Tookie Williams

Tookie Williams was executed by the State of California a few hours ago. Now I am not a supporter of the death penalty (see one example here) but this guy wasn’t exactly a poster boy for clemency, despite the attempts by some to paint him as a hero, who should receive the nobel peace and literature prizes for his books.

A few useful facts from Wikipedia:

* Shot Albert Owens in the back as he was lying on the floor during a robbery which netted $120
* Said he killed Owens “because he was white and he was killing all white people.”
* Killed three Taiwanese immigrants during a $100 robbery. They were shot several times at close range
* When found guilty told the jury “I’m going to get each and every one of you motherfuckers.”
* In prison involved in over a dozen assaults on guards and other prisoners
* has constantly refused to co-operate with law enforcement agencies by revealing any information at all on gang operations

It’s one thing to be against the death penalty, it’s another to paint Tookie Williams as a hero.