Families of Williams' victims urge governor not to forget them [Tookie]

AP ^ | 12/7/5 | KIM CURTIS

[SmithL]

One victim was a young convenience store clerk and military veteran who moved back to California to fight for custody of his daughters. The other three were family members who owned a motel they were hoping to sell because the neighborhood had grown too rough.

For all four, plans to change their lives were cut short by the sawed-off shotgun of Crips co-founder Stanley Tookie Williams during a pair of 1979 robberies in Los Angeles County that have put him on death row.

Their stories are part of the pitch prosecutors have made to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to deny clemency and let Williams die by lethal injection on Tuesday, but most of the news coverage has focused on the criminal, not the crime.

Family members say too much attention is being paid to Williams and too little is focused on their loved ones who got no second chances, no opportunities to turn their lives around.

With the help of prosecutors and victims' rights advocates, they plan to urge the governor Thursday to consider their loss — store clerk Albert Owens, 26 and motel owners Yen-I Yang, 76 and Tsai-Shai Yang, 63, and their daughter Ye-Chen Lin, 43, who left behind shattered families and changed lives.

Williams claims he's innocent and his supporters say he is more valuable alive than dead as he works behind bars to keep young people away from gangs. They want Schwarzenegger to reduce Williams' death sentence to life in prison without parole.

Williams, 51, co-founded the Crips gang in Los Angeles with a high school buddy when he was 17. He has since renounced his gangster past, spoken to community groups by phone from San Quentin State Prison and co-written a series of children's books warning them about the dangers of a criminal life.

[EDINVA]

Howlin, agree on the warning, but people should SEE what this creep did. it's all too easy for us not to visualize. We've all become entirely too numb to violence.
As I type this, am watching Fox News showing high school kids pleading for clemency, perhaps THEY should see the picture.

[outriderduke]

Did tookie ever have a legit job?

[Howlin]

I wish I could see it!

[Howlin]

Well, I am further behind than I thought; what happened to Arnold today?

[dbostan]

There are reports that Arnold met Tookie at a bodybuilding place before the murders, which is deeply troubling.</p>

[BunnySlippers]

I just read a headline ... somewhere. That Arnold has a heart scare today. Here it is ...
Schwarzeneggar Taken to Hospital:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/kcra/20051207/lo_kcra/3108508

[Right Cal Gal]

I sent the Governator an email as well - wonder if I'll get a different response (maybe they rotate them).

[Moral Hazard]

"I've got a bad feeling that Arnold is going to let Tookie off. Why else bother to have clemency hearings except to give himself cover: "I listened carefully to both sides and weighed all conflicting views, and then I did what Maria wanted me to.""

Clemency hearings are standard stuff, and they give the Governor cover whichever way he decides to go. HE hasn't gone for clemency yet, and I doubt he will in this case.

[Defend the Second]

I agree with you. People should see what the bastard did. Tookie should die for his crimes.

[beyond the sea]

Great post!

[beyond the sea]

As I type this, am watching Fox News showing high school kids pleading for clemency, perhaps THEY should see the picture.

Yes

[beyond the sea]

I just read a headline ... somewhere. That Arnold has a heart scare today. Here it is ... Schwarzeneggar Taken to Hospital:

Two men of great accomplishment went to the hospital today.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051208/ap_on_sp_ho_ne/hkn_lemieux_hospitalized_4

[bill1952]

MSM Lie Alert.

How un PC of you.

I like it already.

[bill1952]

D*mn!

I use an abundance of caution and discretion and refuse to post the image of this murderous thug's victims, but only post a link to a picture on my own server of his dead victim and you delete it while allowing the links to his inchoate ramblings and newspaper ads/MSM links asking for clemency to stand?

You outright stink!

[Howlin]

I had absolutely nothing to do with that picture link being pulled; nothing.

[OldPossum]

Re your post #7, that was my reaction too. Then, I realized it was an AP story, and I understood.

[afnamvet]

The local media (Sacramento market) is giving a lot of face time to the usual "Save Tookie" suspects. Disgusting.

[newzjunkey]

He's schedule for next Tuesday. I'm still optimistic it will go forward.

[afnamvet]

The "reply" is in politispeak saying in effect that that the governor is neutral.

[bill1952]

Howlin, I know that 100%.

I was pinging you and others because you had both responded to my original post. - Note that I had also pinged the administrator who had deleted my post.

Thanks.