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Government endorsed executions have been a major debate topic for decades now.

While some point out that it is a necessity in Amerikkka – the land of the free and home of the brave – as a crime deterrent, others argue that it is a crude and cruel way to seek justice.

Stanley ‘Tookie’ Williams’ California state-endorsed murder on December 13th 2005 brought much attention from many death-penalty opponents across the nation.

While the more current case of John Allen Muhammad, the accused D.C. sniper who was recently put to death by the state of Virginia, brings more focus on whether or not lethal injections should be outlawed nationally.

Additionally, the plight of political-prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal has brought international opposition to, and continuously casts a dark cloud over the death penalty.

A recent seminar featuring a few opponents of capital punishment, including Brother Yusuf Salaam- exonerated in the 1989 Central Park jogger case, Barbara Becnel- who spearheaded the effort to stop Tookie’s state-sponsored slaying and also helped in getting his books published, highlighted this very important subject.  A few others who’s lives have been negatively affected by the death penalty also displayed their support.

By making these stories heard is how we can change the way people think, and that’s how we can change the system,” Ted Davis – Campaign to End the Death Penalty (CEDP).

During the panel-discussion speakers dealt with this volatile subject directly as a few people who have some first-hand experiences shared their views.  Two of the strongest points raised on why lethal-injections should be abolished are –

that Amerikkkanized-Afrikans, Hispanics and poor people of all ethnicities are primarily targeted by the United Snakes government,

and the pain and suffering individuals endure after being injected with lethal dosages of the toxic tonic that eventually stops their bodily functions.

Salaam explained how multi-millionaire mogul, Donald Trump, placed a full page ad in prominent New York newspapers, demanding that the death-penalty be reinstated for him and his 4 co-defendants, even though they hadn’t yet been indicted, non-the-less convicted, of brutally beating and raping a Caucasian female jogger in Central Park on April 19th 1989.  Yusuf and 4 other young male Harlemites were wrongfully convicted in the highly-publicized case, and lost much precious time from their formative years.

The media played judge and jury as it was virtually impossible for the young Harlemites to be tried by an unbiased jury of their peers which was not propagandized by the media.  The information relayed in the newspapers and on TV warped the publics’ perception, persuading them to believe that a wolf-pack of Black youths were “wildin’” as they robbed and looted park patrons that night before assaulting the lone jogger.  This case brought much needed attention to just how shoddy police investigations usually are.

The ‘Central Park 5’ were convicted without any tangible, credible evidence or eyewitness accounts.  They were eventually exonerated 13 years later after Matias Reyes confessed to committing the horrific crime and D.N.A. evidence confirmed it.

“Now imagine if the death-penalty had been implemented for them, how would that have been reversed now?” rhetorically questioned one audience member.

Tookie Williams was in a similar situation over 25 years ago in California.   He was convicted of multiple murders in a trial full of blatant racism and phony testimonies.  There are many who say that he was framed and made an example of because he was a co-founder of the notorious Crips ‘street organization’.

“Tookie was found guilty because of his ‘street fame’, not the evidence.  The real reason they murdered him is because he was reaching the youth with a positive message about organizing and controlling their ‘hoods.  Plus, they could relate to him”, rationalized a youthful male audience member.

Prior to the execution, Becnel was told that the procedure would only take 1½-2 minutes.  Yet, she explained how it took a nurse 25 minutes just to probe for a vein, while collapsing 2 of them.  She then detailed how the execution team administered the wrong dosage of the chemicals, which prolonged the process 10-11 minutes more, as his body contorted and writhed in agonizing pain until he was no longer breathing.

Federal Judge Jerry Foley held a hearing on Tookie’s botched execution in September ’06 in CA, where it was revealed that the administrators of the needles and potent poison made some grave errors.  Mrs. Becnel quoted the judge as saying:

“Williams execution was a lesson well learned.  We won’t make those mistakes again.”

Mrs. Becnel also revealed how Tookie was told by some prison personnel that his death-sentence would be commuted if he only admitted to the murders he was accused of committing, but that he refused to confess to something he so vehemently denied doing.

She closed with,

“Even though we couldn’t stop Tookie’s execution, the attention garnered by it will get the word out on the injustices in his case and the cruel and unusual punishment inmates endure while being put to death.”

For more info on combating the death penalty:  www.nodeathpenalty.org

718.701.4580 for info.