Demonstration • As
Reyna Velarde, a CSULB student stands
in the back collecting signatures to
save the life of death row inmate Tookie
Williams, protesters Darren Morrow, Jason
Whiteside and Steve Crawford hold signs
in support of the four people Williams
was convicted of murdering. Tracey Roman
/ Online Forty-Niner
Students
voice opinions on ‘Tookie’
By Mario Burciaga
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
Cal State Long Beach students gathered in front of Brotman Hall Wednesday to
express their thoughts on whether or not Stanley “Tookie” Williams,
co-founder of the Los Angeles Crips gang should be executed by the State of
California for crimes committed nearly 26 years ago.
According to savetookie.org, Williams, 51, was convicted for murdering four
people during two different robberies and has been on death row at San Quinton
State Prison for the last 24 years, almost half his lifetime.
Although Williams sits on death row, he has worked to end street gang violence
and influence children to not join gangs. According to savetookie.org, Williams
has written nine highly acclaimed anti-violence and anti-drug books for elementary
school students.
He has been nominated five times for the Nobel Peace Prize and four times for
the Nobel Prize for Literature and has also received the Presidential Call
to Leadership Award by President George W. Bush.
“
I don’t think anyone should die, but his case is different,” said
CSULB student Reyna Velarde, who advocated CSULB students to sign an executive
clemency petition on behalf of Stanley “Tookie” Williams to Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The petition would refute the death penalty and allow Williams to spend the
rest of his life behind bars at San Quinton State Prison.
Velarde said she is against the death penalty and said the state should not
have the ability to kill anyone regardless of the crime, especially someone
who has rehabilitated himself while in prison.
Anthony Mason, a third-year sociology major agreed with Velarde.
“
Whether he did the crime or not, he has rehabilitated, there is no reason to
kill a man if he is doing positive things,”
Mason said.
There were also individuals who did not want clemency granted to Williams.
CSULB student Darren Morrow was one of a few individuals holding up signs in
front of Brotman Hall that read
“Tookie
is a murderer,” and “Thanks
for the legacy.”
“The
punishment must equal the crime and since
Tookie killed four innocent people then
they should stick with the death penalty,” Morrow
said. He acknowledged Williams has done
some positive things but said, “Tookie
has done more bad than good.”
However, even the innocence of Williams is still debated by savetookie.org.
The Web site said his trial was based on circumstantial evidence and testimonies
from witnesses facing felony charges.
Sept. 10, 2002, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the witnesses in
William’s case had “less-than-clean backgrounds and incentives
to lie in order to obtain leniency from the state in either charging or sentencing.”
The Web site also stated the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected William’s
appeal based on a question of racism and discrimination in his case.
With 24 years on his back, Williams and his attorneys have run out of appeals.
The life of Williams now lies in the hands of Schwarzenegger and his ability
to grant clemency.
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