November 29, 2005

Tookie’s Execution

Stanley “Tookie” Williams, the founder of the Crips, is up for execution in California. Largely because of a television movie about him that starred Jamie Foxx, the drive to have his execution stayed (sic?) has become a bit of a cause celebre.

Here’s why I think the famous folks need to chill out…or step up farther.

Williams is accused of killing two people in a robbery. He claims that he did not do it, but he’ll have to come with fairly incontrovertible proof of that for him to avoid the needle. “They might have gotten it wrong” isn’t enough to push an execution back. “See, I told you I didn’t do it” will work, but there’s gotta be something to see. As things stand, there’s nothing there. Because of that, he’s probably going to die.

That he’s fixed his life and written books for children that encourage them to avoid gang life isn’t good enough, either. Call me what you want, but I don’t think that’s enough to get the Governator to push his execution back. The Governator is holding a private clemency hearing, though.

We’ll see how it goes, but I have big problems with what’s going on with the celebrities, though.

Let me start by expressing my unequivocal opposition to the death penalty. I find it to be morally repugnant, but that’s not where my arguments against the penalty are raised. Morality and a token’ll get you on the subway. It’s only good for so much in any real world argument.

The problem with the death penalty is that it’s systematically flawed. For its result to be so big–yanno, death and shit–the folks get it wrong too much. As DNA testing became more readily available, more people were found to be not guilty of capital crimes, and who knows how many people in the past were executed unfairly. Economists would look at this as an expected value problem. With some probablility, the folks’ll get it right and will get it wrong with some probability. To make this penalty worth it–and I’m speaking now to people in support of the penalty–that bad probability has to be microscopic to justify the chance of killing someone for a crime not committed. I don’t think that probability is small enough for the folks to decide that killing someone is the way to punish for a crime. Just too flawed.

Historically, the death penalty has been in place to punish black folks for killing white folks. I did a project on this in college. At the time, upwards of 400 black people had been executed in this country for killing whites (and that was within some finite time period, I believe, and it doesn’t include lynchings). Vice versa–one time. That’s right, one.

That terribly human element of the penalty is another gigantic reason this has got to be eliminated. I don’t care if you think the death penalty is justifiable or not. If the system doesn’t work, it needs to be fixed or destroyed. That’s independent of anything else. You can post your moral arguments about the death penalty in one direction or another, but I’m not likely to listen to them or read them. The moral arguments are irrelevant. The machinations of the penalty are what matter, and they’re flawed.

(The same logical arguments, the way I see it, are the ones that count when talking about abortion. Think abortion is wrong all you want. Just know that legalized abortion only ensure that trained professionals will perform abortions, not somebody in the ‘hood with a steady hand and a hot wire hanger.)

So what’s the beef with the celebs?

Why Williams? I know Snoop has an attachment to him because they’re both Crips, but it’s hard for me to hear him support clemency for a man that wants kids to stay out of gangs from a man that throws the Crips up any chance he has. I understand that bangin’ isn’t a simple thing and renouncing your set has a bunch of social capital ramifications, but something about that is funny.

The problem here is the system, not this one case. These folks at the courthouse steps protesting for Williams should be out every day. A few of them should jump in their cars and head to Huntsville, TX, where my home state kills more niggaz than cancer. The problem is this penalty. I don’t think that Williams is the most worthy of this support. After Williams is executed or not, where will these people be?

And if there wasn’t a movie about this dude, who would be on the steps?

I’m pretty sure that Tookie’s gotten his shit together. At the same time, many say the same for Gangster Disciple chief Larry Hoover. The state believes that Hoover’s still runnin’ the GDs from the joint, though. It’s possible that’s trumped up, but that gives me a little pause on Williams.

(Hoover has started a program, 21st Century VOTE, that helps GDs get their high school diplomas. That just seems ignorant of the fact that being a GD makes getting to graduation really difficult.)

I sure as hell don’t believe that Williams should be executed. But where are these folks at other times? Williams is simply an example of a flawed system. If he gets clemency, are these celebrities going to have anythign to say to or about folks set to get the needle with even better cases than Williams?

This is too big a problem for us to focus on one person or another. Folks with problems with the death penalty need to work on the penalty, not just one application.

Best of luck to Williams in settling his case. And here’s hoping those famous people get the point.

14 Comments »

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  1. Boy, that death penality has really been a deterrent to crime. You almost never hear of murders these days.

    Idiots.

    Here’s a good argument against the death penalty, one that true conservatives - not just those who play one on TV - could wrap their dense heads around: It costs more to execute a prisoner, with all the mandatory appeals and special housing that’s required, than it does to keep him in regular custody for 30 years.

    We’ve gotten really, really efficient at keeping people locked up.

    Don’t ask me how I forgot those two points. Again, Hooray Ben!

    Comment by Ben — November 29, 2005 #

  2. I personally applauded the outgoing Gov. of Illinois for putting in that moratorium on the death penalty. I just think before states start killing off more people…they should look into DNA evidence on all existing death row inmates so that they could be sure that that mo’fo they bout to pump that juice into is the mo’fo that did the crime, according to all available evidence…

    I don’t think Tookie’s book-writing career is enough to grant him clemency. Ahnold might go Terminator on him anyway.

    It’s strange that Tookie has not came up with any other theories/alibis/grassy knolls to help him out.Ironically, he comes from the same state where the Rideau guy is about to have another trial, and the guy has directed an Academy Award-winning documentary, I think he’s won a Pulitzer for his journalism while in Angola (one of the most depressing places I’ve ever been to in my life).

    BTW: Ben, it’s sad. Yes it’s still more cost-effective to keep someone locked up in regular custody…but government would rather spend more dollars to imprison and “rehabilitate(Swahili for “come back gay or on the DL after getting raped in prison”)” …rather than to educate our children.

    Now I see why the Laffy Taffy song’s so damn popular.

    Comment by Fred Batiste, A Weapon of Mass Destruction — November 29, 2005 #

  3. Damn, I don’t even wanna get started thinkin’ about the state of edukashun in this cuntry. Or for that matter the popularity of the Laffy Taffy song. Both are probably signs of the apocolypse.

    The whole thing’s just fucked up.

    And I’m still waiting for someone to give me a valid argument for the death penalty. I’ve never actually heard one that doesn’t invoke some religious bullshit.

    Comment by Ben — November 29, 2005 #

  4. Ot: The inexplicable Laffy Taffy phenomenon is at least one reason why I don’t mind being in Toronto- there is no room to get your LT on when you are too busy trying to look cute and expensive; DJ’s don’t f**k with the Laffy Taffy here.

    On topic- I agree with Bomani. There is no room for error when you decide who lives and dies. Too many times have we heard that DNA was wrong or an eyewitness went ignored or (as was the case with Betty Tyson) a cop coerced (swahilli for beat their ass..tm Fred the WMD) them into saying a confession.

    Human imperfection is such that even when you think you are completely in the right, there is always a chance that you are not. And frankly, any chance that you might be wrong about killing someone is not a chance that should be funded with my tax money.

    Comment by jaedalaurez — November 30, 2005 #

  5. Well, I don’t support the death penalty for the same reason: it is flawed and you never know how many people have gotten killed that didn’t do the crime. However, if (God forbid) someone killed someone very close to me in cold blood, I would probably want to see them die, and I don’t know too many people how wouldn’t.

    Oh, and regarding Larry Hoover, as far as I know (which is what the girls I mentor on the south side has told me), he does run the GD from inside prison. These same 12 year old girls look up to him because he is “a legend.”

    Gladly, someone’s desire to see another dead isn’t justification.

    Comment by Melanie — December 5, 2005 #

  6. given how the death penalty is already compromised by bias (race of victim/victimizer, class, incompetence, etc.) scrapping capital punishment should be a given…and i say this as one who was run home on various occasions by Big Took and his band of merry Crips in the early 70’s…and any attendee of Henry Clay Junior High School, Washington High, Fremont High, Locke High, or anyone who lived in the area of 108th and Western Ave. can testify…

    Comment by ronnie brown — December 6, 2005 #

  7. I really don’t think they should kill him. I mean he has spent almost half of his life in prison already. Plus they never proved he did killed those people, so by killing him they might just be killing an innocent person. Either way justice is not being served.I think he has turned his life around and deserves to live,even if he has to spend the rest pf his life in jail.

    Comment by christy — December 13, 2005 #

  8. Tookie is INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY and they have yet to prove that!!!!!!!

    FREE TOOKIE LET JUSTICE BE SERVED!!!!

    Unfortunately, he was convicted. Further, Tookie’s offered nothing to make me believe his innocence. May the brother rest in peace.

    Comment by christy — December 13, 2005 #

  9. This is a joke how can u kill a man who iz tryin to help others out, U AINT GOT ANYTHIN ON THIS MAN!!!! Billy Lane

    Comment by Billy — December 13, 2005 #

  10. He was actually convicted (or accused if we’re talking semantics) of killing four people (not 2), Bo. Just wanted to clarify that.

    Comment by Marisa-Andrea — December 14, 2005 #

  11. Coaches we love and hate. What about Dean and Roy?

    Comment by Tspeight — December 22, 2005 #

  12. Dont even throw Chairman of the board Larry Hoover in the mix here. You have no idea of GD literature obviously. GD’s getting voting drives together,and yes…higher ups do encourage younger members to get the most education they can and make the best of their oppurtunities. Leave GD’s out of it. From Gangster Disciple to Growth and Development. Hoover’s latest literature.If you wanna talk bad about Larry Hoover or Hoover FOLKS, go and do it on a corner in Southside Chicago bitch.

    Comment by Cnote74 — December 27, 2005 #

  13. 7-4 mutha fuckas, 2-15-19 run this shit bitch

    Comment by folkster — January 21, 2006 #

  14. He didn’t deserve to die. Who ever shot 2pac wasn’t caught, n tookie stopped gangs in a city, that’s hard to do.

    Comment by kris — February 1, 2006 #

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