Stanley 'Tookie' Williams: Will Justice Be Served?

"LOS ANGELES--The small crowd of clergy, community activists and death penalty opponents that gathered in front of the Los Angeles courthouse recently was no different than other groups that for weeks have kept up the drum beat for California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to grant Stanley "Tookie" Williams clemency.

“There was one very loud exception. A young African-American man shouted that Williams was a thug and a murderer and should die. He was not an agitator or a crank. He represented a body of pro-death penalty sentiment among blacks that has seldom been publicly heard during the great Tookie debate. I was not surprised when I heard this young man's words, for there are many blacks like him who want Williams dead.” Kim Curtis Associated PressAP Wire | 12/07/2005 | Families of Williams' victims urge governor not to forget the victims

Tookie Williams, the convicted murderer and former street gang leader who is sentenced to die for his crimes, has sought clemency from the governor of Californian on December 8, 2005. Tookie, who still touts his gang name, has been very public with his claims of being a very changed man. God is gracious. He forgives us for all of our sins, including murder and mayhem.That is the good news for fallen this man. We call it the blessed hope. Jesus died for our sins so we might live with Him forever. The Savior offered these words of hope to all of us, murderers included: (1 Corinthians 15:55) "Death where is thy sting?" (Luke 22:42) "Not my will but thy will be done." (1 Psalms 61:2) "Low I am with you always even unto the very end."

Some believe that the death penalty is inherently un-Christian. The fact is that God ordained his followers to obey the laws of the land. The California State Legislature re-instituted the death penalty statute in 1977, shortly after the Sharon Tate murder case, in which convicted murderer Charles Manson was sentenced to life in prison.  Under the new statute, evidence in mitigation was permitted.

Why should a murderer be spared? Are the lives of the victims so cheap and dispensable to those who oppose the death penalty when such heinous crimes are committed? Why is society’s definition of “repentance” (simply claiming to be “sorry”) a reason to allow a death sentence to be commuted to life in prison? Should a murderer be rewarded for merely conforming to the rules, once in prison?

Where is the outcry for the innocent? Where is the justice for the families who have been devastated by his  lawlessness? The December 13, 2005, execution by lethal injection approaches a malingering gang member. Yet he refuses to admit his many crimes, nor does he offer any apologies to the families of his victims.

In truth, Stanley (Tookie) Williams was for many years anything but decent. His acts of violence rest heavily on society as well as his victims and their families. And he continued down this course even while serving time in prison. Suddenly, he began to “see the light.”

But to this day he expresses no remorse for those four lives that he took. Instead, Williams argues of the unfairness of his trail. And of course, the “race card” is very predictably being played. Ultimately, the standard premises of liberal social “reformation” are repeated by the media and Willams’ advocates.

A fair trial and swift punishment are what should have transpired, were true justice to have been served in this case. Williams’ protracted incarceration, in the wake of his conviction and death sentence, served justice to no one. Vicious killers often prove to be a threat to other inmates as well as the employees of our prison systems. And as always, those citizens who abide by the law face the risk of a liberal judge who might allow such individuals back on the streets to kill again.

Let us not forget that often, the rite of initiation into gang life requires the killing an innocent victim. The families of the victims of such murders are left with insurmountable, horrific pain. These families are again victimized by those who, in supposed deference to the lives of convicted murderers, prove themselves heartless and indifferent to the loss of truly innocent lives.

If the governor of the state of California allows Williams to live, justice will not have been upheld. Nor can anyone claim such an outcome to be the result of “compassion” or “mercy.” Among reasonable people, abhorrence for the death penalty pales in comparison to the abhorrence they should experience when they learn of the details of the murders he committed. Of course, those opposing his just sentence are not willing to have such details revealed to the public.

Hollywood has taken up his case. Actor Jamie Foxx played the role of Williams in a movie that paved the way for the present media blitz. While giving cursory attention to the brutality and violence of his past, the bleeding hearts of Beverly Hills seek to portray him as an endearing individual, presenting him complete with dialog, sound tract and music.

Books that this murderer wrote (with the help of another writer) are being touted by the liberal media as proof of his redemption. Yet if Williams truly wanted to change for the good, he could confess to the four brutal murders that he committed. He might also expound on the fact that the law is just and that he deserves to be punished to its fullest extent. Williams also needs to renounce his gang name. People might then perhaps have the tiniest reason to take his pleas for clemency seriously.

When a person feels the power of true redemption he understands the plan. He knows that he is forgiven for all of his sins by God. God will not always remove us from the punishment resulting from our willful behavior. But children of God understand that often they are not spared the justice meted out to them by society. Rather, they are prepared to accept the consequences for their transgressions with dignity. This is the turning away from the "old man of n" (Romans 6:6) and a sign of conversion in the truest Christian sense.

The true goal of many involved in this fight is to overturn the death penalty altogether. If Tookie Williams is allowed to live, others in his situation will raise the tenor of this legal battle. The cries of those condoning violence and murder (by their unwillingness to see such crimes appropriately punished), will be heard louder and clearer than ever before.

But where, in the midst of this tempest, is the justice for those whose voices can no longer be heard?

Marie Jon' is a political and religious-based writer and founder of DrawingClose.org.