HUNDREDS PAY RESPECTS TO EXECUTED WILLIAMS.Byline: Josh Kleinbaum Staff Writer Some remembered Stanley Tookie Williams as a hero who dedicated the last decade of his life to persuading children to stay away from gangs. Others remembered him as the leader of the Crips, the notorious street gang that spawned generations of violence in South Los Angeles South Los Angeles is the official name for a large geographic and cultural area lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central Los Angeles, and is still sometimes called South Central. . But they all came together Monday to pay their last respects Noun 1. last respects - the act of expressing respect for someone who has died; "he paid his last respects by standing quietly at the graveside" deference, respect - a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard; "his deference to her wishes was very to Williams, a convicted murderer executed Dec. 13 over objections of supporters who said he had turned his life around. ``He changed his life,'' Tweedy Harris, 42, of Compton said during the public viewing at the House of Winston Mortuary. ``He was a kid when he went in (to prison). I wanted to pay my respects for what he was trying to do to help stop the violence.'' Williams' case sparked a nationwide debate about the death penalty, raising questions about the power of redemption. Convicted of killing four people in two 1979 robberies, he wrote nine children's books from his jail cell on California's Death Row, warning of the ills of gang violence. His supporters, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson Noun 1. Jesse Jackson - United States civil rights leader who led a national campaign against racial discrimination and ran for presidential nomination (born in 1941) Jesse Louis Jackson, Jackson , rapper Snoop Dogg and actor Jamie Foxx Jamie Foxx (born December 13, 1967) is an American actor, singer, and stand-up comic. Foxx is possibly best-known for his performance of musician Ray Charles in Ray, and for his collaborations with director Michael Mann. , urged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): [ˈaɐ̯nɔlt ˈaloɪ̯s ˈʃvaɐ̯ʦənˌʔɛɡɐ] to grant him clemency Leniency or mercy. A power given to a public official, such as a governor or the president, to in some way lower or moderate the harshness of punishment imposed upon a prisoner. Clemency is considered to be an act of grace. on the strength of his redemption. Schwarzenegger rejected the request, highlighting the fact that Williams maintained his innocence in the four murders and never apologized for the crimes. Jackson, Snoop Dogg and Nation of Islam Nation of Islam: see Black Muslims. Nation of Islam or Black Muslims African American religious movement that mingles elements of Islam and black nationalism. It was founded in 1931 by Wallace D. Minister Louis Farrakhan Louis Farrakhan (born Louis Eugene Walcott, May 11, 1933), is the acting head of the Nation of Islam (NOI) as the National Reprensentative of Elijah Muhammad. He is well-known as an advocate for African American interests and a critic of American society. are expected to attend a memorial service scheduled for noon today at Bethel AME See AIT. Church in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . ``He had the choice to live or die, and he still didn't say he did it,'' said a 23-year-old gang member who identified himself only as Cat. ``That tells me he's innocent. ``My heart goes out to him. I can't sleep at night. Maybe I'll be able to sleep after I see him.'' Hundreds waited in a long line that stretched out the door of the mortuary and around the corner. They slowly walked by the open white casket, where he lay in a gray suit and gray striped tie, his gray beard closely cropped. ``He was, like, the most Crip-ness,'' said Bruce Ball, 36, a former Crip crip n. 1. Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for a person or animal that is partially disabled or unable to use a limb or limbs. 2. who goes by the name Cika. ``He was one of the first. I'm retired, but the Cripping is still in my heart. Of course I'm going to come and see my boy.'' Less than a half-mile from the mortuary is a Western Motel where a sign informs would-be guests there would be no visitors and no refunds. On March 11, 1979, the motel was known as the Bookhaven - the site where Williams broke through the office door and robbed and killed motel owners Yen-I Yang, 76, and Tsai-Shai Yang, 63, and their daughter Yee-Chen Lin, 43. Williams was convicted of those three murders and one other - that of Albert Owens, a 26-year-old clerk at a Whitter 7-Eleven who was killed in a robbery Feb. 28, 1979. ``This was his neighborhood, and he had a long journey that began here,'' said Najee Ali, a former Crip who now runs Project Islamic Hope. ``Along that journey, some bad things happened. But at the end of the journey, he did amazing things. It's not where you start at, it's where you end at. ``This is going to create a spark, a revolution. We're committing to carrying on Tookie's message of peace, nonviolence and the end of gang violence.'' Other current and former gang members echoed that sentiment. ``I grew up looking up toward Tookie,'' said Mike Graham, 35, a Crip who calls himself Big Maniac and met Williams while serving time in San Quentin. ``He was a legend. We're putting to rest a legend. ``I patterned my life after him. Now, I'm trying to do positive things for the kids. I'm trying to spread his message in the streets.'' Josh Kleinbaum, (818) 546-3669 josh.kleinbaum(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: The body of Stanley Tookie Williams is viewed by his son Travon Williams, 32, right, along with Tookie's ex-wife, Bonnie Williams-Taylor, left, and her daughter Erin Taylor, 20. Ric Francis/Associated Press |
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