Incidents in the life of.....

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Stan Tookie Williams

Stan Tookie Williams, Stan Tookie Williams.....I have heard that name a million and one times in the past seven days. OK. Williams is the founder of the Crips and has been tried and convicted for murdering four young men 25 years ago. Since his conviction, he has been on death row and is scheduled to be executed tomorrow night. While waiting to be executed, he has written several children's books trying to persuade youth to stay away from violence and gang life.
Personally, I am not an advocate of the death penalty. However, I do not understand why so many people are rallying to save the life of the man who started the Crips. From the Crips came the Bloods and Folks and Gs and whatever other gang there is. Because of him, young black men will be dying for generations in the name of their "colors." If he executed tomorrow or if he dies of natural causes in 30 years, people will still die representing their "set" after he is gone. His legacy will live on. Someone posed the question: "Ethel founded AKA. Is it her fault those girls were drowned in California?" No, it's not her fault because she didn't start AKA based on principals of violence. It is a service organization. She started it hoping that AKA would be of service to all mankind. It is however, her fault that we donate to SIDS research and do the Ivy Reading AKAdemy. We are fulfilling the mission she started. Hence, the current CRIPS are fulfilling the mission Williams started.
In my mind, I really doubt that he killed those four people. It just seems beneath a gang lord to actually commit a murder. But, just because he didn't actually commit the murder doesn't mean that he isn't responsible. If he set someone up to be killed, he is guilty of homicidal negligence. I don't really understand the difference between being the leader of a gang and ordering a hit on someone and murder for hire. Either way, you are having the person killed and should be held responsible. If I stand in front of thirty students and cover a story or poem by Langston Hughes and tell them that he is Asian, I am the one responsible for misleading those children. I have to accept that, just as he has to accept the damage done by his actions.
OK, back to the death penalty....Maybe the man shouldn't be killed. Maybe he can do more good alive than dead. The man is manipulative though. If he got thousands of people to follow him into a gang and murder others, steal from others, initiate others, then how do we know he isn't trying to manipulate the public now? How do we know that he is truly sorry for what he has done? How do you know that he wouldn't do it all over again? We don't. Because I don't believe in the death penalty, I don't want him executed. On the other hand, I believe the man is guilty and was sentenced to death. That was his punishment, so let him be executed. I think if we are going to rally, let's rally for the abolishment of the death penalty period, not just in this one case. One of my friends said we have to start somewhere and maybe this case will set precedent. Possibly.
Unfortunately, this is not my decision to make and will be left up to Governor Terminator.

Posted by Nik :: 12/11/2005 :: 0 Comments: