Tookie
Now to write about something I feel very strongly about - death row. I’ve just heard that Stanley “Tookie” Williams is to be executed in under 24 hours. Now I’ve known about his execution for some time now, however I thought that Arnold Schwarzenegger would actually grant clemency to Tookie for what he’s done whilst he’s been in jail.
Okay, Tookie has been convicted of 4 murders whilst the leader of the Crips gang in 1979, and this has to be taken into account. He is a murderer when you think about it, however after spending 6 years in solitary confinement, he wrote a series of children’s books warning the evils of gang warfare and how gangs are bad for soceity and anyone involved with them. Nearly all killers just let themselves rot in jail - Tookie did not Tookie let himself become an icon of inspiration for thousands of people. He doesn’t deserve to die - he’s been an excellent inspiration for loads of people. Tookie’s plight and story was even turned into a Hollywood Movie starting Jamie Foxx which was a moving film to say the least.
I think a huge injustice has been done here. He maintains innocence of the crimes he was accused of, and faced racist discrimination throughout his trial. One issue highlighted the fact that the prosecutor in Tookie’s original case removed three African-American jurors from the jury. During Stan’s trial, this prosecutor made racially-coded remarks during his closing argument, comparing Stan during the trial to a Bengal tiger in the zoo and stating that a black community - South Central Los Angeles - was equivalent to the natural “habitat” of a Bengal Tiger. I think that this disgusting court treatment has lead to the murder of Tookie.
His trial was based on circumstantial evidence and the testimony of several witnesses, all of whom were facing a range of felony charges, including fraud, rape, murder and mutilation. At the crime scenes, there was physical evidence that pointed to Crips, however there wasn’t any evidence that pointed to Tookie…
Tookie has been nominated 5 times for the Nobel Peace Prize for being such an inspiration to youngsters by promoting that gangs are indeed wrong, and how joining gangs can make your life so much different from what it was. Gang warfare is evil - Tookie went from bad to good. Although a basis for clemency can’t be attained from the fact that Stanley Williams changed from a man who was full of evil and hatred to a grey haired man who wrote children’s books promoting the evils of gangs, I believe that it should be used as part of a basis for clemency - Tookie has done a lot more than the *average* prisoner on death row.
From http://www.savetookie.org
“From a 9-by-4 foot cell he has undertaken extraordinary work to serve humanity in his effort to reverse the destructive legacy of the Crips youth gang. If Governor Schwarzenegger grants clemency to Stanley Tookie Williams he will have made an historic move to diminish youth violence in this country and abroad because of the powerful work that Stan would be able to continue to do, using his credible voice to reduce the presence of street gangs throughout this nation and around the world. Even the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals wrote an unprecedented conclusion to its September 10, 2002, ruling about Stan. The Court concluded that Stan was doing “laudable†work that made him “worthy†of consideration for clemency.”
[removed bit which I think is unfair seeing as I wrote it when I was very pissed off...]
I don’t think it’s fair pumping a pile of Sodium Thiopental, Pancuronium Bromide and Potassium Chloride into a bloke who has done so much to change the world.
I’m not just speaking because I’m a GCSE Philosophy and Ethics student, I’m speaking from what I believe. I do NOT believe in murdering someone who has taken so much time to try and rid the world of gangs and gang violence. Tookie might have been sentenced to death for his involvement with Crips but he never actually murdered a single person - something he’s always maintained and something I believe.
Suffice to say, I do not think that Tookie should be murdered,
Jamie.
on December 16th, 2005 at 6:42 am
First of all, there are lots and lots of criminals who claim innocence even when they’re completely guilty. You really don’t know if he is or isn’t… only Tookie, and the people he killed know.
Second, the judicial system did it’s job. The evidence presented let a jury to believe that he committed these crimes, and no other courts were ever given valid reason to change the ruling. Therefore, the law dictates that he should be punished for committing these murders by death through lethal injection.
Third, why should Gov. Arnold suddenly be responsible for allowing a person to live despite the failed repeated attempts to prove that he may not have done it? He murdered 4 people, but we should let him live because he does good things now. He still did the crime, and therefore should (and was) punished appropriately.
Lastly, why does someone in the UK think that they know ANYTHING about American politics? Arnold is one of the best governor’s I’ve seen in California for as long as I can remember (being a Californian myself). He even put forth several fantastic propositions in the most recent election. Unfoirtunately, they all lost by slim margins because of all the FUD that was being blasted by the media (don’t even get me started about some of the outright LIES I was seeing in the proposition advertisements). You don’t live here, so you really don’t know, do you?
I don’t mean to come off as rude, but this post just really pissed me off.
on December 16th, 2005 at 5:39 pm
I see your point - the judicial system did it’s job, and Tookie never actually admitted to killing anyone, nor did he ever release any apology to the Crips families, however I do believe that what he did whilst on Death row should have been taken into account. Although having said this, the judicial system do not look at evidence based on reformity - Tookie claimed to had reformed since his life leading the Crips but was still murdered on the fact that he was believed to have murdered 4 people. I still think the original trial was flawed from what I’ve read and seen in the media.
In response to your last paragraph, I do not live in California, so I admit I can’t say anything, however everyone has a right to free speech, and I believe what I’ve written above there. I admit one of my comments above there was rather unfair and didn’t have enough evidence to back it up, so I’ve removed it. I’m not trying to hide the fact that I’m wrong in anyway or I’m buckling under disagreement from you Ryan, which I’m not however one comment that I did make was unfair which I made when I was pissed off.
on December 18th, 2005 at 1:06 am
jamie i agree with ya on this on for once i do think that it is wrong to take another life because you are just as bad as him because u r still ” murdering ” someone also i think that the death penalty is a easy way out of punishment because u either havethe rest of ur life in prison( which u can’t really call life) or u have death row and u may feel pain of a little while but nothin like spending life in prison. Hi ya jamie nice to see that you are using some of your Philosopy and ethics.
on December 25th, 2005 at 4:51 pm
Sorry, but I have to say let him die…. 4 murders, well Im sure some childrens books make up for all that. Im sure the family of the people he killed are heart-warmed knowing that the murderer has written some childrens books.