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Stanley Williams

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File:Blurb200.jpg
Stanley Tookie Willams in a photo from prison

Stanley Tookie Williams III (December 29, 1953 – December 13, 2005) was the co-founder, with Raymond Washington, of the widely known and notorious Crips street gangs. In 1981, he was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1979 murders of four people in two separate incidents.


He liked to blowjob

In prison, Williams maintained his innocence and refused to aid police investigations with any information against his gang. He was also involved in attacks on guards and other inmates as well as multiple escape plots. In 1993, Williams began making drastic changes in his behavior, and became an anti-gang activist while on Death Row in California, renouncing his gang affiliation and apologizing for the Crips' founding. He co-authored children's books and began programs to prevent youth from joining gangs. [1] A 2004 biographical feature film entitled Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story featured Jamie Foxx as Williams.

On December 13, 2005, Williams was put to death via lethal injection, amidst nationwide debate over the death penalty, and over whether Williams' anti-gang advocacy in prison made for genuine atonement.

Early life

Born to a 17-year-old mother in New Orleans, Louisiana, Williams grew up in the impoverished South Central Los Angeles neighborhood, where he made a name for himself for being a fighter and a "general" on the streets of South Central's West Side. People sometimes mistakenly believe that "Tookie" is a nickname, but it is in fact his given middle name, which was shared by Williams and his father, Stanley T. Williams Jr.

Formation of the Crips

The eastern side Crips were formed by Raymond "Truck" Washington in 1969. Williams joined Washington in 1971, forming the west side Crips. According to many of the original members of the gang, it was initially started as a means to keep the streets safe, reducing violence and police brutality. Williams said "we started out—at least my intent was to, in a sense—address all of the so-called neighboring gangs in the area and to put, in a sense—I thought I can cleanse the neighborhood of all these, you know, marauding gangs. But I was totally wrong. And eventually, we morphed into the monster we were addressing."[2] According to one version, the original name of the gang was the word Cribs from the first name of the gang, the Avenue Babies, and a reference to their youthfulness. The name Crips was first introduced in the Los Angeles Sentinel in a description by crime victims of young men with canes, as if they were crippled. The name stuck.

Crimes

Williams at age 29. Williams was an active bodybuilder.

Williams was convicted of two separate robbery/murders in 1979. Williams always maintained his innocence, though subsequent court reviews concluded that there was no compelling reason to grant a retrial.[3]

”Where can we go to make some money?”

Court Transcripts show that [4], Stanley Williams met with a man who is only identified in court documents as as “Darryl” late sometime on Tuesday evening, February 27, 1979.. Williams introduced Darryl to a friend of his, Alfred Coward, a.k.a. “Blackie”.

A short time after the initial meeting, Darryl, driving a brown station wagon and accompanied by Williams, drove to the home of James Garret. Coward followed the two in his 1969 Cadillac. Williams frequently stayed with Garret, and kept some of his personal effects at that location including a 12-gauge shotgun. Williams went into the Garret residence, and in about ten minutes returned with the shotgun.

The three men then went to the home of Tony Sims, where they discussed where in Pomona, California they could go to make some money. Afterward, they went to another residence, where Williams left the others for a period of time. Upon returning, Williams had a .22 caliber pistol, which he placed in the station wagon. Williams then suggested that they should all go to Pomona. Darryl and Williams got into the station wagon, Coward and Sims got into the Cadillac, and shortly thereafter they were on the freeway headed toward Pomona.

Botched Robbery

The two vehicles exited the freeway near Whittier Boulevard. They drove to a Stop-N-Go market and, at Williams’ direction, Darryl and Sims entered the store, apparently to rob the market. At the time, Darryl was armed with the .22 caliber handgun Williams had previously placed in the station wagon.

The clerk at the Stop-N-Go market, Johnny Garcia, testified that he had just finished mopping the floor when he noticed the station wagon and four black men standing at the door to the market. Sims states that he and Darryl walked into the market. Sims walked to the back of the market as Darryl approached the Garcia and asked for a cigarette, which Garcia provided and lit for him. Sims states he then "walked back from the back ‘cause there was somebody in there and just walked out the door and got back the car with, uh, Blackie. And then we left."

Williams reportedly became upset that Darryl and Sims did not commit the robbery. Williams told the men that they would find another place to rob. Williams said that at the next location all of them would go inside and he would show them how to commit a robbery.

Albert Lewis Owens

Coward and Sims then followed Williams and Darryl to the 7-Eleven market located at 10437 Whittier Boulevard, in Pico Rivera, California. The store clerk, twenty-six year old Albert Lewis Owens, was sweeping the store parking lot. When Darryl and Sims entered the 7-Eleven, Owens put the broom and dustpan he was using on the hood of his car and followed them into the store. Williams and Coward followed Owens into the store.

As Darryl and Sims walked to the counter area to take money from the register, Williams walked behind Owens, pulling the sawn-off shotgun from under his jacket and told Owens to “shut up and keep walking.” While pointing the shotgun at Owens’ back, Williams directed him to a back storage room. Not long after, Williams blew out a security monitor and then killed Owens, shooting him twice in the back at point blank range, as he lay prone on the storage room floor, killing him.

Back in L.A.

Williams Darryl, Coward, and Sims then fled in the two cars and returned home to Los Angeles. They had netted approximately $120 in the robbery. Once back in Los Angeles, Sims asked Williams why he had shot Owens. Williams said that he “didn’t want to leave any witnesses.” Williams also said he killed Owens “because he was white and he was killing all white people.” Coward testified that Williams had bragged about the shooting, stating, “You should have heard the way he sounded when I shot him,” as he made gurgling or growling noises and laughed about Owens’ death.

The Brookhaven Motel Murders

The Yang family, who were immigrants from Taiwan, included husband Yen-Yi Yang and wife Tsai-Shai Yang who were well above their sixties. One of their children, Yee-Chen Lin had recently joined them from Taiwan. The family worked together operating and maintaining a motel called the Brookhaven in South Central Los Angeles.

According to court transcripts at approximately 5:00 [[{{{1}}}]] on March 11, 1979, Stanley Williams entered the Brookhaven Motel at 10411 South Vermont Avenue. After entering the hotel lobby area, Williams broke down the door that led to the private office. Inside the private office, Williams shot and killed 76 year old Yen-Yi Yang. Williams then shot and killed Yang’s wife, sixty-three year old Tsai-Shai Yang. Lastly, Williams killed Yang’s daughter, 43 year old Yee-Chen Lin, after which he emptied the cash register and fled the scene.

Robert Yang, son of Yen-Yi and Tsai-Shai, was asleep with his wife in their bedroom at the Brookhaven Motel when he was woken by the sound of somebody breaking down the door to the motel’s office. This sound was immediately followed by the sound of a female scream, followed by gunshots. When Robert entered the motel office he found his mother, his sister, and his father had all been shot, and noticed that the cash register was open and money was missing. It was later determined that the robbery of the Brookhaven Motel robbery/murders had netted Stanley Williams approximately one hundred dollars. Paramedics transported Yee-Chen Lin to Centinela Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 7:36 [[{{{1}}}]].

According to the forensic pathologist, Yen-Yi Yang suffered two close range shotgun wounds, one to his left arm and abdomen, and one to the lower left chest. Tsai-Shai was shot twice at close range. The pathologist explained that one shotgun wound was to the coccyx, or tailbone, and the other shotgun wound was to the anterior abdomen with the charge entering at the navel. Yee-Chen Lin was shot once in the upper left face area at a distance of a few feet.

Williams referred to the victims in conversations with friends as "Buddha-heads", although there was no evidence that the murders were religiously motivated.

Williams was convicted of the murders of all four individuals and sentenced to death by lethal injection.

Conviction

From the beginning of his sentence, Williams maintained his innocence regarding the four murders, alleging prosecutorial misconduct, exclusion of exculpatory evidence, ineffective assistance of counsel, biased jury selection, and the misuse of jailhouse and government informants.[5] Williams claimed that the police found "not a shred of tangible evidence, no fingerprints, no crime scenes of bloody boot prints. They didn't match my boots, nor eyewitnesses. Even the shotgun shells found conveniently at each crime scene didn't match the shotgun shells that I owned." However, the prosecution's firearms expert, a sheriff's deputy, testified during trial that the shotgun shell recovered from the Yang murder crime scene matched test shells from the shotgun owned by Stanley Williams. No second examiner verified his findings. The Defense claims this expert's methodology was "junk science at best." [6]

Williams' gun was found in the home of a couple with whom he had been living. According to the District Attorney, the husband was undergoing sentencing for receiving stolen property and tried for extortion. Williams' lawyers have claimed that the District Attorney quashed a murder investigation in exchange for their testimony. The two shells recovered from the Owens crime scene were consistent with shells fired from this gun, with no exclusionary markings. The shell recovered from the Yang crime scene was conclusively matched to Williams' weapon "to the exclusion of all other firearms."[7]

Critics point to the fact that although he apologized for and renounced gangs and the founding of the Crips, Williams never renounced his gang membership, and allegedly continued to associate with Crips members in prison. When contacted about Williams' alleged ongoing gang activity, Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman April Harding said there was no evidence of his gang leadership. Opponents also pointed out that he received a significant amount of money from outside sources. People who appreciate Williams' work sent him money, "It's as simple as that," said Williams' spokeswoman Barbara Becnel. [8]

The prosecution removed three African-Americans from serving as jurors in Williams' trial. Williams' lawyers claimed that he was convicted by a jury that had no African-Americans, one Latino, one Filipino-American, and "ten Caucasians". [9] The District Attorney provided proof, however, in the form of a death certificate and the sworn affidavit of another juror, that juror #12, William James McLurkin, was black. [10] The defense responded that, contrary to the sworn affidavit, McLurkin did not appear black. They maintain that the trial record indicates that none of the lawyers -- and particularly the prosecutor -- thought Mr. McLurkin was black. McLurkin's driver's license photo and the fact that both he and his mother were born in the Phillipines was presented as additional evidence in a November 2005 petition for clemency. The defense, however, has neither stated whether or not his mother was actually Filipino, nor refuted the evidence that McLurkin was black. [11]

According to the clemency petition, in his closing arguments, Martin described Williams as a "Bengal tiger in captivity in a zoo" and said that the jury needed to imagine him in his natural "habitat" which was like "going into the back country, into the hinterlands." In a radio interview, Martin stated that the analogy was not meant to be racial, and instead was a metaphor to the fact that Williams appeared in court dressed in business attire much like an animal in a zoo appears more docile than it would be in the wild. [12]

According to Williams' defense attorneys, in two subsequent cases, District Attorney Robert Martin was censured by the California State Supreme Court for using race as a criterion in jury selection and had two murder convictions overturned on those grounds. [13]

Williams threatens jurors

Court transcripts show that after the verdict was read, Williams mouthed the following words to the jurors: ""I'm going to get each and every one of you motherfuckers."[14] The foreperson confirmed to the court the words mouthed by Williams, and later said that the threats played no factor in the juror's deliberations during the penalty phase.[15]

Prison life

File:Stanley 'Tookie' Williams mugshot.jpg
Williams' mug shot from 2000.

As inmate CDC# C29300 [16] Williams spent 6 1/2 years in solitary confinement in the late 1980s [17] for multiple assaults on guards and fellow inmates. [18] The following is a list of Stanley Willams prison record through 1993:

  • On June 30, 1981, just two months after being sentenced, Williams was involved in a violent fight with another inmate. Williams was observed kneeling over the other inmate and striking him in the head with his closed fists. When Williams was ordered to cease fighting, he ignored the order. Only after repeated orders to stop, did Williams stop his violence. (P. Exh. 6).
  • On January 26, 1982, Williams was ordered to lineup for his return to his cell. Williams refused the order and became hostile. The guard then explained the line-up procedure to Williams. Williams responded by saying "you'll get yours boy, I can do anything now because I know what the gunmen will do…one of these days I'll trick you boy." (P. Exh. 7).
  • On January 28, 1982, Williams had two separate instances where he threw chemical substances at guards. In one of these instances, Williams threw a chemical substance in the eyes and on the face of a guard. As a result of that assault, the guard suffered from chemical burns to these areas and had to be taken to the hospital where he received emergency care. (P. Exh. 8).
  • On January 29, 1982, Williams again attacked a guard by throwing a chemical substance on him. (P. Exh. 9).
  • On February 16, 1984, a guard saw Williams bending over another inmate and striking him with his closed fists. In an effort to stop the attack, the guard blew his whistle and drew his weapon. Williams, however, continued to fight. Only after a guard fired a warning shot did Williams stop fighting. (P. Exh. 10).
  • On June 8, 1984, Williams was observed participating in inappropriate behavior with a female visitor. When the guard advised the female of the prison policies, Williams became verbally hostile and stated, "you are looking around too much and that's not your job. I have dusted many officers on the street, one more would not make any difference." (P. Exh. 11).
  • On July 4, 1986, Williams stepped between a guard and another inmate and began to beat up the inmate. The guard ordered Williams to stop but Williams continued with the assault. Eventually, after gun officers responded, Williams stopped the attack. (P. Exh. 12).
  • On October 10, 1988, Williams was involved in a fight that led to him being stabbed. Prison officials subsequently learned that this stabbing was done in retaliation for a September 22, 1988, stabbing of another inmate ordered by Crips leader Stanley Williams. (P. Exh. 13).
  • On October 19, 1988, Williams was placed in Administrative Segregation based on his association with the Crips street gang. (P. Exh. 13).
  • On December 24, 1991, Williams was involved in another fight with an inmate. Once again, despite being ordered to stop, Williams continued with the assault. Eventually, gun officers responded by firing a round near Williams. After the shot was fired, guards gained control over Williams. (P. Exh. 14).
  • On July 6, 1993, a large fight broke out in the shower area. Williams was one of the combatants. A guard ordered the inmates to stop, but the fight continued. After a warning shot was fired, the fighting stopped. Subsequently, a stabbing instrument ("shank") made of sharpened plastic was recovered from where the fight had occurred. (P. Exh. 15).

Though the prison guards noted that he still remained a member of the Crips gang, "The violations are usually involving batteries on inmates, batteries on staff. But we have also received information that has identified him as an active member of the Crips," Crittendon said.

"The particular set is known as the Blue Note Crips, and that information we have received since his arrival here in April 1981 and as recent as June of 2000," Crittendon said." [19]

In 1988, Williams was stabbed by Tiequon Aundray Cox (aka Lil Fee), a Rolling 60s Crips member, and fellow death row inmate.

Anti-gang crusade

After being released from solitary confinement, Williams gained world-wide attention and praise for his work in prison, including the publication of children's books advocating non-violence and alternatives to gangs, an autobiography, and Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story a Hollywood movie honoring him, starring Jamie Foxx. In 1997, Williams wrote an apology, posted on his website, for his role in creating the Crips.[20] In 2004, he helped broker a peace agreement (called the Tookie Protocol For Peace) for what had been one of the deadliest and infamous gang wars in the country, between the Bloods and the Crips, in both the state of California and the city of Newark, New Jersey. Williams received a letter from President George W. Bush commending him for his social activism.[21] While the letter was cited by activists seeking to free Williams, 267,000 "Call To Service Awards" were sent out. Williams' award was nominated by a minister from West Monroe, Louisiana, named William A. Harrison.[22]

In 2001, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard Williams' appeal from the lower federal court's denial of his petition for habeas corpus relief. The appellate court denied Williams' appeal, but noted that the federal courts were not his only forum for relief, inasmuch as he had the option to request clemency from the Governor of California.

Apology

"Twenty-five years ago when I created the Crips youth gang with Raymond Lee Washington in South Central Los Angeles, I never imagined Crips membership would one day spread throughout California, would spread to much of the rest of the nation and to cities in South Africa, where Crips copycat gangs have formed. I also didn't expect the Crips to end up ruining the lives of so many young people, especially young black men who have hurt other young black men. Raymond was murdered in 1979. But if he were here, I believe he would be as troubled as I am by the Crips legacy.

So today I apologize to you all -- the children of America and South Africa -- who must cope every day with dangerous street gangs. I no longer participate in the so-called gangster lifestyle, and I deeply regret that I ever did.

As a contribution to the struggle to end child-on-child brutality and black-on-black brutality, I have written the Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence children's book series. My goal is to reach as many young minds as possible to warn you about the perils of a gang lifestyle.

I am no longer "dys-educated" (disease educated). I am no longer part of the problem. Thanks to the Almighty, I am no longer sleepwalking through life.

I pray that one day my apology will be accepted. I also pray that your suffering, caused by gang violence, will soon come to an end as more gang members wake up and stop hurting themselves and others.

I vow to spend the rest of my life working toward solutions.

Amani (Peace),

Stanley "Tookie" Williams, Surviving Crips Co-Founder, April 13, 1997" [23]

Nobel Prize nominations

Williams was reportedly nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize every year from 2001 to 2005; nominations came from Mario Fehr, a member of the Swiss Parliament [24]; four times by Notre Dame de Namur University Philosophy and Religion Professor Phil Gasper [25]; William Keach, a Brown University Professor of English Literature, nominated Williams for the Nobel Prize in Literature.[26] Williams' critics have argued that these nominations were irrelevant to his case, as anyone can be nominated for the prize by an eligible party; there is no "pre-selection" process for the nomination.


In late 2005, there was a campaign to persuade the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to grant clemency for Williams in consideration of his work as an anti-gang activist and various commendations over the past decade. Schwarzenegger described the decision whether to grant clemency as "the toughest thing when you are governor, dealing with someone's life."

The Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County District Attorney, and other law enforcement doubt that Williams had reformed, saying that he refused to divulge information on other gang members, or debrief officials on the tactics and communication methods that gangs use. Williams said he didn't want to be a "snitch." [27]

Many citizens gathered signatures to grant Williams clemency. Over 68,000 people signed online petitions calling for Schwarzenegger to commute the death sentence. Others who campaigned against the execution included celebrities Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg, Elliott Gould, Danny Glover, Laurence Fishburne, Ted Danson, William Baldwin, Bob Saget, Mike Farrell, Harry Belafonte, Jessica Simpson, Edward Asner, Jackson Browne, Russell Crowe, Richard Dreyfuss, Nick Carter, Gabriel Byrne, Bianca Jagger; Judge Greg Mathis; politicians Tom Hayden, Mario Cuomo, and Bill Rosendahl; Nobel laureates Desmond Tutu, Mairead Corrigan Maguire; and the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

On November 30, 2005, the California Supreme Court refused to reopen his case in a 4-2 decision [28]. Williams' lawyer Jonathan Harris said he planned to present his case before Governor Schwarzenegger at a December 8, 2005 clemency hearing to commute Williams' sentence to life in prison without parole [29].

In mid-November 2005, talk show hosts John and Ken of the John and Ken Show on Clear Channel's KFI AM 640 in Los Angeles, California started a "Tookie Must Die (For Killing Four Innocent People)" hour on their show from 5-6 pm until the execution of Williams. In the hour, they interviewed advocates of both sides of the issue and expressed their reasons why they supported the execution. Their opinions offended some individuals, prompting them to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission.

On December 8, 2005, a clemency hearing was held before Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, with Williams' attorneys arguing for, and the District Attorney for the County of Los Angeles arguing against clemency, respectively. The one-hour, closed-door meeting took place as an ever-growing crowd consisting of Williams' supporters as well as capital punishment proponents congregated outside the Capitol in Sacramento.

On December 8, 2005, Lora Owens, whose stepson, Albert, was killed by Williams during a convenience store robbery, made a statement expressing her opinion of Stanley Williams: "I think he [Williams] is the same cold-blooded killer that he was then and he would be now if he had the opportunity again." [30]

On December 9, 2005, Linda Owens, Albert Owens' widow, issued a statement in support of Williams’ efforts to bring an end to gang violence and his call for peace between gangs. "I, Linda Owens want to build upon Mr. Williams' peace initiative. I invite Mr. Williams to join me in sending a message to all communities that we should all unite in peace. This position of peace would honor my husband's memory and Mr. Williams work." [31]

On December 11, 2005, the California Supreme Court refused to grant a stay of execution for Williams. Supporters of Williams also made another plea directly to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to stay the execution. [32]

On December 12, 2005, Schwarzenegger denied clemency for Williams. In his denial, Schwarzenegger cited the following:

  • "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"
  • The basis of his request for clemency is the "personal redemption Stanley Williams has experienced and the positive impact of the message he sends" yet "it is impossible to separate Williams' claim of innocence from his claim of redemption"
  • "Cumulatively, the evidence demonstrating Williams is guilty of these murders is strong and compelling" ... "there is no reason to second-guess the jury's decision of guilt"
  • A "close look at his post-arrest and post-conviction conduct tells a story different from redemption"
  • Williams had written books that instruct readers to avoid the gang lifestyle and to stay out of prison. From 1995 he "tried to preach a message of gang avoidance and peacemaking" ... "It is hard to assess the effect of such efforts in concrete terms, but the continued pervasiveness of gang violence leads one to question the efficacy of Williams' message"
  • "The dedication of Williams' book Life in Prison casts significant doubt on his personal redemption and...the mix of individuals on [the dedication] list is curious" ... "but the inclusion of George Jackson on the list defies reason and is a significant indicator that Williams is not reformed."

Schwarzenegger summarized by basing his denial of clemency on the "totality of circumstances." (Summary – Details in PDF format)

Execution

After exhausting all forms of appeal, Williams was executed by lethal injection at San Quentin State Prison, California, on December 13, 2005 with 2,000 protesters outside, most asking for clemency; he was declared dead at 12:35 a.m. PST (08:35 UTC). Williams was the 12th person executed by the state since California reinstated the death penalty in 1977.

Witnesses to the execution [33] say that Williams showed no resistance, neither when he came into the chamber shortly after midnight, nor after he was strapped into the chair.

Said Contra Costa Times reporter John Simerman, "They had some trouble with the second I.V., which was in the left arm...Williams, at one point, grimaced or looked almost out of frustration...at the difficulty there...He had his glasses on the whole time. He kept them on, and he kept looking..."

Said Kevin Fagan, a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, "This is the sixth one I have seen here at San Quentin, and I have to say this was very different. The most notable thing was that Williams had supporters at the back of the room...And most strikingly at the end of the execution, as those three were heading out, they yelled, “The State of California just killed an innocent man!” which is the first time I ever heard any outburst in the death chamber there."

Witnesses described a somber mood in the execution chamber. Williams apparently exchanged many glances with his supporters. He talked with his guards throughout the process. Members of Albert Owens' family who witnessed the execution were described as stony-faced. Lora Owens appeared very upset, according to MSNBC anchor Rita Cosby. Supporters of Williams within the chamber were reported to have raised their fists, symbolizing Black Power. As the three supporters left the chamber after witnessing his execution, one of them yelled out "The state of California just killed an innocent man."

Williams requested no last meal and provided no last words at the time of his execution to the prison warden.

In an interview [34] with Pacifica news hours before the execution, however, he had this to say: “[M]y lack of fear of this barbaric methodology of death, I rely upon my faith. It has nothing to do with machismo, with manhood, or with some pseudo former gang street code. This is pure faith, and predicated on my redemption. So, therefore, I just stand strong and continue to tell you, your audience and the world that I am innocent and, yes, I have been a wretched person, but I have redeemed myself. And I say to you and all those who can listen and will listen that redemption is tailor-made for the wretched, and that's what I used to be….That's what I would like the world to remember me. That's how I would like my legacy to be remembered as: a redemptive transition, something that I believe is not exclusive just for the so-called sanctimonious, the elitists. And it doesn't -- is not predicated on color or race or social stratum or one's religious background. It's accessible for everybody. That's the beauty about it. And whether others choose to believe that I have redeemed myself or not, I worry not, because I know and God knows, and you can believe that all of the youths that I continue to help, they know, too. So with that, I am grateful….I say to you and everyone else, god bless. So take care.”.

Adam Housley, a reporter for Fox News, described the experience as "choreographed", "sterile", and "clinical". [35]

Williams’ spokeswoman and co-author, Barbara Becnel, has said she is "now on a mission." [36] "That mission is one: to obtain justice for Stanley 'Tookie' Williams by proving beyond a shadow of a doubt his innocence, (and) continuing to preserve the incredibly remarkable legacy of this man who personifies redemption." She will also work to defeat Governor Schwarzenegger, who refused clemency, in the next election.

However, clearing Tookie's name may be a hard one to clear since his numerous requests for appeals were all declined. Mr. William's defendants claimed many reasons for overturning his conviction, but they were all dismissed. Prosecutors cited handwritten notes written by Mr. Williams about an escape plan which involved the killing of a bus driver and another accomplice. [37]

Williams' children

One of Stanley Williams' children, Stanley "Little Tookie" Williams, Jr., has also been convicted of murder. Little Tookie, a Neighborhood Crip, was found guilty of shooting a 20 year-old woman to death in an alley off Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Williams, Jr. was sentenced to 16-years in prison alongside his father at San Quentin for second-degree murder. [38]

In November 2005, the Fontana, California Police Department advised print and television media that a warrant had been issued for registered sex offender Lafayette Jones. Jones, wanted for allegedly molesting an ex-girlfriend's 13-year-old daughter at gunpoint, was identified by the police department as the son of Stanley Tookie Williams. [39] [40] Williams' official Reply Petition for Executive Clemency submitted on November 21, 2005, by Peter Fleming, Jr., stated that this was a lie purported by the police department, including an attached declaration from Lafayette Jones' mother, which declared under penalty of perjury that Lafayette was not Stanley Tookie Williams' son.

References

Books

File:Stanley 'Tookie' Williams - Gangs and Weapons 0823923428.01. SCMZZZZZZZ .jpg
Gangs and Weapons
  • Blue Rage, Black Redemption: A Memoir (Paperback) by Stanley Tookie Williams, 2005, (PB) ISBN 0975358405
  • Gangs and Drugs (Williams, Stanley. Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence,) by Stanley Williams, Barbara Cottman Becnel, 1997, (PB) ISBN 1568381352, 24 pages, Reading level: Ages 9-12
  • Gangs and Self-Esteem: Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence (Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence) by Stanley Williams, Barbara Cottman Becnel, 1999, (PB) ISBN 061302690X, 24 pages, Reading level: Ages 4-8
  • Gangs and the Abuse of Power (Williams, Stanley. Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence.) by Stanley Williams, Barbara Cottman Becnel, 1997, ISBN 1568381301, 24 pages, Reading level: Ages 9-12
  • Gangs and Violence (Williams, Stanley. Tookie Speaks Out Against Gangs.) by Stanley Williams, Barbara Cottman Becnel, 1997, (PB) ISBN 1568381344 (HB} ISBN 0823923452, 24 pages, Reading level: Ages 4-8
  • Gangs and Wanting to Belong (Williams, Stanley. Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence.) by Stanley Williams, Barbara Cottman Becnel, 1997, (PB) ISBN 156838131X, 24 pages, Reading level: Ages 9-12
  • Gangs and Weapons (Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence) by Stanley Tookie Williams, Barbara Cottman Becnel, 1997, (PB) ISBN 1568381328, 24 pages, Reading level: Ages 9-12
  • Gangs and Your Friends (Williams, Stanley. Tookie Speaks Out Against Gangs.) by Stanley Williams, Barbara Cottman Becnel, 1997, (PB) ISBN 1568381360, 24 pages, Reading level: Ages 4-8
  • Gangs and Your Neighborhood (Williams, Stanley. Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence.) by Stanley Williams, Barbara Cottman Becnel, 1997, (PB) ISBN 1568381379, 24 pages, Reading level: Ages 4-8
File:Stanley 'Tookie' Williams - Life in Prison 1587170949.01. SCLZZZZZZZ .jpg
Life in Prison
  • Life in Prison by Stanley Tookie Williams, Barbara Cottman Becnel, 1998, (PB) ISBN 1587170949, 80 pages, Reading level: Ages 4-8 (royalties donated to the Institute for the Prevention of Youth Violence)
  • Redemption : From Original Gangster to Nobel Prize Nominee - The Extraordinary Life Story of Stanley Tookie Williams (Paperback) by Stanley Williams, 2004, (HB) ISBN 1903854342

Magazines

Wikiquote has quotations related to Stanley Williams.

News articles

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