When gang members, or rather gang-affiliated pop-stars, have somehow become the heroes of a generation, someone has to take a step back and reassess the situation. One man is doing just that. In his fight against gang violence, he has written nine anti-gang children's books, started an international peer mentoring program, and even received multiple nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and Nobel Prize in Literature. This man is Stanley "Tookie" Williams, co-founder and former leader of the Crips gang, and he is currently a death-row inmate in San Quentin State Prison.
Williams (whose moniker commands Che Guevara-type iconic martyrdom) is scheduled to be executed on Dec. 13, ending a long stay in prison that started in 1981, when he was convicted of murdering four individuals. Since his conviction, he seems to have become completely different man. He speaks out against gang violence and has started programs and written books in an attempt to stop the spread of gangs such as the Crips. A page on his Web site is dedicated to letters the he has received from youths who have been "saved" by his work and gotten out of gangs because of his writings.
To be fair, if Williams didn't help to co-found the Crips, someone else probably would have stepped in and started a similar gang. To be even more fair, Williams did co-found the gang, and he should be held accountable for his actions, no matter how much he has reformed.
But do we need to kill him to prove some kind of point about killing people? To let Williams die when he continues to work against gang violence seems ridiculous. To kill him now would simply mean to put an end to all the good that he is doing and that doesn't help anyone.
Terminator should have granted clemency, this way, he will be able to continue his work against gang violence and at the same time, he will remain behind bars to pay for the criminal acts of his past.
With gang members and their criminal ideals being idolized by American youth culture, we need as much help as we can get to curb the influence and numbers of gangs such as the Crips. Who better to lead the way than a former gang leader?
Bloods, Crips, Norteños and Sureños; gangs are a reality of the world we live in today, and their presence can't be ignored. Killing Williams in the name of justice would have much less of a positive effect on the world than allowing him to live and continue his work.
Williams (whose moniker commands Che Guevara-type iconic martyrdom) is scheduled to be executed on Dec. 13, ending a long stay in prison that started in 1981, when he was convicted of murdering four individuals. Since his conviction, he seems to have become completely different man. He speaks out against gang violence and has started programs and written books in an attempt to stop the spread of gangs such as the Crips. A page on his Web site is dedicated to letters the he has received from youths who have been "saved" by his work and gotten out of gangs because of his writings.
To be fair, if Williams didn't help to co-found the Crips, someone else probably would have stepped in and started a similar gang. To be even more fair, Williams did co-found the gang, and he should be held accountable for his actions, no matter how much he has reformed.
But do we need to kill him to prove some kind of point about killing people? To let Williams die when he continues to work against gang violence seems ridiculous. To kill him now would simply mean to put an end to all the good that he is doing and that doesn't help anyone.
Terminator should have granted clemency, this way, he will be able to continue his work against gang violence and at the same time, he will remain behind bars to pay for the criminal acts of his past.
With gang members and their criminal ideals being idolized by American youth culture, we need as much help as we can get to curb the influence and numbers of gangs such as the Crips. Who better to lead the way than a former gang leader?
Bloods, Crips, Norteños and Sureños; gangs are a reality of the world we live in today, and their presence can't be ignored. Killing Williams in the name of justice would have much less of a positive effect on the world than allowing him to live and continue his work.
