I was very interested to see what was going to happen with Tookie Williams, who was executed by the state of California this week. On one hand I was upset to think that he might be killed because he has worked so hard to speak against gang violence and seem to repent for what he had done in his past, but on the other hand, as Gov. Terminator pointed out he did not express remorse for the crimes he was accused of. And I do generally believe that it's important for a person to address the crimes you're accused of when you're seeking clemency.
So there's the rub...did his actions in working against gangs once in prison demonstrate enough of a remorse that he should have been spared the needle, or is it really a requirement that he addressed the murders he was in jail for? I think they do. I think that his activism in prison showed him to be a man that had rethought his past life and was working to make amends.
So I am sad to see him executed, but he knew that the death penalty was a possible consequence of his actions when he was involved so he had to be cognizant that it could occur.
Either way, it's a moot point now. He's dead. Maybe his death will give us all pause to think about when the death penalty should be applied and when not.
