L.A. judge signs death warrant for Crips co-founder

to death row. Makes you wonder what he could have contributed if he had taken the the right path in the first place.

He grew out of it, too late.

And now we are ready to silence a powerful voice that is speaking out against gangs and violence.

How many gangbangers will look at this and say, "see? There's no chance for me, no way I can change what will happen to me, so why try? I'm gonna get mine while I can."

The death penalty takes change and personal redemption off the table, so why would anyone even try to change their fate?

"No way I want to end up in the chair. I'm leaving this gang."

In any case, there's four people crying out for justice from their graves. They'll finally get it.

Their survivors, or some of them at least, are crying out for vengeance, which is not the same thing.

Would not justice be better served by a man, imprisoned for the rest of his life, working to change the attitudes that engender criminal gangs in the first place?

When a gangbanger, the heat of vengeance burning in his gut, guns down a rival in a drive-by he is not thinking "this could put me in the chair." The only thing that can stop that crime is to keep him out of the gang in the first place. Executing this man does not further that goal in any way.

De-mystifying and de-mythologizing the gangs is possible. It was accomplished in dealing with the Italian gangs of the 20s and 30s. The mafia still exists, but they aren't responsible for several hundred murders a year as they once were. The change didn't happen because of prosecution of the gang leaders, by the execution of the killers, but because in the fifties and sixties people were writing books about how the gangs really operated, about how the leaders lived in extreme luxury while the soldiers were impoverished pawns and cannon fodder for the gang wars.

Such revelations about the current gangs, along with responsible economic policies that cut into the 40% - 60% unemployment in the inner cities will make gang life much less attractive. But as long as we have this war on drugs, which cycles so many people into prison and prison gangs, then back onto the street with no chance of employment, it's not going to happen.

Executing this man will hamper that effort.

Believe it or not, Nancy Grace, not everyone equates justice with taking another life.

"Tookies Protocol For Peace" is a peace treaty released by Crips gang member Stanley "Tookie" Williams. The treaty was intended to bring an end to violence between the Crips and rival gang the Bloods. While the treaty has resulted in a reduced level of violence, the rivalry between the two gangs is still deadly.

Stanley "Tookie" Williams is now on death row following his conviction for four murders. He claims to have renounced his past and found God and is hoping that the State of California will grant him clemency. The actor Jamie Foxx has starred in a movie about Tookie called Redemption.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tookie_Protocol_For_Peace

But only in the cases where people, children or adults have been raped, molested or killed for no other reason than the guilty were just plain evil. I cannot justify exposing anybody else, be it another inmate or guard to somebody who has only the desire to hurt somebody else.

However, that said, has there ever been a more shining example that it is possible for a perpetrator of HORRIBLE crimes to be re-rehabilitated if he/she desires it? "Tookie" was a vicious product of an environment he had little control of, but he does deserve punishment for his crimes. The evil F*****s who lurk and prey on society are not going to understand what a civil society is about...ever. Nobody will convince me that somebody who has raped a child can ever understand what it means to be human. It seems obvious to me that if "Tookie" had grown in an environment without the "survival first" mentality he stood a good chance of being a positive influential member of society. He is a murderer, and does not deserve to roam free in society, but to schedule the death of somebody who clearly sees how wrong he acted in the past, and takes an active part in preventing others from following his example is wrong.

killing, regardless of it's reason, and then responding in like is never a viable solution.

Until we as a society get past the eye for an eye mentality we will continue to murder humanity.

I'm not religious, but I believe in: thou shalt not kill. However, it should be finished with: for any reason.

The death penalty has yet to curb capital crimes.

Life in prison with out parole or awards for "good" behavior is still the best punishment.

No death penalty, period. We need to catch up with other 'civilized' countries on this one (having studied anthropology, I don't like the word 'civilized' and what it can imply, but in this context it works)