.

posted by luminous beauty on 12-8-05 at 12:32 AM

Clemency only means that he won’t be killed. He’s still going to get life in prison if clemency is granted. Tookie Williams has been paying back his debt to society for his crimes, and prevented millions of kids from joining gangs and killing more people. His work’s probably deterred more people from comitting crime than the Death Penalty ever did. Give the man a break. Give the man clemency.

posted by Brendan on 12-8-05 at 8:22 AM

after watching the story on BET last night. IT reveled that the four murders this man is sentence for has no real evidence linking him to the murders. Yes this man founded the crips but he didnt make anypne join. I not saying let him free but what will you get from executing him. (nothing) If they go through with it america will be loosing a powerful tool that speaks to the youth. So what would rather have ( a dead man who founded the crips) or ( a man in prison for life founded the crips but now writes books that prevented many teens from making the wrong decision

posted by Travis R. Louisiana on 12-8-05 at 4:20 PM

If it were up to the American Tom, Dick, and Harriet at large, death row inmates would fight to the death Coliseum style to win clemency, I’m sure.

But no less an advanced civilization that still maintains a death penalty (it’s a fact that the death penalty does not deter anyone from committing murder), a single clown, elected by popular vote, will listen to arguments both thumbs up and thumbs down and then decide whether to halt a predetermined killing based not so much on the evidence presented as much as what verdict will best suit the clown politically and thus maximize his own popularity and goals.

In this situation, I’m reminded of the German officer in the movie Schindler’s List, polishing his image in front of a mirror: “I pardon you.”

Lets see now; the “Terminator” is Austrian and aspires to someday be President of these United States….

posted by Tim Christopher on 12-8-05 at 5:37 PM

If the law would get their head out their _ _ _ , their would be a lot less people that are in jail for other peoples crimes.Just because you lock some one up for a murder dosen’t make it better if thay ain’t the one who did it. Williams is on the wrong side of the wall.This man has made me change my wats of doing things day to day.The simple fact is almost all the time the law is stright as an s.Thats the truth in any state you go the think they can do what they want.I say some one needs to put the foot down and stop the madness and let this man do his thing and save as many other kids as he can. I bet if they don’t stop it ya’ll think you seen gang violance wait.not from me but I’m sure from the people still out their bangen.THe riaval gang even wants to help do something because this man touches people with his sincereaty and nolage.

posted by Russell Donald Sigers lll on 12-9-05 at 9:50 PM

I believe that if we ask ourselves what would be the benifit to society in mr. williams’ execution? now I whole heartly believe in an eye for an eye, but I also believe that this man can and has made a difference in the lives of our young ones at risk who by most part have been ignored and forgotten,until one day they find themselves where mr. williams is today,I believe that this man has something to give back, and it’s those kids that can benifit from that,I feel that those kids will lose alot more then society will gain by putting mr. Williams to death.

posted by cat richards on 12-10-05 at 6:14 AM

26 years of appeals,  26 YEARS PEOPLE. HE IS GUILTY.  There has been no rush to judgement or rush to excute.  I keep hearing he was nominated for the Nobal Peace Prize.  So was Hitler.  Anyone can nominate and if you dont think it was planned out regarding nominating Williams, you are dead wrong!!!  People say it is racist that is why he will be excuted.  Well lets get a few things straight. While the three asians lied dying, Willians stated,” f them budda heads.”  who is the racist here???  He deserves the electic chair, he deserves to be shot in the back. He should feel grateful he is geting the gas chamber.

posted by James Pope on 12-10-05 at 11:18 AM

Dont be getting all soft and mushy about this 4 time murdering prick…
4 times ! the guy is residue…

posted by Dennis on 12-12-05 at 11:22 PM

Redemption is in the eyes of the beholder. If he truely has turned to a man of goodness and god then he has nothing to fear in death because he would be going to haven but….since he will surely not be in haven I guess he has much to fear. If a man took your wife, child, husband, father, mother, brother from you in in a violent rage and then bragged about it and encouraged others to do the same to other people would you give a dam if 20 years later he said ” I’m sorry, I wont do it again, look I wrote a kids book telling them not to do it either”. Would you let bygones be bygones and want him on the streets or…would you want him to be executed? I myslef would want him executed! Too bad we dont use the electric chair anymore.

posted by Nicklos Vessey on 12-14-05 at 12:58 AM

You people should all learn to spell. Your mispellings weaken your cases. This is our system. It is not perfect, but it is the only system we have. The people “Tookey” killed will never have the opportunity to attempt to be better people. And if he didn’t kill them, founding the crips is reason enough to send him on.

posted by Paul on 12-15-05 at 1:25 PM

look people, i am walking on both sides of the fine lines that are drawn on should we or should`nt we, on one hand if it happened to one of mine i would of been judge and jury, (and please don`t email me about the judge and jury line, because i am sure there are people out there and that is all they see out of this comment, dont bother me with your retromand or spelling lessons)but every person in prison cannot be lumped in, and all cases are the same, because they are not, my brother is in for 16 to life for 2nd degree murder, it was not gang related, he did not go out looking for it, it came to him, so i really have no business saying anything on this subject, except that all cases are not the same, i was most likely emotional about my brother that day, so forgive me for saying anything at all

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