we are doomed

"On a small plywood stage erected in front of the post office (San Quentin, California 94964) under a giant papier-mache figure of Mahatma Gandhi, speakers took turns praising the work of Williams, who authored several books while on death row warning young people against the gang lifestyle. At 10:30 p.m., less than two hours before the execution, a speaker announced that "Stan is in good spirits." At 11:15 p.m, a former gang member named Diego Garcia thanked Williams for saving him, by persuading him to turn his life around. A woman who claimed to be a descendant of Geronimo offered a chant in Cherokee. At 11:30, a small round of "All we are saying is give Tookie a chance" to the melody by John Lennon broke out.

Two minutes later, a speaker announced that Schwarzenegger had denied a second reprieve requested by Williams's lawyers. There is a slight gasp and strains of "We Shall Overcome" waft over the crowd. People started lighting candles. In an inexplicable moment of tastelessness, a local radio personality took the stage to promote a hip-hop CD for Williams. Young people reading passages from Williams's anti-gang books shared the stage with various adult speakers, one of whom compared Williams's struggle to that of civil rights icon Rosa Parks. Another invoked John F. Kennedy. It was one minute before midnight, just before the execution was to begin and many in the crowd were weeping. While most of the speakers on stage were young and African-American, the audience was predominately white and older. A friend of Williams took the stage to tell of his final moments that afternoon with Tookie. "He said 'whatever happens, I'm okay. My conscience is clear.'" A rabbi implored the crowd not to leave at 12:01 when the execution was scheduled to begin. "It can take 10 to 15 minutes until the execution is completed," he warned. "We have to see this through."

At 12:35 a.m. Stanley Tookie Williams was pronounced dead."

from: Thousands Rally as Tookie Dies

posted by Courtney at 2:30 p.m.

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