Tookie Williams: The Death Penalty lives on

Stanley Tookie Williams / LA TimesCalifornia Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger denied clemency Monday to convicted murder Stanley “Tookie” Williams.

“I can find no justification for granting clemency.” “The facts of the case do not warrant overturning the jury’s verdict or court decisions.”

Read the Governor’s Announcement (.pdf).

Tookie Williams’ guilt was never in doubt. In fact, he has never denied responsibility for the cold-blooded murder of four helpless robbery victims in 1979.

But the death penalty is an antiquated and barbaric practice that is rarely if ever endorsed in Western civilization (outside of Texas, that is). In fact, “more than half the countries in the world have abolished the death penalty in law or practice,” according to Amnesty International’s figures.

TalkLeft sums it up best in regard to the future of humanity:

Clemency is about mercy. It is an act of grace. You have the opportunity to stop a needless killing. Tookie’s execution will not bring the victims back. It will not heal. The welfare of the people of California is best served by the message clemency would send — one of hope to the tens of thousands of disadvantaged young people your administration has professed to care so deeply about. A denial of clemency will send a message of despair.

Unfortunately, it seems, Schwarzenegger lacked the political capital to commute Williams’ sentence to life in prison.

Marc Cooper put it in perspective in last week’s LA Weekly, and placed the accidental governor’s odds at 2:5 for granting Williams clemency.

Mahablog points to data revealing that homicide rates are actually HIGHER in death penalty states.

All the stars came out to rally for Williams, but nobody ever asked for his release. It seemed a simple enough cause to ask for a six-time Nobel Peace Prize-nominated death row inmate’s sentence to be commuted to life in prison.

Mr. M from Left Field
wonders why American society insists that vengeance, not redemption, is the ultimate justice.

Dust my Broom speculates on the irony of a possible violent fallout in response to the denial of clemency based on a supposedly changed man’s peaceful mission.

Abolish the Death Penalty / Tookie / Nbc 4 TV

7 Replies to “Tookie Williams: The Death Penalty lives on”

  1. that dumb ass actor bitch should not have been elected Governor anyways. Everyone deserves 2nd chances. Tookie had a complete transformation and made a big impact on the world….ON THE WORLD!!! Tookie's legacy will live on FUCK ARNOLD SWARTZABITCHER!!!!!

  2. Tookie wiliams was a little girl he shot a man on the floor for $120 the man was unarmed then he hot an unarmed family all unarmed and 2 laying on the ground and a girl in the face. This is an act of a cowardly thug he deserved to die. hope he rots in hell also the pictures on this page looks like a bunch of uneducated thugs , the preacher with the bodyguards thats hillarios

  3. ok so this pos is not directed to any one but yes the death penalty may cause a life but you gonna tell me it isnt worth it? and we should abolish it. well you wrong the time that tookie was in his room while waiting to be killed he was scared as hell.. and thats all i wanted was for him to be scared he killed 4 victims that shouldnt have been killed..and so what a man like that deserves to live?

  4. Pingback: The Pink Panther
  5. Digger – my sincere apologies. I had in fact linked to your post, but deleted the reference before publishing (yet forgot to take out the trackback). Thanks for visiting.

  6. It is bad etiquette to trackback to someone’s post without providing a link. Your trackback has been deleted. If you care to provide a link to my post with some relevant commentary feel free to send another one.

  7. Thanks for the linkage. I guess this situation affects me so because I grew up very close to gangs. Several of my cousins were (are?) Crips. Growing up in urban California, you know what gang life is all about, and you understand that it’s a little more complex than just a bunch of criminals running around wearing the same color.

    Add to that my vehement opposition to the Death Penalty, and what you have is something that I have been on the edge of my seat now for some time.

    You’re right, the Death Penalty is not a deterrent. It does not provide reparration, it only provides more death. Vengence.

    I could not live with myself if that vengence was what I needed to find closure in a similar situation.

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