A Local Street Peace Initiative
Stanley "Tookie" Williams
http://www.tookie.com/
Table of Contents
Print Peace Protocol
Introduction
Understanding Retaliation
Conclusion
Signature Agreements
Perpetual Peace Accord for Opposing Gangs
Point I: Proclamation
Point II: Violations of Proclamation Clause
Point III: Peacekeepers and Monitoring Committee
Point IV: Peacekeepers' Oath
Point V: Buffer Zones
Point VI: Gang Membership Renunciation
Putting The Theory of Peace Into Practice
Establishing Peace
Maintaining Peace
Peace Disarmament
Social Agenda For Peacekeepers
Education and Career Trade Programs
Political Awareness
Employment
Socioeconomic Commission
Peace March
Community Cleanup
Signature Agreement
Community Peace Accord
Postscript
A Final Note From Tookie
Introduction
To address the social state of emergency regarding urban violence, I have written this protocol for street peace, a comprehensive strategy for peace and reconstruction within the community. My provisional design can be modified to meet the needs of each particular situation in any community – no matter where the location in the United States or elsewhere in the world.
The United States government's approach to urban violence is often to launch one of its intermittent "wars" on crime and then trumpet success by pointing to wholesale incarcerations, yet fail to deter or rehabilitate the criminal mentality. But, for a generation of disgruntled youth and adults, living the thug life and going to prison have morphed into an underdog aspiration.
But placing blame is irrelevant. We must concentrate on a workable solution.
The approach to resolving an epidemic begins with understanding the origins of it, the causes and effects. To broach this issue I draw on my life and gang experience as the co-founder of the infamous Crips. I grew up in South Central Los Angeles amidst poverty, street gangs, pimps, prostitutes, police tyranny, illegal drugs, criminality, and other social injustices. Here was a social vacuum without paternal guidance, without career-oriented programs, and without a nurturing village or community to support the male rite of passage toward becoming a responsible adult. Violence, gangs and street level socioeconomic crimes (selling drugs, robbery, prostitution and theft) were – and continue to be – direct results of living in these conditions.
This social vacuum has spawned urban nihilists like the Crips, the Bloods, and many other street gangs. Gangs serve as a weapon of rebellion against parental authority, culture, religion, community, law enforcement, the world, God, and other gangs. The muscular irrationality of a gang's instinct to survive is used to justify any wrongful act, even at the expense of a family member, stranger, friend or foe.
The motto "through whatever method demanded" serves as a destructive rationale for street gangs to fend for themselves in society, without regard for anyone else. Each faction operates as an independent, lawless body that has no difficulty recruiting among the disenfranchised.
The absence of basic access to affordable housing, health care, quality education, secure employment and other necessities produces social instability. Any efforts to establish a peace policy will be doomed unless there is tangible social progress. Peace cannot be sustained without it! Poverty, racism and hopelessness foster an environment that supports the growth of toxic conditions.
Understanding Retaliation
From an illusory elitism of gang membership, a pattern of retaliation has emerged that perpetuates the pattern of murder-for-murder. In this scenario there are no winners. And the losers are too often buried in graveyards, maimed by gunfire, or incarcerated for their crimes. Like a pendulum, retaliation swings back and forth with its inevitable, brutal payback.
Trying to stop belligerent gangs from retaliating against each other is difficult. Retaliation brings a sense of machismo and an earned street "rep" (reputation). Society sees only a cycle of senseless murders, an unending tragedy. It would amaze both gang members and others in society to hear that conflicts between Crips and Bloods on death row – where I live – are rare. These sworn enemies engage in non-hostile dialogues, banter, share food and books, study, and exercise together on the same prison yards without controversy.
If notorious rivals who have been exterminating one another for more than three decades can establish a truce in prison, then a cease-fire is surely possible in society. Throughout California prisons, Crips and Bloods coexist for the purpose of survival. That simple philosophy can be transmitted to rival gangs in society. Instead of our killing each other, that energy can be harnessed to oppose poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, discrimination, and other social and judiciary injustices.
There are many reasons why warring factions should avoid this cycle of violence and retaliation, of lextalionis (eye for an eye): innocents are injured or killed, and the psychic and social scars on adults and children are handed down to next generations.
Conclusion
There is no quick-fix remedy for the gang epidemic.
Here on death row I have discussed a street gang truce with individuals from different age groups, geographical locales, gangs, and mentalities. I discovered that my ideological and philosophical outlook on peace was in step with perspectives of the newer and the older generation. I also realized it is illogical to create a peace not based on an individual and collective improvement of the lives of community members. Failure to establish a truce that includes a social agenda will cause any negotiation for peace to relapse into war.
I am convinced that peace is possible, despite the many lives that have been lost from years of youth gang warfare. This document is designed to assist those whose aspirations are to create a cease-fire, end gang violence and restore social order.
Although I have heard pessimistic individuals quote the English translation of the Latin phrase si vis pace, para bellum – if you desire peace, prepare for war – I strongly disagree.
Real peace will conquer war.
Signature Agreements
Perpetual Peace Accord for Opposing Gangs
Acknowledged here and now on this month ___________, day __________, year ___________ ,
is a perpetual Peace Treaty between the warring parties: ___________________________ and ___________________________________.
This word-of-honor agreement binds the aforementioned rival factions to put aside their differences: ideological, political, religious, philosophical, racial, economical, geographical, criminal, material, personal or collective retaliation, or any social reliance on violence or murder. This document is an oath of responsibility for the parties involved to co-exist in peace and reconciliation for the security of our communities, their residents and offspring.
Signatory:__________________________________________________________
Signatory:__________________________________________________________
Date:_______________________________________________________________
Observing Witness:__________________________________________________
Point I: Proclamation
A-1: WE THE INVOLVED PARTIES WILL immediately cease fire and end any verbal, written, or physical violence against one another.
A-2: WE THE INVOLVED PARTIES WILL cease and desist the perpetuation of drive-by shootings, walk-up shootings, set-up shootings, ambushes, murder, drug deals, robbery, vandalism, kidnapping, rape, extortion, female and child abuse, illegal profiteering, or any kind of violence or criminality.
A-3: WE THE INVOLVED PARTIES WILL use every nonviolent measure to resolve all past, present, or future conflicts between us.
A-4: WE THE INVOLVED PARTIES WILL learn to respect one another and co-exist in peace within the community or elsewhere.
A-5: WE THE INVOLVED PARTIES WILL help to restore order and to rebuild the community.
A-6: WE THE INVOLVED PARTIES WILL not disrespect, instigate, or taunt each other or family members, relatives, wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, and acquaintances of the opposite parties.
A-7: WE THE INVOLVED PARTIES WILL not encroach upon each other’s community or neighborhood without prior notice to avoid suspicion or conflict.
A-8: WE THE INVOLVED PARTIES WILL help individually and collectively to keep the community safe from any improprieties.
A-9: WE THE INVOLVED PARTIES WILL not use the Peace Accord as a camouflage to commit mayhem against each other.
A-10: WE THE INVOLVED PARTIES WILL neither seek out nor plot with acquaintances or outsiders (defined as parties not obligated to this Proclamation) to carry out vendettas against each other.
A-11: WE THE INVOLVED PARTIES WILL not allow mistreatment or harm to befall any individuals appointed as Peacekeepers or others involved in the peace process.
A-12: WE THE INVOLVED PARTIES WILL put forth effort to become educated, computer-literate, and to learn a trade that will enable us to contribute to the reconstruction of our community.
A-13: WE THE INVOLVED PARTIES WILL eliminate any self-destructive behavior and personal vices – illicit drug usage, drug dealing, abuse of alcohol, inhalants, etc. – that will intoxicate our minds, impair our judgment and jeopardize the peace negotiations.
A-14: WE THE INVOLVED PARTIES WILL work side by side to do whatever is ethical to uphold the Perpetual Peace Accord and Proclamation, and we vow to live in harmony.
A-15: WE THE INVOLVED PARTIES recognize both the Perpetual Peace Accord and Proclamation as being fair and attainable. We agree to its entire content.
Signatory: ____________________________________________________________
Date: ________________________________________________________________
Observing Witness: ____________________________________________________
Point II: Violations of Proclamation Clause
This written clause is designed to maintain fairness in the determination of a possible violation of Point I: Proclamation, and to determine what, if any, will be the punitive measures. Violations committed by parties from either side will be adjudicated (via monetary fines, community labor, etc.) only by selected nonpartisan Peacekeepers' Committee members, to avoid possible hostile reactions by a violator from either party. Violations will be recognized as followed:
1. To violate the cease-fire in any form;
2. To violate any of the provisions in the Proclamation, including Point I: A-1 through A-15;
3. To assist another party member to violate the Proclamation;
4. To alter or rewrite the agreed-upon Proclamation to favor one party’s interest over the other party;
5. To obstruct any of the appointed Peacekeepers from performing their duties
to maintain peace.
Signatory:______________________________________________________________
Date:___________________________________________________________________
Observing Witness:______________________________________________________
Point III: Peacekeepers and Monitoring Committee
B-1: Mediators, who could be members of local faith-based groups or other community-based organizations, initiate an outreach process to begin establishment of a Peacekeepers' Committee. In the beginning they play a crucial role in identifying the founding members of the Peacekeepers' Committee. Once this core group of founders is established, their outreach abilities are used to further expand the Peacekeepers' Committee, and they become members of that Committee.
B-2: The Peacekeepers' Committee members will consist of several – preferably former – local gang leaders or influential gang members; church leaders or influential members of the church congregation; local political representatives; grassroots community leaders; concerned parents; and other reliable and interested people within the community.
B-3: Peacekeepers will assemble daily or less often – depending upon the severity of the situation – until there is peace and community stability. Meetings can be held in a specific home, basement, garage, church, gymnasium, or in any enclosed facility. To provide safety for all the people involved in the peace negotiations, implement "pat searches" and/or metal detectors.
B-4: Selection of Peacekeepers' Committee members can be held annually or biannually.
B-5: All Peacekeepers will wear a specific-colored armband and insignia of peace to identify them. Any vehicle driven by a Peacekeeper will have a visibly attached white flag prior to venturing into any recognized area of either party participating in the transition to peace.
B-6: All decisions related to peace strategies and/or violations of peace among either party must be voted on by the Peacekeepers’ Committee before any such measures are enacted.
B-7: Each Peacekeeper is required to allocate his or her time to monitor specific communities and war zones. Moreover, he or she is expected to keep in touch with members from either party.
B-8: Any Peacekeepers' Committee member can be voted off the Committee if he or she is neglectful of duties or guilty of any wrongdoing – be it criminal or otherwise.
B-9: To prevent Peacekeepers from being involved in law enforcement matters, they must leave the solving of serious crimes, including murder, up to the authorities.
B-10: The Peacekeepers’ obligation is to implement and maintain peace and NOT to play the role of a police officer, a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency or any other law enforcement agency.
B-11: The Peacekeepers’ Committee is expected to create Buffer Zones (see Point V: Buffer Zones) within the community to meet the needs of either party. These Buffer Zones are necessary for the provisions of peace meetings, socializing, sharing information and providing a sanctuary.
B-12: All Peacekeepers must recite and sign a written oath regarding their responsibility to establish peace.
B-13: No Peacekeeper will act as a vigilante or enforcer through means of violence, nor will any Peacekeeper suggest or rely upon representatives of either party to act as vigilantes or enforcers.
Signatory:__________________________________________________________________
Date:_______________________________________________________________________
Observing Witness:__________________________________________________________
Point IV: Peacekeepers' Oath
I, _________________________________________ , do solemnly swear to uphold all the obligations of being a Peacekeepers' Committee member. Throughout the course of my appointed duties, I promise to be truthful and fair with either party. As a Peacekeeper my responsibility is to establish and maintain peace within the community. I vow to adhere to everything required of me within the Peacekeepers' Committee, Point III: B-1 through B-12, and the Peacekeepers’ Oath.
Signatory:_____________________________________________________________
Date:__________________________________________________________________
Observing Witness:_____________________________________________________
Point V: Buffer Zones
Both parties agree to designate neutral areas called Buffer Zones that are monitored by the Peacekeepers' Committee. These Buffer Zones will be set up to provide either party with a safe haven for peace talks, intermingling, relevant information sharing, meetings, etc. Such Buffer Zones can be established in a church, office, home, recreation center, building, or any kind of structure or territory, including a block or entire community. All members from either party agree never to violate the sanctity of the Buffer Zones, which are created to assist in peaceful negotiations.
Signatory:____________________________________________________________
Date:________________________________________________________________
Observing Witness:____________________________________________________
Point VI: Gang Membership Renunciation
Our long-term objective is the eventual dismantling of all disruptive parties (gangs, sets, groups, organizations, empires, etc.) that are prone to create havoc within the community. There will be party members from either side interested in changing his or her lifestyle. Point VI is written to protect any person who decides, or is encouraged, to give up his or her membership from any disruptive group.
1. All parties agree to allow any member who chooses to disassociate himself or herself from membership or association with any disruptive group representing either party to do so without the threat or enactment of ridicule, violence or retaliation.
2. Former members of a disruptive group representing either party are allowed to continue helping to establish peace without fear of repercussion.
3. Counseling and reorientation will be offered to any individual who decides to quit membership in a disruptive group representing either party.
4. For whatever reason, if any ex-member of a disruptive group rejoins his or her group, he or she will be excluded from the ongoing peace initiative.
Signatory:____________________________________________________________
Date:_________________________________________________________________
Observing Witness:____________________________________________________
Putting The Theory of Peace Into Practice
Establishing Peace
The process for creating peace among hostile factions requires a neutral mediator or mediators. These mediators could come from faith-based groups or from community leadership organizations. The following is a process mediators should use to initiate a peace process:
1. Have as many supporters as possibile on board prior to contacting either of the warring parties.
2. Schedule a meeting separately and together with the local churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, community-based organizations, violence prevention programs, schools, businesses and local politicians to discuss their participation in the grassroots struggle for peace. Present a proposed peace document to each of these entities that illustrates the critical role of each of these groups to the community peace process.
3.
If a mediator is not familiar with either of the warring parties, then that mediator should seek assistance from a reliable source who is acquainted with both sides and is capable of setting up separate meetings with each the most influential representatives of the opposing parties to recruit their participation in the development of the community’s peace process.
4. Prior to the meeting, the mediator should learn as much as possible about the individuals the mediator is scheduled to meet.
5.
Whenever the mediator (or mediators) determines that positive gains have been made during the dialogue with both sides, then the leaders of the opposing parties should be invited to attend a joint meeting in a neutral setting.
6. During those joint meetings, encourage both parties to express themselves while the mediator (or mediators) observes and listens carefully. Since both sides are protagonists in the peace process, make sure to embody their most reasonable suggestions in tandem with your ideas about peace.
7. Present both parties with a comprehensive peace strategy that is viable and attainable.
8. Seek assistance in the peace process from the parents, family members, relatives and other associates of the leaders of the opposing parties. With both parties aware that people they care about will also be present at each peace meeting, rally, march and other social functions, it could dissuade potential hostile actions.
9. To effectively address urban warfare the peace plan should address situations within a community, block by block, and expand as the project prevails.
10. Draw from influential sources such as Original Gangsters who are incarcerated, from either party. Redemption, integrity and inspiration can be found among the most wretched.
11. Do a background check on members of the Peacekeepers’ Committee to prevent possible infiltration and sabotage to your process by agent provocateurs. (There will be attempts by internal and external sources to disrupt the peace process. A viable peace policy supported by a staunch community can overcome its detractors' obstacles.)
12. Initiate study groups to familiarize both parties with the origins of their ancestors and culture. Help them to develop pride in themselves and in their heritage. Teach them how to renounce their self-hate that produces violence, and show them how to cleanse themselves with dignity, honesty, justice and righteousness.
With peace as the objective, fear or flight is not an option. When you reduce the human factor to its bare essentials, we all want to live. Everyone's life is on the line. It will require instinct, intellect, sponsors, and absolute courage to bring together a viable peace agreement. With the majority of the community on board, peace can prevail.
Maintaining Peace
To establish peace is one reality; to preserve peace will require consistent discipline, upkeep, interaction, and monitoring. Below are a few suggestions:
1. In addition to the Peacekeepers, select a Community Watch Group organized with video cameras to monitor activity in the community. This is a precautionary – and interim – method to let everyone know that they are likely to be observed.
2. Both the Peacekeepers and the Community Watch must work in shifts, around the clock, to monitor behavior and maintain peace. Their availability is critical to uphold order.
3. Communal communication is necessary to supervise the war zone areas. Strategic points can be established throughout a neighborhood provided with computers, cell phones, walkie-talkies, etc., to monitor social activities. Preferably during the day, at-home mothers and elderly folks are candidates for Community Watch Groups. Whenever there appears to be improper activity, they should contact the Peacekeepers to address the situation. The most serious incidents (shootings and murders) must be left up to law enforcement agencies. Peacekeepers and Community Watch groups are not police officers.
4. All Peacekeepers and Community Watch Groups should interact with all people in the community. Throughout the neighborhood, go door to door to discuss the peace policy or to distribute peace flyers. If there are people who refuse to discuss peace with you, leave a flyer in their mailbox or underneath the windshield wiper of their car. Let no community resident be ignorant of your peace initiative.
5. Follow through on every policy that will create peace.
6. Maintain contact with all parties under the peace accord. Keep them abreast of the progress being made, and/or any concerns and suggestions concerning the truce.
7. Remind each individual participating in the peace process that they will be held accountable for his or her inappropriate behavior. Established and agreeable guidelines for punitive damages will be enforced by the Peacekeepers. Damages can range from monetary fines, community work, or other requirements of the peace agreement.
8. Maintain a written report on the progress of the peace negotiations. Always acknowledge all individuals involved in the peace process.
9. To preserve a truce, children must be educated on the premise of peace. The knowledge of peace combined with their direct participation will help create a generation of peace idealists.
Peace Disarmament
To disarm is the ultimate gesture of peace and a true moment of reckoning. Disarmament is not a coward’s way out, but rather a wise person’s way in for peace.
It is a myth that manhood and womanhood can be defined through the barrel of a gun. But realistically, the majority of people who do possess weapons will not surrender them under any circumstances. Moreover, if a self-hate mentality is maintained among the residents of a community, violence will continue, with or without the presence of guns.
For people to disarm themselves, then, they must first disarm their minds with education and enlightenment in support of an ultimate peace. Dare I entreat of every man, woman and child to lower the barrels of their weapons in honor of peace?
Social Agenda For Peacekeepers
It is unrealistic to attempt to establish a peace policy without including a social agenda. History has shown that communities and nations have either prospered or perished depending upon the viability of their social agenda – which is an orderly system that promotes prosperity for all its residents.
Throughout history, we see that the absence of peace and a workable social contract can give rise to nihilistic settings. Here in America, the subculture of gangsterism and criminality continues to devastate communities with its lawless agenda. This social agenda, in the paragraphs below, has been designed to help reintegrate the so-called gangbangers, criminals, ex-cons, and other incorrigibles into society.
Education and Career Trade Programs
This process is geared to provide each individual with the opportunity and information on how to earn a high school diploma or a General Equivalency Diploma (GED).
1. In addition to this fundamental education and certification, individuals with scholastic ambition are encouraged to pursue further education: in vocational trades or college. Their education and skills will be valuable assets in the redevelopment of both themselves and their communities.
2. Establish a relationship with local schools, colleges, youth centers, and technological centers to request their assistance in bringing the individuals' education to fruition.
3. Create your own study groups held in a home, church, garage, basement, youth center, or other places.
4. For those who desire to be educated or employed but lack clothing and/or food, initiate regular food and clothing drives to serve them.
Political Awareness
Stress the importance of being politically conscious. Encourage individuals to read relevant materials (newspapers, magazines, books, websites, etc.) to become politically literate, recognize their rights and the power of their votes.
1. Educate the population on the duties and obligations of each local political representative to further their community involvement.
2. Teach the residents to be alert to political dynamics that affect their lives. Impress upon them that if the politician representing their district has not made groundbreaking achievements that improve their lives and the community, then something is wrong. By "achievements," I mean available jobs, livable housing, health care, quality education, treatments for addicts, emergency shelters for the homeless, clean neighborhoods, reduced poverty, violence and crime.
Employment Placement
When an individual has completed an educational process, he or she will need to find a job. An Employment Placement Panel can be created to help find a suitable job for each individual. This will require phone calls, emails and footwork to locate available jobs. This "recruiting" process is itself a useful skill.
Teach each individual employment "etiquette" and job-readiness skills: how to speak appropriately, dress properly, maintain good personal hygiene, promptness, patience, and a good work ethic. The objective, first, is to gain employment and to begin to build a solid employment record.
Socioeconomic Commission
1. Establish a Socioeconomic Commission consisting of entrepreneurs, bankers, economists, stockbrokers, and other business professionals. Use every means at your disposal to contact people whose resources can be a valuable asset.
2. Your presentation to these business-oriented people must be cogent, reasonable and doable. Remember that the Peace Protocol and the Social Agenda is a unified package that includes the specific role of the Socioeconomic Commission members.
3. The Commission’s mission is to help create a system of small businesses that in turn will promote ownership, local employment expansion and overall community economic development. In addition, the Commission's mission is to teach a grassroots individual how to administer a small business enterprise.
4. Encourage individuals to reduce their consumer spending and debt by providing financial literacy instruction.
Peace March
Beginning with the famous August 28, 1963, march on Washington (climaxed by Martin Luther King’s "I Have A Dream" speech), there have been numerous peaceful marches that have momentarily seized our attention. The march of peace is akin to the march of war, because both are predicated on the notion of overcoming obstacles to success.
When we march in the name of peace (as we should), march with a strategic purpose that will produce tangible accessibilities: the reality of a need for peace, employment, housing, health care, education, property ownership, and other amenities. Plan a peace march to galvanize the community, to organize the community to work collectively for peace.
Community Cleanup
Another important reality is the need to clean up the community, block by block. I can already hear people moaning at the thought of having to clean up the community. But there are run-down neighborhoods that need immediate care and attention. Knock on every door on every block and ask for everyone's participation in the clean-up project.
Street by street, groups of adults, children, and youths can clean up block-by-block filth, graffiti and other scattered debris. Armed with brooms, garbage cans, plastic bags, paint brushes and rollers, and water hoses, such groups can purge their own communities of trash and the defacement of property. Upon the completion of the cleaning process, post flyers that emphasize the need for cleanliness and no littering. The rise or fall of any neighborhood can be attributed to our participatory concern of local citizens to keep the community clean, alive and well – or to continued indifference, lack of pride, and neglect.
Peace March
Community Cleanup
Signature Agreement
Community Peace Accord
We the people of this community, _________________________________, do solemnly swear to participate in this Protocol for Peace to restore decorum and to provide safety for all residents. We agree to work side by side with all other people whose goal is the pursuit of peace. We are not a vigilante group, militia, nor are we working in the capacity of a law enforcement agency. We function only as an independent peace group and as concerned citizens of our community. We believe that peace can be established and maintained through dedicated work.
We agree to adhere to the standards of this document.
Signatory: _________________________________________________________
Date: _____________________________________________________________
Observing Witness: __________________________________________________
Postscript
A Final Note From Tookie
There are no books or manuals on how to create a peace policy for street gangs. I have drafted this peace protocol to serve as a prototype or framework on which to build. It is a common-sense approach that beckons the heart and invites your strong intention to assist those who live in chaos and fear, both children and adults. I hope that my insight will move society – including gang members – to draft from this peace protocol and make it work.
As you move in this direction, you will learn to construct a peace policy that will meet the necessities for peace in your neighborhood, in your city, in your nation. There is much serious work ahead, and the entire community will depend upon each and every one of you. Keep in mind that even the warring souls of gang members yearn for peace but are blind to its path. Your faith, wisdom, concern, and guidance can help show them the way. Never allow yourself to be distracted or discouraged by detractors and dissenters whose views are counterproductive.
Finally, I call upon the pure energy of human beings and institutions – gangs, criminals, ex-cons, parents, churches or mosques, schools and universities, youth centers, think tanks, university professors and other educators, entrepreneurs, entertainers, human rights agencies, social organizations, politicians, newspapers, media broadcast outlets, the employed and unemployed, the wealthy and the poor, the young and the elderly, and anyone else who is interested in promoting street peace – to help create a new community of safety and well-being.
This peace protocol is not the solution. Look in the mirror. There is the solution!
Amani (Peace),
Stanley "Tookie" Williams
In the early 1970s, many young people of South Central Los Angeles were members of small gangs. The youngsters roamed South Central, taking property from whomever they chose, including women and children.
Stanley Tookie Williams, 17, was then a high school student with a fearsome reputation as a fighter and leader of South Central’s west side neighborhood. To protect family members and friends, Tookie – with Raymond Lee Washington, also 17 years old, who lived on the east side – created the Crips street gang for Black teenage males.
By 1979, the Crips had grown from a small Los Angeles gang of boys to an organization with membership of boys and young men who claimed the streets in many cities throughout Southern California as their “territory.” They had become like the gang members they had once sought to protect themselves from – they had become gangbangers who terrorized their own neighborhoods.
A rival gang member murdered Raymond in 1979. That same year, Tookie was arrested and charged with murdering four people. In 1981, he was convicted of those crimes and placed on death row.
Over the coming decades, to Tookie’s surprise, the Crips gang would spread across the nation and around the world.
Since 1989, Tookie has worked to redeem himself from a Crips legacy of Black- on-Black crime and community destruction. He has authored nine anti-gang books instructing youth how not to follow in his footsteps. These books are in schools, libraries and juvenile correctional facilities in the United States and Europe as well as parts of Africa and Asia. Tookie also created the Internet Project for Street Peace, an international peer mentoring program for children. He regularly provides “live” mentoring via the telephone when he calls schools and juvenile correctional facilities to steer kids away from gangs, crime and violence. He has also been nominated four times for the Nobel Peace Prize and three times for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Tookie’s accomplishments have all been made from his 9-by-4 foot prison cell, without a chair, without a table.
Tookie is awaiting a final court ruling on his case, which will determine whether he is executed by lethal injection by the State of California or given a new trial. He has always maintained his innocence of the crimes for which he was convicted.
Tookie can be contacted through his website at http://www.tookie.com. His email address is Tookie@Tookie.com.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Williams
On December 13, 2005, Williams was executed by lethal injection after clemency was rejected by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, amidst debate over the death penalty and whether his anti-gang advocacy in prison represented genuine atonement. Williams was the second inmate in California to be executed in 2005.
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