Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Why is "Tookie" a cause celebre'?

I need some help from the massive CIT readership on this one: Why has Stanley "Tookie" Williams, executed by the state of California on Tuesday, become such a cause?

This is a guy who was convicted and sentenced to death for killing four people. That, to me, is where it begins and ends.

Some other facts that, I suppose, contribute to the fervor on both sides of the issue: He helped found the Crips, a gang that has been a source of significant violence across the country for 20+ years. And, on the other side of the coin, in recent years, he started writing children's books and speaking out against the violence of gang life.

Fine. He attempted to make up for some of the almighty bad stuff he did in his life. Wonderful. He killed 4 people.

I suppose any execution in California, esp of a person of some profile, is going to stir this sort of thing up. But I just don't get it.

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