Posted by Dave on 12/12/05 at 05:02:38 pm
Categories: Capital Punishment

As many of you know, I have spent a lot of time writing about the Stanley "Tookie" Williams case. Some would ask why - why the death penalty? And why Tookie?

First, if you don't know why I am passionate about the need to abolish the death penalty, read through some of my posts on the subject. To get a foundational perspective on what I believe, start here:

• Death In Practice
• Death in Theory

As for "Why Tookie", I am not completely sure. To be honest - this case has hit me harder than other death penalty cases. I think that there are several reasons for this.

The biggest reason is that it hits close to home - literally. This is the first execution in California in several years, and it is obviously a bigger deal because it is happening in my own state, with my own elected government (that I did not vote for!!). There is something about your own government killing someone that makes it that much worse. I feel partly responsible. This is my state, my judges, my politicians. And they have chosen death over life.

The second reason that this case has really hit me is that Williams is a perfect example of redemption. Williams has used his unfortunate situation (that he placed himself in) to make a difference so that others do not place themselves in the same situation. While some write this off as a ploy, there is no doubt in my mind that Williams has "turned the corner" and has done everything that he can to make a difference. What this really shows is that our criminal "justice" system is solely punitive. Our so-called justice system has little care for rehabilitation, and this is proven in a case where a man has been rehabilitated into a "functional member" of society, yet we still kill the man. It baffles me that we have a system that is more interested in punishing the individual than helping them return to society as a rehabilitated individual.

The third reason why this case has bothered me so is that it has become so political. Of course - every other case of execution tends to be political. No politician wants to alienate their base - whether right or left. Nor does any other politician desire to be seen as "soft on crime". But come on - a man's life is at stake, and that life is significantly more valuable than the political career or Arnold Schwarzenegger. It is sad to me that such an important decision - the life of a man - is made in the context of the political ramifications involved.

Let us be honest - killing Williams this evening will do nothing. It will only perpetuate the cycle of violence in our society. It will not bring back the four victims that died 25 years ago. It will not end the gang violence that has partly resulted in Williams' founding of the CRIPS. It will not make the family members of the victims feel better. It will not discourage others from killing.

It will do nothing but end a life of a rehabilitated man.

With that said, we need to use this as a stepping stone, not a one time cause. As I posted a few days ago, Tookie is not the only person on death row. As Smijer pointed out, it is an important step to bring this discussion into the national spotlight. The more people talk about it, the more they begin to see what is wrong.

There are many out there that need our help. In California alone two people are expected to be executed in the next two months: :

• Clarence Ray Allen (PDF file) - on January 17th
• Michael Angelo Morales - in February

We cannot stand silent. We cannot allow this to continue.

This campaign to save Williams' life has motivated and mobilized me. And I hope that it has had even some of the impact on you that it has had on me. Allen said it well in the comments of a previous post:

Jesus is still the most progressive example of activism I have seen. Like Christ, someone needs to stand up and fight with those that have taken the roll of untouchables in our society.

We have no choice to stand up and fight for the untouchables. As Creighton University Professor Joseph G. Allegretti said:

Maybe the hard question is not "How can an attorney defend the guilty?" Maybe the hard question is "Given the example of Jesus, why don't we do it more often?"

We must stand up and do it more often. Because no one else will.

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