Quote:
Originally Posted by Tactitus
I can't really see how people can say he was rehabilitated.
He never apologized for the crimes he was sentenced for. He always maintained his innocence, so fair enough, but then it's a question of whether or not you believe the (considerable) evidence against him. And if you believe the evidence, then his failure to admit and apologize for his crimes must surely weigh heavily against him.
He expressed regret for founding the Crips gang but refused to give police any information that could have helped them arrest and prosecute members of the Crips.
He wrote (actually co-wrote) some children's books deploring gangs and gang violence.
You can read the LA County DA's (lengthy) response to Tookie's clemency petition here, which includes a review of the evidence which convicted him.
I can respect those who oppose the death sentence as a matter of principle. I have a harder time with those who claim Tookie was innocent or rehabilitated.
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Evidence against a Black Man of any description , which has been provided by the LAPD , a force with a history of racism, has a lot less weight than it would anywhere else.
However he was found guilty by a jury of his peers, and Schwarzenegger respected that. Actually, he probably didnt understand the argument and was told not to give him clemency, as it would damage his chances of re-election (like the budget deficit and power outages havent done that already).
Either way,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4523502.stm
hes dead now and all thats left is the obligatory 2 days of the new york press debating the death penalty and 48 hours worth of rioting and excessive force from the LAPD.
American society seems to repeat itself over and over again on the West Coast. Doesnt anyone actually learn from the mistakes of their recent history?