Surviving the System
"I am confident enough to say to all of you today that if the death penalty is objectively investigated, it will be exposed for what it is- a racist, inhumane and disproportionately allocated system used primarily for poor people. I don’t know about any of you, but personally, I can’t name one millionaire or billionaire on death row. Can you?"
It's simple, I don't believe in capital punishment!
On December 13, 2005, the execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams will take place. As a teenager, Tookie founded the notorious gang called the Crips (fyi, the gang sporting the color Blue). Tookie has been incarcerated for the pass 23 years for the murders of four people. During this time, he has published his autobiography and children’s books discouraging violence, which lead to a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize for Peace and Literature.
If you don't know anything about Brother Williams please watch Redemption the movie, starring Oscar winner Jamie Foxx. His story of redeeming himself is truly inspirational.
There is a system in America that holds back the black community from uniting and supporting each other. Whether you believe me or not, there is a reason why to many of us are incarcerated, unemployed and still living with the Willie Lynch syndrome. It takes people like Brother Williams to testify his triumphant voyage of "redemption," to assist with the deliverance of our young black youth.
I cannot ignore the fact that Brother Williams have ended many lives, but I can respect him for sincerely apologizing and working towards changing the lives of people, who are engaging in the same activity that he did as a youngster. There are many men who work our street corner that need to know there is another way.
I admired Tookie for reflecting on his past and changing it to empower himself to survive the system. This Man looked in the Mirror!
"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." ~Tookie
Posted by Unconquerable Soul at 11:18 AM::
5 Comments:
Well put! I don't believe that many people understand the power of redemption, particularly if another life was taken. Still, the fact that this man has tried to influence others says a lot about the legacy he will leave behind.
People who advocate for the death penalty do not fundamentally believe in redemption. In fact, they tend to believe some people are inherently bad or evil and unable to change, undoubtedly flawed and arguably racist thinking.
They also argue that putting someone to death will somehow send a message to the next person contemplating a similar criminal act, an argument that is completely without statistical merit.
The death penalty is about vengeance, which has no place in a criminal justice system that is supposedly fair and objective.
A Nomination for a Nobel Prize and he's going to be executed ??? ( speechless ) What's the message ?
" Once you commit a crime, you become a criminal, it's in you, there's no going back and nobody believes that you'll ever able to change, whatever you do ? "
That is not going to stop crime !
Such methods are not really going to stop people from committing a crime, they're going to make them elaborate better plans for their crimes to avoid going to jail and getting executed !!!
Glad you wrote this. You definitely made me well-informed of a subject I hardly know about!
Whoa, this is a deep 1. I don't believe in the death penalty. Brother Smith should have his turn on Judgement Day just like I'll have mine. If he is behind bars NOW, then is he really a threat to you & me? Does he deserve to have his life ended??? I ask that question, and I don't even know his whole story - never saw the movie or read the books.
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