The Redemption of Tookie Williams

Townhall ^ | Larry Elder

[WatchYourself]

Stanley "Tookie" Williams, convicted multiple murderer and co-founder of the notorious street gang the "Crips," died via lethal injection at 12:35 a.m. on Dec. 13, 2005, in San Quentin State Prison. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, only hours before Williams' scheduled execution, refused to grant clemency.

Who was Stanley "Tookie" Williams, and why did so many people want his life spared?

The Crips, co-founded by Williams in 1971, became a national -- indeed, international -- gang responsible for thousands of deaths. In 1981, a jury convicted Williams of murdering four people, and he was sentenced to death. Williams claimed he was innocent, a victim of a racist criminal justice system. He partnered with a writer and co-authored several anti-gang children's books. Williams apologized for founding the Crips, renounced his membership and urged others to do the same.

[WatchYourself]

Too little, too late

[frogjerk]

Why did Tookie need redemption if he was innocent of the murders? This makes no sense.

[ncountylee]

Time to send Mike Farrell another Email.

[Dallas59]

"He's dead Jim"

[rdb3]

From the article:

But where was the NAACP's opposition to the death penalty back in 2000? The organization ran an ad during the 2000 presidential campaign of then-Gov. George W. Bush. The ad -- with a voiceover by the daughter of James Byrd, the man dragged to death by three men in Jasper, Texas -- attacked Bush for not passing enhanced hate-crime legislation. Bird's daughter, in a dramatic voice, said, "(I)t was like my father was killed all over again." But two of the three men convicted of killing Byrd had already received death sentences, with the third, who testified that he attempted to stop the other two from committing the murder, getting life without possibility of parole.

The NAACP ad, in essence, says that Byrd's killers should have been punished more harshly. So apparently white bigots deserve the death penalty, but a black multi-murderer who founded a street gang does not. All clear now?

The NAACP remains true to form. That ad back in 2000 was one of the most disgusting things imaginable.

Elder is right. It's a shame that the obvious must be explicitly stated.

[fizziwig]

Tookie? Who is Tookie?

[11th Commandment]

Great Post- I can understand reasonable arguments against the Death Penalty. Many Good people are against it. What I do not understand is how stupid people are in choosing their "poster childs" for their cause. Tookie was the last guy on earth to be a poster child. Their are many truly reformed murders- like Carla Faye Tucker. But I didn't see the Hollywoods and the NAACP arguing for her.

[bonfire]

I love that his REAL name is "Stanley". lol

[Dallas59]

A mass murderer who got the needle for killing four innocent people. One "because he was white", and the other three because they were women and Asian. Tookie was a racist.

[Prime Choice]

"The NAACP ad, in essence, says that Byrd's killers should have been punished more harshly. So apparently white bigots deserve the death penalty, but a black multi-murderer who founded a street gang does not. All clear now?"

Sparkling clear. The NAACP is just another racist organization...essentially a Liberal black KKK, only with better PR and a sympathetic Leftist media.

[goldstategop]

He was never really redeemed. He just used the Left like they used him. End of story.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[Prime Choice]

Who is was Tookie?

There's your answer.

[Prime Choice]

He was never really redeemed.

That's up to God to judge...but I must confess that I seriously doubt that Stanley Williams would have repented and recanted his gang allegiances if he hadn't been caught and sentenced to death.

[DustyMoment]

Bruce S. Gordon, the new president and CEO of the NAACP, called Williams the organization's "secret weapon" in combating gang violence.

Apparently, he wasn't very influential. Since 1971, gang violence has escalated out of control. Tookie Williams, the "secret weapon", must have been too secretive.

IMO, people with Williams' history simply don't have that much influence after they have led people to the "dark side". Getting them back takes more than a few children's books. And, denying his history of murder in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, doesn't make him much of a "role model".

[rdb3]

Sparkling clear. The NAACP is just another racist organization...essentially a Liberal black KKK, only with better PR and a sympathetic Leftist media.

The NAA(l)CP has my complete disdain. That they are a racist organization I've known for years.

[pepperhead]

Their are many truly reformed murders- like Carla Faye Tucker.

I don't buy she was reformed. But if she was, it still didn't matter. She got what she deserved.

[blackie]

Toot Toot, Tookie ~ Goodbye ~~

[fizziwig]

"A mass murderer who got the needle for killing four innocent people. One "because he was white", and the other three because they were women and Asian. Tookie was a racist."

I guess I should have put in the sarcasm tag. His is a name I would like to forget, along with Farrell, Asner, Sarandon, Castro, Stalin, Hitler, Clinton..:)

[Element187]

Larry Elders nails it, once again.

[Atlas Sneezed]

The column's conclusion:

"Williams' life inspired the movie called "Redemption." But a truly redeemed Williams would have said: "This is what happens. This is where you end up when you think the rules do not apply to you; when, because of anger and rage, you kill innocent people. I accept responsibility for what I did. I apologize to the family members. Please understand that I was not a victim of a racist, unfair criminal justice system, and I urge all criminals to first look into the mirror before blaming the police, the judges, the system. I made choices that put me here. The lesson of my life is -- no matter your circumstances, your race, your class -- you are responsible for making proper moral decisions. It is your duty to do so."

That's redemption."