My Take On Stan "Tookie" Willliams

Yesterday I went to a rally for Tookie Williams. For the longest I have been wanting to post something about him but have wanted to really get my facts straight before I even began. The rally was pretty amazing (and most are pretty lame) and the speakers and performers were inspiring, positive and ... did I say inspiring.

Here are some basic details that you may or may not know. Tookie Williams is on death row in San Quentin for the murder of four people. He was one of the founders of The Crips, a gang in Los Angeles. He claims he is innocent of these crimes. I believe it because I think the LAPD would have done just about anything to arrest him. (Plus, there is a lot of evidence of jury tampering, prosecutorial misconduct, racism, all standard in cases like these.)

Once on death row, Tookie changed his life (and the life of many, many others). He can talk about it better than I can but in summary, he speaks to students all over the country about turning away from gang life and living positively. He has such an effect on kids because he has lived in the streets. He has saved the lives of over 150,000 youth who were either preparing to join a gang or got out of a gang, based on the testimonies of tens of thousands of emails received by Stan at his website from kids, parents, teachers, librarians and even law enforcement officials. He has written children's books and speaks to classes often. He won The President's Call To Service Award (a clear oversight on Bush's part) and has been nominated for The Nobel Peace Prize five times.

There is a lot of debate about this case and I want to make this simple. I do not think that Tookie's being in prison for the rest of his life is a tragedy. Though he probably did not commit the crimes they said he did, I believe there is a price to be paid for founding a gang that is responsible for the deaths of many people. (This is something he has acknowledged and apologized for.)

The larger point is that executing this man means that redemption is impossible for anyone. This is not a message I want my children to learn, that is for sure. It is not that Williams is asking to be freed. He just wants to live, even if that is in San Quentin. For the teenagers whose lives he has effected (some of whom spoke at this rally), that is a lot.

His petition for clemency prepared by his lawyers is really moving. He even discusses in great detail what Tookie plans to do to contribute to this world if he is not executed. This section truly brings it all home:

This petition is about redemption, rehabilitation and hope. It is about a single man, a prisoner for a quarter of a century, who found purpose while facing death by execution. It is about the positive impact one man can have on the lives of others, even from death row.

This petition is, in a way, about what America is and what it offers to its people -- the right to strive, to seek, to find purpose, to have hope, to put failure and wrongdoing behind in the knowledge that America is a nation which is built on these values and believe in second chances.

This petition is not about the death penalty, or about reversing the judgment of the courts. Nor does it diminish the death of Albert Owens, Yen-I Yang, Thsai-Shai Yang or Yee-Chen Lin, or the suffering of the family members and friends who loved them. This petition is about clemency. It is about life, compassion and grace. It asks, in the name of so many who see this man as a symbol of hope and purpose in their own lives, what message is sent by death?

I am worried about this case because I am pretty convinced that Governor Schwarzenegger is going to go through with the execution, if only to appear "tough on crime". But I am trying to remain positive because I have been blown away in the past by the power of positive thinking (and acting).

So, please, please, please get involved:

-Sign a petition.

-Email the Governor.

-Or Call The Governor at 916-445-2841, just to hear the assistant of his assistant to his assistant call him Governor Schwazenegger. I did this and it provided a great deal of amusement during a long, long day.

The story of Tookie Williams got me thinking about another amazing story of redemption. I reopened one of my favorite books, The Autobiography of Malcolm X and found this quote that I will leave you with:

I know that societies often have killed people who have helped to change these societies. And if I can die having brought any light, having exposed any meaningful truth that will help to destroy the racist cancer that is malignant in the body of America-then, all of the credit is due to Allah. Only the mistakes have been mine.

Comments

[Beebs]

Wow- you just made me cry at work! I signed the petition. Thanks for doing all the hard work that you do.

[adriana]

i am crying too. thank you.

[Johhny Ventura]

You Are so full of crap on this article.
He deserves the same punishment he gave his victims.

[tuckergurl]

Let's just agree to disagree on this Johnny.

[BC Leader]

I believe that Tookie was a great man, and there is no way that they could trace those four murders back to him. Yea he started a gang, and alot of people have but are they being killed? NO!!! There are many people alive that are responsible for taking the lives of more than four souls so I think that they did just kill an innocent man and when I say "They" I mean the so-called "terminator" The decision was left to him and now a wonderful man has been killed. Tookie saved the lives of so many people but no one wants to pay that any attention and that isnt right. I was in tears when he was executed and you would have thought I knew him personaly-so to all his friends, family, and loved ones I give my love because I cannot place myself in your situation but I do feel the pain.