dead man walking
most of you probably already know that Stanley "Tookie" Williams, co-founder of the Crips, is up for execution on December 13th for multiple murder charges. there have been articles and editorials all over the place talking about the death pentalty, rehabilitation in prison, and celemency. as of right now, Ah-nold has a petition for clemency on his desk that he is considering.first of all, what a huge responsibility for Ah-nold. can you imagine having to decide whether a man dies for his crimes when you have the power to stop it? this is huge.
clemecy has not been used since 1967 when ronnie reagan last decided to use it.
as i have been thinking about this, i have been wondering what i would do. it's not hard to guess that i am not a fan of the death penalty. but this guy may be responsible, directly and indirectly, for the deaths of hundreds, maybe even thousands of people over the last 20 years.
then i think about his story once he got to jail. he spent 6 years in solitary confinement. in those 6 years, he says he realized that he was wrong in starting the crips and banging. however, since then, he has written lots of childrens books denouncing gang life and violence, as well as several other books about his life and prison that have a similar message. he was nominated for (thanks for the correction Ben) the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts against gangs.
basically, the jail system is supposed to reform, right? at least in theory, because no one really believes in that anymore it seems. anyways, if anyone has been reformed, it's Tookie. he has tried to right his wrongs (except admitting his crimes...that's big), although no amount of books can really do that. i believe that he may actually be reformed. there is no written record of his gang activity while he has been in jail.
even if he isn't guilty of these crimes in particular, as he claims, there are probably plenty of things that he did that warrant this. the crips didn't become the most notoriously violent gang in L.A. because he liked to play dominos.
bottom line: should we execute a man as a punishment solely? or should we desire reform and clemency? are we unwilling to grant clemency because it will cost the taxpayers a lot of money? what is a man's life worth?
Republicans: "String him up!!!"
Democrats: "Set him free and pat him on the back!!"
Me: "Let him rot in jail...oh wait, hold on, how much per year? ** crickets **
You: ??
www.freetookie.org
posted by pablo
4 comments
4 Comments:
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urBenLA said...
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steve w said...
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Anonymous said...
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Post a Comment"he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts against gangs."
no he was nominated... not won. winning is for like MLK, Mother Theresa... folks like that.
see more here
my bad, you are right.
As I’m sorting through my thoughts to write this response, I’m asking myself why it is harder for me--as it is for so many others--to seek justice, and compassion for murder victims and their families than it is apparently is for the writers of both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures? I guess it’s somewhat comforting to me that capital punishment is not something I can be cold-hearted about.
Albert Owens was one of Tookie’s victims. His brother, Wayne, who has not been a proponent of capital punishment, has personally asked Arnold not to spare Tookie. He says, “There’s been a lot of talk about redemption, but redemption always begins with taking responsibility for what you’ve done and who’ve you’ve harmed.” (Kansas City Star, 11/22/05) Tookie’s prosecutor, Robert Martin, put it this way, “Redemption requires an admission of guilt, facing up to what you did and expressing remorse.” (San Francisco Chronicle, 11/06/05) Tookie has not taken responsibility for his crimes. He can’t seek forgiveness if he won’t even admit guilt.
Is clemency designed for thugs who won’t admit their guilt, or for someone who admits their guilt, and says they deserve to die? If God’s salvation can be compared to clemency--which it most definitely can be--God is clear that it requires ‘fessing up, and admitting the sin (crime) is worthy of death.
And since God’s revelation is the only stable foundation for life and all of life’s decisions, I can’t go against God on the issue of capital punishment. He doesn’t give individuals the right to execute justice (vigilanteism), but God, understanding the realities of life in this world, says there is a time to kill. Is this such a time? That decision hasn’t been placed in my hands, but granting clemency in this case sure seems unjust, and cold-hearted towards Tookie’s victims and their families, and cold-hearted toward civilians who trust the government to uphold justice and civilization.
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