Governor denies clemency for ex-gang leader
 

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/12/12/wi...ion/index.html

Appeals court refuses to block Williams' execution

Monday, December 12, 2005; Posted: 6:01 p.m. EST (23:01 GMT)

SACRAMENTO, California (CNN) -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger denied clemency Monday for convicted killer Stanley Tookie Williams, who co-founded the Crips street gang in Los Angeles.

Schwarzenegger announced the decision shortly after a federal appeals court refused to block Williams' execution by lethal injection scheduled for shortly after midnight local time Monday.

Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who met with Williams earlier in the day, criticized Schwarzenegger for deciding not to spare Williams.

Jackson said Williams, who was convicted of killing four people in 1979, had earned clemency and that Schwarzenegger's decision was about "making politicians look tough, but that does not make it right."

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in San Francisco, rejected an affidavit from Williams' lawyers that suggested someone framed the onetime gang leader.

Unless the full 9th Circuit or the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes, Williams is scheduled to die by injection at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday (3:01 a.m. ET) at San Quentin State Prison, near San Francisco.

California's Supreme Court rejected an emergency request to stay the execution on Sunday. The state has executed only 11 inmates since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

In their appeal to the 9th Circuit, attorneys pinned their hopes on the declaration of a new witness -- Gordon Bradbury von Ellerman -- a jail trusty detained with Williams in the Los Angeles County Jail from 1979 to 1980.

In the affidavit, von Ellerman said he was the cellmate of another trusty, identified as George "Roger" Oglesby.

Von Ellerman said Los Angeles Sheriff's Department personnel provided Oglesby with documents to aid him in testifying against Williams in return for reduced or dropped charges.

"I was personally aware that Los Angeles Sheriff's Department personnel would often provide information to these inmates so that they could help frame defendants for crimes," he said in the statement.

A statement from Schwarzenegger read: "The possible irregularities in Williams' trial have been thoroughly and carefully reviewed by the courts, and there is no reason to disturb the judicial decisions that uphold the jury's decisions that he is guilty of these four murders and should pay with his life."

Williams, who would be 52 on December 29, spent part of Monday with his attorneys and family members at San Quentin.

While in prison, Williams became an anti-gang crusader, but he has consistently refused to take part in a debriefing with authorities to provide them potentially valuable information about the Crips gangs, said lead prosecutor John Monaghan.

Williams has denounced gang violence and written children's books with an anti-gang message, donating the proceeds to anti-gang community groups.

He said he was trying to prevent young people from making the choices he did, which led to a life of crime and a death sentence.

Celebrities, teachers and anti-death penalty advocates have spoken on Williams' behalf, but Schwarzenegger questioned the sincerity of Williams' conversion to nonviolence.

"Stanley Williams insists he is innocent, and that he will not and should not apologize or otherwise atone for the murders of the four victims in this case," the governor wrote.

"Without an apology and atonement for these senseless and brutal killings, there can be no redemption."

A jury convicted Williams of killing a 26-year-old Los Angeles convenience store clerk in February 1979, shooting him twice in the back with a 12-gauge shotgun while the victim was face down on the floor.

The jury also convicted him of shooting and killing an immigrant Chinese couple and their 41-year-old daughter less than two weeks later while stealing less than $100 cash from their motel.

Both cases were handled in a single trial. Williams was sentenced to death in 1981.

I for one am glad. See ya later A**hole.

I'm opposed to the death penalty. I'm also wondering if south central is going to go up in flames tonight. I hope not. :(

So do I. I respect, but disagree with your position btw.

Yeah, expected as much from Arnold. I hope he gets clobbered in the next election.

Oh well. Why should people value life when the state clearly doesn't?

Yeah, from what I've heard, his re-election chances arent looking too good.

He is going to be terminated.

He WON'T be back.

Hasta la vista, baby.

Jon Carroll



Monday, December 12, 2005



"Stanley Tookie Williams, the convicted murderer, has done an impressive amount of stuff since his incarceration in 1981. He has written an autobiography plus eight books for children about gangs and gang violence. He has spoken eloquently about the destruction that drugs and gangs can cause. He has rallied an impressive array of people to the cause of his appeal for clemency from his death sentence. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize any number of times.

His supporters say he has turned his life around. He has become a force for good. He merits special consideration because he has been so important in motivating children not to choose the life that he did. Those arguments, quite frankly, make me nuts.

I have no opinion about whether Tookie Williams has been rehabilitated. I'm not even sure that "rehabilitation" is a meaningful concept. A lot of people in prison are con artists; it's a useful skill on the street. The way to clemency was undoubtedly clear to a man of Williams' intelligence, and the fact that he chose that path means that either (a) he has had a change of heart or (b) that he hasn't. I dunno. I can't judge from afar, and neither can you.

I think subjective judgments about character are not really relevant in death penalty cases. To believe that they are relevant is to believe that uncharismatic, untalented, surly and/or mentally retarded death row prisoners are not worth saving, while a really cool guy is. Are we saying that it's OK to kill sneaky little weasel-faced people and not OK to kill handsome, intelligent, well-muscled people? It's fine to construct a hierarchy of character if one is, say, choosing a mate or a president. It certainly may be more convenient for advocates if they choose a guy who can speak well for himself and has done many useful things. But that's not the point.

The death penalty is wrong because the state (which is to say: us) should not be involved in killing people, particularly in cold blood. To kill people because they killed people -- it doesn't make any actual sense. A society should be slightly more civilized than its sociopaths. Revenge is an understandable emotion. Greed is an understandable emotion too, but stealing is still not legal. The death penalty does not deter and it does not cure.

Williams may be guilty of extremely unpleasant crimes; I do not have an opinion on his guilt. His lawyers make a strong case for racial bias on the part of the prosecutor and the jury, but lawyers are paid to make strong cases. They are not quarreling about the facts of the case, which suggests that the facts are against them. But I don't care. Even if I were positive that we were executing only guilty people, I'd be against the death penalty.

But of course we're not sure, and that's the other point. Eyewitnesses are not infallible; law enforcement people will tell you that eyewitness evidence is the most unreliable evidence there is. Juries can be stupid or misguided or both. The state may have an excellent advocate, and the defense lawyers could be drunks one step short of disbarment. Are we really prepared to kill people because their lawyers were drunks?

And I repeat what I said about rehabilitation. Most criminals are drug addicts or alcoholics; it comes with the territory. Drug addicts and alcoholics are among the best con artists in the world. They have had long practice in saying things that people want to hear. They can read a room, because often the room is what's standing between them and their drug of choice. If a jailhouse witness can get time off for testifying in a certain case, of course he will. He might coincidentally be telling the truth, but I wouldn't lend him money on the basis of what he said -- and I sure wouldn't kill another man on his word.

And, sadly, most of the people who testify against criminals are themselves criminals. It's a flawed system. We now know, because of advances in DNA evidence, that innocent men have been executed. I have no idea whether those executions weigh heavily on the prosecutors and police officers who built the case, but they weigh on other people. The governor of Illinois suspended all executions because of the possibility of killing an innocent man. It seems like a good idea for all the states.

At this writing, the fate of Stanley Williams is unknown. Whatever happens to him, it's time to look forward to the next case and all the cases that follow, and bear witness."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...sn=001&sc=1000

I doubt a Dem governor would have granted clemency either. Most politicans just don't have the balls to fight the death penalty, even if they oppose it themselves.

Very sad day. I don't see how life without parole isn't a fitting sentence.

Yeah, but if there was ONE state where his poll numbers would improve by NOT putting a guy to death, it's California.
In this case, I agree that "life" would be best. However, there are times when you just have to thin the heard out every once in a while.

The title to this thread made me laugh hard. "ex-gang" leader. He's only an "ex" cause he got caught. Idiot still denies responsibility.

Another weed of society plucked. Good...let the grass grow.

This really makes me sad. While it's quite amazing that he still will not admit to the crimes he committed, this type of action is in no way "justice." It solves nothing and only serves to perpetuate barbarism, the very thing that this death sentence supposedly condemns. If this is what passes for justice, I'm sorry to say that the word is being horribly misused; the last time I checked, justice was the principle of moral rightness. I fail to see how moral it is to commit the same act that is being condemned, but in the end, we all create our own heaven and our own hell. The people who support this will realize that soon enough.

I feel that he committed the ultimate barbarism, murdering innocent people. At least he had years in prison, to think it over, and change his life. BUT, of course, changing his own life, in no way changes the fact that he murdered innocents. I'm glad for him that he was able to change, but the price for his barbarism still must be paid. And, IMO, the payment is past due.

The "payment"? What "payment" is that? How lovely that we're calling actual human life "payment."

It sends shivers down my spine to think that we're incapable of doing what Tookie Williams himself was incapable of doing: showing mercy. It's the ultimate hypocrisy.

I second that :xoxo: :wavey:

Oh get off your high horse...

I believe you were the one who just commented on how Ms. Coulter didn't "belong on Earth" over at sevenwonders...

While the sucker is getting what he deserves tonight...you can watch old TIVO'D Anderson Coopers...:D That should help make you feel better.

What if it was your Mother that he murdered? Would you feel any different? I empathize with the victim's families.

So under your logic, had Hitler not committed suicide, he too, should have been given life in prison, right?

This is probably the only decision Ahnuld has made thusfar that hasn't pissed me off.

It's great that the man turned his life around and worked to make things better, but that doesn't change the fact that four people are dead because of him. No amount of good deeds could ever atone for that.

I'll just never be able to understand people that say how wrong it is for murderers to end a human life, and then support the ending of human life in the same breath.

Ban the death penalty, improve rehabilitation, and help foster a world in which violence and aggression are no longer necessary nor options.
Rather than ignore breeding-grounds for violence, help diffuse and prevent!
Love and nurturing will do humanity much more good than revenge, fear and punishment ever will...

Just my , sadly unpopular I find, opinion.

Sasja

Sounds awesome...



What a DREAM world.

Yer I'm sorry...I can't find the logic in the death penalty, I am of the opinion that rehabilitation should be the aim of prison and that if someone can contribute effectively to society they should be able to...

Yes in my opinion that does include Hitler if he was ever able to do that...I just can not agree with the death penalty.

You know, brown eyes... Lots of "dreams" have been realized throughout human history. Dreams like flight, space exploration, vaccines to cure epedemic diseases.
The ending of Apartheid, the falling of the Berlin Wall, the emancipation of African Americans in this country was a huge, wonderful and realized "Dream"

We are very powerful movers, shakers and Realizers-of-Dreams, we humans.
I am glad. It's what makes us all so special and cherished :)

I am dreaming daily, and working hard as well.

Sasja

Thanks for proving my point that the death penalty is nothing but government-sanctioned revenge. It has not a thing to do with actual "justice."

Most definitely.

~agrees with Dissention on both counts~

Sasja

Me too.

I'm actually pretty conservative about jail sentences. For example, I think in most cases that child molesters should be locked up for life.

I just think the death penalty is repugnant and provides no justice. Locking murderers up with no chance for parole does "weed" them from society. If the issue is that it's our tax money paying for their incarceration, I'd rather mine pay for that instead of killing in my name.

I prefer murderers...
 

get life in prison so they will have to interact with the general population (Death penalty cons are guarded and secure from the general population) and have to worry if someone will shove a shive/shank into their body on a daily/nightly basis....Ask good ol' Jeffery Daumer, oops...he got shanked, Oh boo-hoo!!!

Trust me, Being put to sleep like a sick animal is painless compared to having a 5 inch shank shoved into your liver and/or jugular vein and seeing the blood poor...Ya die from shock moreso than blood loss.

I feel this former gang member would be killed within a year if he had his sentence changed to life without parole and if he was to subjected to having to be put among the general prison population (A hint to that is his body building regiment), Mainly because those gang members will feel his is a turncoat, and there will always be someone who will try to do the deed as a glory kill to prove that you never truly escape a gang's reach!

Brian "An eye for an eye will soon leave us all blind" j.

I'm willing to be called barbaric! KILL THEM ALL! :rolleyes:

Don't forget he was also responsible for co-founding the Crips gangs. They have gone on because of Tookie.

Schwarz said this:
"Is Williams' redemption complete and sincere, or is it just a hollow promise?" Schwarzenegger wrote. "Without an apology and atonement for these senseless and brutal killings there can be no redemption."

He added: "In this case, the one thing that would be the clearest indication of complete remorse and full redemption is the one thing Williams will not do."

I go back and forth on the death penalty. Ultimately it is wrong. Are we, as human beings, sophisticated enough to actually understand and correct these kind of behavioral problems? Do we understand the brain well enough to actually be able to do change or hinder murderers and other violent criminals? No. At least not now or in the near future.

So you want to spend money on keeping this murderer locked up for the rest of his life, in a decent facility and fed three times a day? Frankly, Tookie is afraid to die. If I were in his shoes, I'd rather die than waste away my life in a prison cell. And you know what...anyone can write a book.

I also was unfortunate enough to see the crime scene photographs from his truly brutal killings. Not pleasant.

Like the governor, Tookie refuses to take responsibility for what he did. He's a loser and now for the families of the victims, they will have justice.

I hope none of you here ever, ever have to have a family member or close friend murdered in cold blood.

I had a afterthought. Would anyone like to see Osama bin Laden killed or dead?

If so the state has significantly changed demographically since 20 years ago when a state Supreme Court Chief Justice by the name of Rose Bird was railroaded by CA Republicans for her anti -death penatly stance in a recall election.Still one of the great shames of recent CA history.I'm just curious how many other Western industrialized nations still have the death penalty?I know the U.S. is one of the holdouts.No wonder our international reputation as a just.compassionate and humane place has gone to hell in a handbag.

Oh, how I love thee.

I'm glad to see there are voices of reason (Dissention, sasja, and others) to counteract the voices of stupidity (we all know who they are)

Got a better idea then?

That wasn't a dig at you.

I think it's disgusting that he won't own up to his actions.

Therein lies the rub. I am very opposed to the death penalty, and yet, if someone killed one of my loved ones, I think I would screaming for their blood. I shudder to think how I would react in such a situation.

A big contradiction, I know, but...I still believe that as a society, we are above the death penalty.

Awww...I like the Moony and thanks...but I'm serious...I've pondered this since I was 12 and I just end up more frustrated and confused. I just wish there was a better solution to this mess.

Me, too, Richard.

Actually, I think the solution lies in nurturing our youth and giving them access to quality education, jobs, and opportunities.

Then again, I'm probably being naive.

I feel the same way. It's such an ugly catch 22 and thinking about it makes my brain hurt.

A friend and I checked out this web site a few months ago (Tookie unrelated) and thought about picking a death row inmate to write to. I want to hear their thoughts. Kinda weird, I know. Like Tookie, some of them admit their innocence while on death row.

Having worked in Juvenile Forensics, yes, there ARE better ideas AND they are worked on daily and nightly by very overworked, underpaid, highly caring and dedicated social workers and therapists and psychiatrists, in programs that constantly get fundings cut or yanked.

Early intervention and treatment and teaching kids better skill-sets help tremendously. I have worked with a group of juvenile sex-offenders of which, so far and 6 years later, 85 % managed to NOT repeat-offend .
However, many kids do NOT get the compassion, care, treatment and intervention it would take to allow them to be productive and healthy members of our group (society). The prisons are overflowing with them at later ages :(

I personally think that, as a society, it is the duty of everyone belonging to the societal group to keep the group healthy and functioning and safe.
If that means dedicating money and resources to understand, treat and diminish the deviate element, that is what needs to be done.

Just "locking-up after violent acts have been committed and laws have been broken" is obviously NOT key to solving the issue, nor is: "sitting around and waiting till a murderer is grown and allowed to act out, then realizing this and killing him/her in turn" , for fundamentally it changes NOTHING.

It's just a band-aid for the symptom, and a lowering ourselves to the standard we are wishing to weed out.

The penal system as it stands needs complete revision. That is another very unpopular stance in this society where asking for group-responsibility and giving up something of yourself (oh no! taxes!) to benefit the group setting, are considered almost bigger crimes than committing murder.

The idea is this:

Start in schools (skill teaching classes, anger management, tolerance, multicultural diversity understanding classes) and start with parent education, which should be as standardly prescribed and mandated by pediatricians as your vaccines. Oh boy, that 'll cost a lot of money! Yup. Higher taxes and MUCH more responsibly divvying up of those taxes will be needed. Maybe even, GASP! volunteers!

Then, indentifying risk-children much more efficiently, follow their development and offer them and their families additional support. Counselling, vocational training, outward-bound programs for inner-city kids, all are already proving to have a huge positive impact and making a big difference.

As a group, taking responsibility and making all efforts to see that the violent, the deviate, gets weeded out from the early start, is my idea.

And then, if we still let people fall through the cracks, we should not be allowed to shrug our shoulders and just "kill them" so we don't have to see them around any longer and no longer be reminded of how we failed and allowed murderers and sexoffenders and kidnappers and all those other horrible criminals to grow and fester in our group without doing anything about it.

I am sorry, but it just gets my goat when people who want the rights and priviledges of belonging to a group, are quick to shir the responsibility for keeping it healthy.

There are some people, and granted the numbers are rapidly dwindling due to lack of support and due to burn-out therefor, who are working their butts off to try and prevent murderers ffrom budding out and coming to full bloom.

I burned-out there for a while and am trying to re-charge so I can go back into the trenches.

And I salute all my former colleagues and still friends who are continuing to fight the good fight. One day hopefully the death penalty debate will be a moot point... and prisons rehab centers instead..

Sasja

Counteract the voices of stupidity???...hmmm...

Well if me and homie are considered the "voices of stupidity" then we sure are in the minority...I think there should be more of us to counter the "reason"...there is just way to much of that damn "reason" going on around here. :rolleyes:

(and at least have the guts to name who you are talking about...)

Uh oh!....

There goes the "reason" I suppose... :rolleyes:

sheesh...you barbaric murderer what's your deal!?! :rolleyes: