[Coolmanbizkit]

For those who don't know the issue, Stan "Tookie" Williams co-founded the Crips gang in LA. In 1981, he was convicted of the murder of 4 people. The jury that pronounced him guilty was all-white. The evidence against him was circumstancial and inconclusive at best.

But assuming he really was guilty (even if he hadn't committed that crime, he was definitely guilty of other crimes). Tookie Williams spent years in jail writing children's books, which discouraged young readers from joining gangs. According to savetookie.org, 150,000 kids have reported that his books influenced their decision not to join gangs. He was nominated multiple times for the Nobel prize in Literature.

Arnold Shwarzenegger (sp?) is the only one at this point who can stop the execution. This is his chance to prove that prisons, in fact, rehabilitate criminals. But no... The governator, who is famous for his rhetoric about the children of California, is reluctant.

Aside from the fact that the death penalty is barbaric... If you look at this case objectively, you'll see that Stan Williams has saved many children from gangs, and probably will save more if he remains alive. If he is killed, however, inter-racial tensions, already very high in the US after Hurricane Kathrina, should be expected to rise considerably.

Opinions? Discuss.