Rapper Snoop Dogg urged California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Saturday to grant clemency to Stanley Tookie Williams, so he can continue his work with young people.
“Stanley Tookie Williams is not just a regular old guy, he’s an inspirator,” the rapper and former Crips gang member told a crowd of about 1,000 outside the main gate of San Quentin State Prison.
“His voice needs to be heard.”
Williams, 51, is set to be executed Dec. 13. He was convicted in 1979 of murdering four people during two robberies in Los Angeles. He has exhausted his appeals and asked Schwarzenegger for clemency.
Williams and a childhood friend organized the Crips in 1971 in Los Angeles. In the years that followed, the gang did battle with its main rival, the Bloods, for territory and control of the drug trade, leaving hundreds dead.
Snoop Dogg, 33, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, said after he saw “Redemption,” the award-winning television movie starring Jamie Foxx based on Williams’ life, he realized he needed to contribute more to his community and to young people, in particular.
“I come from the east side of Long Beach, home of where gang-banging is an all-time must and Crippen is at an all-time high. I was once a Crip gang member,” he said, adding that the music business helped him leave that life behind.
