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Stanley Williams

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Stanley Tookie Willams in a photo from prison

Stanley Tookie Williams III (born December 29, 1953 in New Orleans, Louisiana), is the founder, along with Raymond Washington, of the Crips, one of the most widely-known and notorious street gangs in the United States. In 1981, he was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1979 murders of four people in two separate incidents. He later became an anti-gang crusader while on Death Row. He is scheduled to be executed December 13, 2005 by lethal injection. On December 8, 2005, his attorneys, along with the District Attorney for the County of Los Angeles argued their respective sides for or against clemency before Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Born to a 17-year-old mother, Williams grew up in an impoverished South Central Los Angeles where he made a name for himself for being a fighter and a "general" on the streets of the West Side of South Central. Stanley Williams is often referred to as "Tookie," which is believed by many to be a nickname, but is in fact his middle name shared by Williams and his father, Stanley T. Williams Jr. [1] He was also known for his body-building and, according to Williams, Arnold Schwarzenegger once commented on the size of Williams' arms.

A biographical feature film, featuring Jamie Foxx as Williams, was made in 2004, entitled Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story.

Formation of the Crips

The east side Crips were formed by Raymond "Truck" Washington in 1969. Williams joined Washington in 1971, forming the west side Crips. According to many of the original members of the gang, it was initially started as a means to keep the streets safe, reducing violence and police brutality. According to Williams "we started out—at least my intent was to, in a sense, address all of the so-called neighboring gangs in the area and to put, in a sense—I thought I can cleanse the neighborhood of all these, you know, marauding gangs. But I was totally wrong. And eventually, we morphed into the monster we were addressing."[2] According to one version, the original name of the gang was the word Cribs from the first name of the gang, the Avenue Babies, and a reference to their youthfulness. The name Crips was first introduced in the Los Angeles Sentinel in a description by crime victims of young men with canes, as if they were crippled. The name stuck. [3].

The Murders

Williams at age 29

Williams was convicted for the murders of Albert Owens, Tsai-Shai Yang, Yen-I Yang, and Yee Chen Lin, which took place in 1979 during two separate robberies. According to the conviction, during the robberies Williams shot Owens twice in the back and shot the Yang family up close with a shotgun, at point-blank range.

Albert Owens

According to court transcripts, late on the evening of Tuesday, February 27, 1979, Stanley Williams introduced his friend Alfred Coward, a.k.a. “Blackie,” to a man named "Darryl". A short time later, Darryl, driving a brown station wagon, drove Williams to the residence of James Garrett. Coward followed in his 1969 Cadillac. Stanley Williams often stayed at the Garrett residence and kept some of his belongings there, including a 12 gauge shotgun. Upon arriving at the Garrett residence, Williams went inside. About ten minutes later, Williams returned carrying a twelve-gauge shotgun..

The four men then discussed where they could go in Pomona to make some money. Williams left the other men for a brief period of time. When he returned, he had a .22 caliber handgun, which he also put in the station wagon. Williams then told Coward, Darryl and Sims they should go to Pomona. In response, Coward and Sims entered the Cadillac, Williams and Darryl entered the station wagon, and both cars traveled on the freeway toward Pomona.

Shortly thereafter, the two vehicles exited the freeway near Whittier Boulevard. They drove to a Stop-N-Go market and, at Williams’ direction, Darryl and Sims entered the store, presumably to rob it. At the time, Darryl was armed with the .22 caliber handgun Williams had previously placed in the station wagon. The clerk at the Stop-N-Go market, Johnny Garcia, testified that he had just finished mopping the floor when he noticed the station wagon and four black men at the door to the market. Sims states that he and Darryl walked in the market. Sims walked to the back of the market as Darryl approached the clerk and asked for a cigarette. Sims states he then "walked back from the back ‘cause there was somebody in there and just walked out the door and got back the car with, uh, Blackie. And then we left."

Williams reportedly became upset that Darryl and Sims did not commit the robbery. Williams told the men that they would find another place to rob. Williams said that at the next location all of them would go inside and he would show them how to commit a robbery.

Coward and Sims then followed Williams and Darryl to the 7-Eleven market located at 10437 Whittier Boulevard, in Pico Rivera, California. The store clerk, twenty-six year old Albert Lewis Owens, was sweeping the store parking lot. When Darryl and Sims entered the 7-Eleven, Owens put the broom and dust pan he was using on the hood of his car and followed them into the store. Williams and Coward followed Owens into the store.

As Darryl and Sims walked to the counter area to take money from the register, Williams walked behind Owens, pulling the sawed-off shotgun from under his jacket and told Owens to “shut up and keep walking.” While pointing the shotgun at Owens’ back, Williams directed him to a back storage room. Not long after, Williams blew out a security camera and then killed Owens, shooting him twice in the back at point blank range as he lay prone on the storage room floor.

The pathologist who conducted the autopsy on Owens testified that the end of the barrel was “very close” to Owens’ body when he was shot. One of the two wounds was described as “a near contact wound.”

After Williams murdered Owens, he, Darryl, Coward and Sims fled in the two cars and returned home to Los Angeles. The robbery netted Williams and his associates approximately $120.00. Once back in Los Angeles, Sims asked Williams why he shot Owens. Williams said that he “didn’t want to leave any witnesses.” Williams also said he killed Owens “because he was white and he was killing all white people.” Coward claims that Williams bragged about killing Owens. Williams said, “You should have heard the way he sounded when I shot him.” Williams then made gurgling or growling noises and laughed about Owens’ death.

The Yang family

The Yang family, who were immigrants from Taiwan, included husband Yen-Yi Yang and wife Tsai-Shai Yang who were well above their sixties. One of their children, Yee-Chen Lin had recently joined them from Taiwan. The family worked together operating and maintaining a motel called the Brookhaven in South Central Los Angeles.

At approximately 5:00 [[{{{1}}}]] on March 11, 1979, court transcripts show that Stanley Williams entered the Brookhaven Motel at 10411 South Vermont Avenue. After entering the public lobby area, Williams broke down the door that led to the private office. Once inside the private office, Williams, using his shotgun, killed seventy-six year old Yen-I Yang; Williams also killed Yang’s wife, sixty-three year old Tsai-Shai Yang; lastly, Williams killed Yang’s daughter, forty-three year old Yee-Chen Lin. Williams then removed the currency from the cash register and fled the location.

Robert Yang, son of Yen-Yi and Tsai-Shai, was asleep with his wife in their bedroom at the Brookhaven Motel when he was awakened by the sound of somebody breaking down the door to the motel’s office. This sound was immediately followed by the sound of his mother or sister screaming, followed by gun shots. When Robert entered the motel office he found his mother, his sister, and his father had all been shot. Robert observed that the cash register was open and money was missing. It was later determined that the robbery of the Brookhaven Motel and the murder of the three members of the Yang family netted Stanley Williams approximately one hundred dollars.

According to the forensic pathologist, Yen-I Yang suffered two shotgun wounds. One shotgun wound was to his left arm and abdomen. This wound shredded Yen-I’s left arm, fractured his ribs, and shattered his spleen, right kidney, bowel and large vessels. The other shotgun wound was to the lower left chest. This wound also fractured ribs and shattered the spleen, right kidney, bowel and large vessels. Moreover, a plastic shotgun shot container and associated wadding were recovered from the base of Yen-I’s liver. The pathologist further explained that both of the Yen-I Yang’s wounds were inflicted when the end of the muzzle was only feet from Yen-I’s body.

Yee-Chen Lin was shot once in the upper left face area at a distance of a few feet. She was transported from the scene by paramedics to Centinela Hospital where she died at 7:36 [[{{{1}}}]].

Tsai-Shai was shot twice at close range. The pathologist explained that one shotgun wound was to the coccyx or tail bone. Based on the physical characteristics of the wound and the fact that wadding, along with the plastic shot container, were recovered just beneath the skin of this wound, the muzzle of the gun must have been just inches from her body when she was shot and killed. The other shotgun wound was to the anterior abdomen with the charge entering at the navel. At trial, the pathologist testified that the muzzle of the gun was a few feet from Tsai-Shai’s body when the shot that caused this wound was fired. Williams referred to the victims in conversations with friends as "Buddha-heads", although there was no evidence that the murders were religiously motivated.

Williams was convicted of the murders of all four individuals and sentenced to death. In addition, associates in prison recall him claiming to have murdered police. He is also believed to have ordered killings inside the prison.[4]

Conviction

Williams is currently on death row in San Quentin State Prison awaiting the outcome of his request for clemency. His execution date has been set for December 13, 2005, barring a grant of clemency by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Since the beginning of his sentence, Williams has maintained his innocence regarding the four murders, alleging prosecutorial misconduct, exclusion of exculpatory evidence, ineffective assistance of counsel, biased jury selection, and the misuse of jailhouse and government informants.[5]

Williams claims that the police found "not a shred of tangible evidence, no fingerprints, no crime scenes of bloody boot prints. They didn't match my boots, nor eyewitnesses. Even the shotgun shells found conveniently at each crime scene didn't match the shotgun shells that I owned." The prosecution's firearms expert, a sheriff's deputy, however, testified during trial that the shotgun shell recovered from the Yang murder crime scene was matched test shells from the shotgun owned by Stanley Williams. No second examiner verified his findings. The Defense claims this expert's methodology was "junk science at best." [6]

Wiliams' gun was found in the home of a couple with whom he had been living. According to the District Attorney, the husband was undergoing sentencing for receiving stolen property and tried for extortion. Williams' lawyers have claimed that the District Attorney quashed a murder investigation in exchange for their testimony. The two shells recovered from the Owens crime scene were consistent with shells fired from this gun, with no exclusionary markings.[7] In addition, nearly 20 years after Williams' trial it was discovered that a Los Angeles police officer had left a copy of the police murder file involving his case in an informant’s cell for overnight study. The next day the murder file was picked up by that same officer, and the informant informed the police that Williams had volunteered a confession to him. In return for his court testimony, the informant – who himself was facing the death penalty for rape, murder and mutilation – was given a lesser sentence that allowed him the possibility of parole and freedom. [8]

Critics point to the fact that although he has apologized for and renounced gangs and the founding of the Crips, Williams has not renounced his gang membership, and allegedly continues to associate with Crips members in prison. When contacted about Williams' alleged ongoing gang activity, Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman April Harding said there was no evidence of his gang leadership. Opponents have also pointed out that he has received a significant amount of money from outside sources. People who appreciate Williams' work send him money, "It's as simple as that," said Williams' spokeswoman. [9]

The prosecution removed three African-Americans from serving as jurors in Williams's trial, resulting in his conviction by a jury that had no African-Americans, one Latino, one Filipino-American, and "ten Caucasians".[10] The District Attorney has provided proof, in the form of a death certificate and the sworn affidavit of another juror, that juror #12, William James McLurkin, was black. [11] The defense claims that McLurkin did not appear black and provided proof that he was born from an Anglo-American father and Filipino mother. [12]

According to the clemency petition, in his closing arguments, Martin described Williams as a "Bengal tiger in captivity in a zoo" and said the jury needed to imagine him in his natural "habitat" which was like "going into the back country, into the hinterlands." In two subsequent cases, Martin was rebuked by the California appeals courts for using race as a criterion in jury selection and had two murder convictions overturned on those grounds.

Prison life

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Williams' mugshot from 2000

Williams spent 6 1/2 years in solitary confinement in the late 1980s [13] for multiple assaults on guards and fellow inmates. [14] Prison officials say he has not had an infraction since 1993. [15]

In 1988, Williams was stabbed by Tiequon Aundray Cox (aka Lil Fee), a Rolling 60s Crips member, and fellow death row inmate.

Since being released from solitary confinement, Williams has gained world-wide attention and praise for his work in prison, including the publication of children's books advocating non-violence and alternatives to gangs, an autobiography, and a Hollywood movie honoring him, starring Jamie Foxx (Redemption). In 1997, Williams wrote an apology, posted on his website, for his role in creating the Crips.[16] In 2004, he helped broker a peace agreement (called the Tookie Protocol For Peace) for what had been one of the deadliest and infamous gang wars in the country, between the Bloods and the Crips, in both the state of California and the city of Newark, New Jersey. Williams received a letter from American president George W. Bush commending him for his social activism.[17] While the letter is cited by activists seeking to free Tookie, 267,000 "Call To Service Awards" were sent out. Tookie's award was nominated by a minister from West Monroe, La., named William A. Harrison.[18]

In 2002, Williams appeared before a three-judge panel on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The panel upheld his conviction, but in a rare move urged then-Governor Gray Davis to consider commuting the death sentence. The judges praised Williams for his "laudable efforts opposing gang violence" and his "good works and accomplishments since incarceration".


Nobel Peace Prize nomination

Williams has reportedly been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize every year since 2001. However, it is impossible to verify the claim as the Nobel Foundation's policy is to keep the names of the final nominees for a given year secret until fifty years after the prize has been awarded. However, sometimes those who nominate a candidate may speak publicly about their nomination—though the Nobel Committee does not comment on whether specific nominees have met the criteria for acceptance. Critics argue that Williams's nominations are irrelevant to his case, as anyone can be nominated for the prize by an eligible party. Reported nominations have come from Mario Fehr, a member of the Swiss Parliament [19]; from Notre Dame de Namur University Philosophy and Religion Professor Phil Gasper; from William Keach; Brown University Professor of English Literature, for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Williams has not won the prize. If he were executed, he would never win it, as Nobel prizes are never awarded posthomously.

2005

In late 2005, there has been a campaign to pressure Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to grant clemency for Williams in consideration of his work as an anti-gang activist and various commendations over the past decade. Schwarzenegger describes the decision as "the toughest thing when you are governor, dealing with someone's life."

The Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County District Attorney, and other law enforcement doubt that Williams has reformed, saying that he has refused to divulge information on other gang members, or debrief officials on the tactics and communication methods that gangs use. Williams has said he didn't want to be a "snitch." Schwarzenegger has said he would consider granting clemency to Williams. [20]

Many citizens have gathered signatures to grant Williams clemency. To date, over 68,000 people have signed online petitions calling for Schwarzenegger to commute the death sentence. Others campaigning against the execution include celebrities Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg, Elliott Gould, Danny Glover, Laurence Fishburne, Ted Danson, William Baldwin, Bob Saget, Mike Farrell, Harry Belafonte, Jessica Simpson, Edward Asner, Jackson Browne, Russell Crowe, Richard Dreyfuss, Nick Carter, Gabriel Byrne, Bianca Jagger; politicians Tom Hayden, Mario Cuomo and Bill Rosendahl; Nobel laureates Desmond Tutu, Mairead Corrigan Maguire; and the Reverend Jesse Jackson. However, it is unclear which of them are specifically supporting Williams and which are simply opposed to the death penalty in all cases.

On November 30, 2005, the California Supreme Court refused to reopen his case in a 4-2 decision [21]. Williams' lawyer Jonathan Harris said he plans to present his case before Governor Schwarzenegger at a December 8, 2005 clemency hearing to commute Williams' sentence to life in prison without parole [22].

In mid-November 2005, talk show hosts John and Ken of the John and Ken Show on Clear Channel's KFI AM 640 in Los Angeles, California started a "Tookie Must Die (For Killing Four Innocent People)" hour on their show from 5-6 pm until the execution of Williams. In the hour, they interview advocates of both sides of the issue and express their reasons why they support the execution. Their opinions have offended some individuals, prompting them to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission.

On December 8, 2005, lawyers for convicted murderer and Crips co-founder Stanley Tookie Williams met with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday in a last-ditch plea for clemency. Schwarzenegger met with Williams' attorneys as well as prosecutors in a one-hour closed-door meeting as an ever-growing crowd of Tookie supporters and capital punishment proponents congregated outside the Capitol in Sacramento.

On December 8, 2005, Lora Owens, whose stepson, Albert, was killed by Williams during a convenience store robbery, made a statement expressing her opinion of Stanley Williams: "I think he [Williams] is the same cold-blooded killer that he was then and he would be now if he had the opportunity again," " [23]

On December 9, 2005, Linda Owens, Albert Owens' widow, issued a statement in support of Williams’ efforts to bring an end to gang violence and his call for peace between gangs. "I, Linda Owens want to build upon Mr. Williams' peace initiative. I invite Mr. Williams to join me in sending a message to all communities that we should all unite in peace. This position of peace would honor my husband's memory and Mr. Williams work." [24]

Williams' children

One of Stanley Williams' children, Stanley "Little Tookie" Williams, Jr., has also been convicted of murder. Little Tookie, a Neighborhood Crip, was found guilty of shooting a 20 year-old woman to death in an alley off Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood during a gang-related shooting. Williams, Jr. was sentenced to 16-years in prison alongside his father at San Quentin for second-degree murder. [25]

In November 2005, the Fontana, California Police Department advised print and television media that a warrant had been issued for registered sex offender Lafayette Jones. Jones, wanted for allegedly molesting an ex-girlfriend's 13-year-old daughter at gunpoint, was identified by the police department as the son of Stanley Tookie Williams. [26] [27] Williams' official Reply Petition for Executive Clemency submitted on November 21, 2005, by Peter Fleming, Jr., stated that this was a lie purported by the police department, including an attached declaration from Lafayette Jones' mother, which declared under penalty of perjury that Lafayette was not Stanley Tookie Williams' son.

References

Books

File:Stanley 'Tookie' Williams - Gangs and Weapons 0823923428.01. SCMZZZZZZZ .jpg
Gangs and Weapons
  • Blue Rage, Black Redemption: A Memoir (Paperback) by Stanley Tookie Williams, 2005, (PB) ISBN 0975358405
  • Gangs and Drugs (Williams, Stanley. Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence,) by Stanley Williams, Barbara Cottman Becnel, 1997, (PB) ISBN 1568381352, 24 pages, Reading level: Ages 9-12
  • Gangs and Self-Esteem: Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence (Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence) by Stanley Williams, Barbara Cottman Becnel, 1999, (PB) ISBN 061302690X, 24 pages, Reading level: Ages 4-8
  • Gangs and the Abuse of Power (Williams, Stanley. Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence.) by Stanley Williams, Barbara Cottman Becnel, 1997, ISBN 1568381301, 24 pages, Reading level: Ages 9-12
  • Gangs and Violence (Williams, Stanley. Tookie Speaks Out Against Gangs.) by Stanley Williams, Barbara Cottman Becnel, 1997, (PB) ISBN 1568381344 (HB} ISBN 0823923452, 24 pages, Reading level: Ages 4-8
  • Gangs and Wanting to Belong (Williams, Stanley. Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence.) by Stanley Williams, Barbara Cottman Becnel, 1997, (PB) ISBN 156838131X, 24 pages, Reading level: Ages 9-12
  • Gangs and Weapons (Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence) by Stanley "Tookie" Williams, Barbara Cottman Becnel, 1997, (PB) ISBN 1568381328, 24 pages, Reading level: Ages 9-12
  • Gangs and Your Friends (Williams, Stanley. Tookie Speaks Out Against Gangs.) by Stanley Williams, Barbara Cottman Becnel, 1997, (PB) ISBN 1568381360, 24 pages, Reading level: Ages 4-8
  • Gangs and Your Neighborhood (Williams, Stanley. Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence.) by Stanley Williams, Barbara Cottman Becnel, 1997, (PB) ISBN 1568381379, 24 pages, Reading level: Ages 4-8
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Life in Prison
  • Redemption : From Original Gangster to Nobel Prize Nominee - The Extraordinary Life Story of Stanley Tookie Williams (Paperback) by Stanley Williams, 2004, (HB) ISBN 1903854342

Magazines

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