http://www.sfbayview.com/122105/vengeance122105.shtml
Crips and Bloods: Stanley Tookie Williams, vengeance or justice
by Robert
We saw a lot of biased reporting on Stanley Tookie Williams’ case. Mainstream press are busy parading their news blurbs about how “Tookie Williams founded the Crips” and how “he needs to pay not only for the crimes he allegedly committed, but for everything ever done by any Crip in history.” News organizations like CNN interviewed the grieving parents or relatives of victims of gang violence, and since they want someone to pay for their loss, they have Tookie in their crosshairs.
The hip-hop culture, grassroots organizers, rap artists, actors, politicians, religious leaders and now the “bangers” and “rydas” themselves are speaking out.
Last Friday evening, Dec. 10, I saw a report on BET about how some L.A. Blood members turned weapons over to a BET reporter for her to turn them into the police. The report showed the reporter turning the weapons over and the police saying they were glad to get the weapons off the street.
The guns did not appear to be the kind of weapons usually turned in during police sponsored gun turn-in programs – no rusty looking .25s or .38s. These looked to be powerful assault weapons – Mac 10s and higher caliber weaponry. The arsenal was impressive, and the gesture unequivocal.
We all know the Bloods and the Crips have always been rivals. In this show of “good faith,” the members of the Bloods told the BET reporter, “If they can do this to Tookie, they can do it to any of us.”
The gesture was one that shows peace is possible – even among gang members – and, more importantly, to ask California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to grant clemency for Stanley Tookie Williams. This story is important, but not mentioned anywhere – not even on BET’s web site. The Bloods’ gesture of peace is being overlooked or hidden.
The mainstream press put headlines out about how the community leaders in L.A. were asking for calm, afraid of violence when the governor’s decision came down, and about how prison guards were afraid of what was going to happen if clemency was not granted. All of this, just to make the point that the Crips put fear into the government.
Why are the other sides of this, especially BET’s Bloods story, not reported? Why is there not any mention of it anywhere – not even on BET’s web site? Instead of both sides of the story, we have reporters like CNN’s Nancy Grace acting like no matter what, Tookie is guilty of something, so let’s kill him. Whatever happened to “beyond a reasonable doubt”?
There is a big difference between justice and vengeance, and it seems many want to make the death of Tookie the answer to their desire for vengeance, not justice. Instead of being afraid and speculating on the “what-ifs,” all those concerned should’ve looked at the opportunity the continuation of Stanley Tookie Williams’ life afforded us all. This was not a game – this was a man’s life.
By Tuesday, the so-called news organizations had moved on to the next big headline. But the fate of Tookie Williams was known by then. These same news organizations were hoping for some sort of “social uprising” so they could further their ratings and twist and manipulate our view Stanley Tookie Williams, even though he was murdered by the government.
BET, run your report, post it on your website. That report is proof that there is hope if we all overlook our need for vengeance. It’s one that everyone needs to see. Stanley Tookie Williams was not a threat to anyone except those who deemed him as such for their own gain.
This story originally appeared at http://www.thuglifearmy.com/news/?id=2185 .