Posted on 12/19/2005 7:33:26 PM PST by SmoothTalker
Hundreds of people converged Monday on the South Los Angeles neighborhood where Stanley Tookie Williams co-founded the Crips to say goodbye to a "homeboy" executed last week over the objections of supporters who said he had turned his life around.
Williams, clad in a gray suit, lay in an open coffin at the House of Winston Mortuary as people quietly filed by with their heads bowed.
"Mostly everyone is out here because of his reputation," said Robert Collins, 27, who said he was a former Crips gang member. "Everyone knew Tookie was no angel. Everyone's just paying their respects to him."
A line of 200 stretched out the door shortly after the six-hour viewing began in mid-afternoon. More than an hour later, the line had dissipated but people were still streaming through.
Williams, whose execution was carried out over the protests of supporters who included celebrities and civil rights activists, spent his last years on California's Death Row renouncing gang violence and writing several children's books warning of the dangers of gangs.
See Love, a teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District, said she had seen firsthand the way Williams' book "Life in Prison" had changed students' lives.
"Tookie's words were able to do what no judge or probation officer was able to do," said Love, 35. "I hope Stanley's spirit continues to live in the name of peace."
Williams, 51, was executed last Tuesday for the murders of four people during a pair of 1979 robberies. Although he had renounced his past as co-founder of the deadly Crips, he maintained to his death that he did not commit the killings.
A crowd lingering outside the mortuary carried signs and handed out flyers proclaiming his innocence.
Lori Tompkins, 48, of Los Angeles, said she came "to say goodbye to our homeboy and also give support to his family."
"We feel he was innocent and wrongly killed," she added.
The viewing was to be followed by a funeral Tuesday in Los Angeles. Organizers said those expected to attend included the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan and hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg.
I would contribute serious money to have those crime photos on billboards in LA above the caption, "Tookie Turned Their Lives Around Too."
These disreputable charlatans use, abuse, and manipulate America's laws and hospitality- but they are no friends of America, or Americans.
Youza obviously hasn't finished Eubonics Math for Dummies.
We divide the Million Man march by 100,000(actual foto finish record of attendance) to get the diversity factor and then divide the hundred by the diversity faktor to see how both peoples did aktually shows up to sees Tookie off to Tookiedom!
Just as I thought, that fine suit and coffin were rented!
"He's dead. Good."
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Accoring to one site I remember reading Tookie's books are published by what appears to be almost a "vanity" publisher and, at least until his recent death-row publicity, had sold under 350 copies.
Wow, he looks better than he's looked in years!
"my ashes scattered in the Blue Nile River to feed the fish there"
SHouldn't it be "my ash" if it is to turn to grass?
Amazon.com Sales Rank: Today: #2,201 in Books Yesterday: #2,002 in Books
Buy new: $5.95 -- Used & new from: $4.75
Truer words were never spoken.
Tookie looks so much more peaceful than his victims.
Best he ever looked is dead.
Hope it's REAL cosy in hell.
>>>>Williams, whose execution was carried out over the protests of supporters who included celebrities and civil rights activists, spent his last years on California's Death Row renouncing gang violence and writing several children's books warning of the dangers of gangs.
AND assaulting prison guards with chemical attacks.
I support the death penalty but it has its flaws and our system needs some fixing. The left does have some space for legitimate criticism. What amazes me is that they are dumb enough to have their big death penalty cause cases be Tookie Williams a gang leader who is responsible for thousands of deaths, and Mumia Abu Jamal who is a cop killer with amazingly strong evidence against him. You think any intelligent movement would find better cases than that to use for their cause. Of the thousands on death row, surely they can find some with much shakier evidence, or much less putrid personal stories. But in this case like many others, the left is their own worst enemy. They really do make things easy for us conservatives in this country.
Pimp my gurney.
Sounds good Michael - I'll add, He's really dead, good.
Holy cow!
""Hundreds"? California has 35 million people, and "hundreds" turned out? I don't think this is the send-off the Hollywood whining liberals hoped for."
It may have been considered too dangerous for them with no prison guards around for protection. Such irony.
Mugabe will be there, no doubt.
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