First of all, let me state that I adamantly oppose the death penalty. The "eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth," mentality, in my mind, is not a reflection of a civilized society. Unfortunately, there are still many states in our country that adhere to this policy, California is one of them.
Stan "Tookie" Williams was the founder of the Los Angeles Cripps Gang in 1971. In 1981 he was convicted of murdering four people during two robberies. To this day, Tookie denies his guilt. His conviction was based on circumstantial evidence, and upon testimony from witnesses who were, themselves, facing felony charges.
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In 1992 the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals stated that the witnesses against Tookie had less than clean backgrounds and had incentives to lie in order to obtain leniency for their own crimes.
Guilty or innocent, during his wait on death row, Tookie has written nine children's books encouraging them to avoid gangs and violence. He has been nominated numerous times for the Nobel Peace Prize, as well as a James Madison book award. This past summer "Tookie" received a presidential award for his volunteer work to help youths.
Send a letter to Arnold asking him to commute Tookie's death sentence. And sign the petition