the cause to which you devoted the mature part of your life: convincing young people not to join gangs.
I was so sad about this all day. A human life to be wasted. Another blot on the country’s name, every case that’s famous like this is that.
My body tried to fall asleep several times in the middle of the day; I realized I wanted to sleep through the execution, vs worrying about it all day. Working late at the computer, I had NPR on in the background to listen to “As It Happens” (Canadian show.)
Then American news came on, and the announcer said, “Tookie… will die this hour.” Looked at computer clock, it was 12:01, what a shock. The time the first chemical would hit his veins, if they were on schedule.
I spent three minutes silent, eyes closed.
“His claim of rehabilitation doesn’t correlate with his claim of innocence,” said Mr. Swartz or his attorney writing a statement for him. What gobbledegook. How does that make sense? What makes those two ideas related in any way?
The only thing I can think of circles back to the title. I hope that in death Tookie serves the cause of ending the death penalty. I hope he serves the cause of inspiring kids to avoid or quit gang life.
I hope he inspires the rest of us to do something to make avenues of achievement for some of the kids who’d have ended up in gangs without other options.
r.i.p., tookie.
http://www.dembloggers.com/story/2005/12/13/11122/871
and was heartened to see a cross-section of society there. Different races, ages, people from different places.
At least… at least we did that to show the world, Tookie, and everyone on death row that we care.
his legacy is going to be the most famous “innocent” person to be executed!
there is something that makes me extremely uneasy – that he would not admit to something he says he didn’t do – and was willing to die for that truth.
most people are not willingly eager for death and will do ANYTHING to save their own lives. rarely do we see people who are told, confess and you may get to live – THEN that person says, “i cannot do that!” why not? if, indeed he DID kill the four people and it meant he could stay alive, why NOT?
my gut tells me that only an innocent is willing to die for the truth.
this makes me ask, what, in god’s name, have we done?
his lawyers said they have four new witnesses that have just come forward – this isn’t a game of “mother/father, may i?”
if these witnesses bear out and williams was indeed innocent when slaughtered, then perhaps his legacy will be to end, finally, the barbaric practice of state-sanctioned murder!
r.i.p. mr. williams.
and, may the families of those who were killed find solace – but i’m afraid this isn’t going to do it for them. especially, if it turns out that the state was wrong!