10 days...The clock is ticking...Save Tookie!

Campaign to End the Death Penalty Action Alert

THE CLOCK IS TICKING...
Stop the execution of Stan Tookie Williams!

There's only 10 days left to save Stan Tookie Williams.
People around the country are taking action to stop the execution of
Stan Tookie Williams, the California death row prisoner who is scheduled to
be executed on December 13.
From now until that date, we will send out a regular action alert to
report on events held in support of Stan, let people know about efforts
currently underway, and how you can get involved today.
If you or your group have an event to report about, or activities
planned, please e-mail us at marlene [at] nodeathpenalty.org.

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CONTENTS
- Reports and news about Tookie
Calling all educators -- Sign on with Educators for Tookie
Spread the word about December 8
Hear Stan's supporters on the air
Photos from the NYC November 30 Day of Action protest
Hollywood support for Stan
Author Mark Essig on clemency
Stan interviewed in the SF Chronicle
The New York Times on Stan's clemency appeal
Growing doubts about the death penalty
- Upcoming events
- Where to find more information

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REPORTS AND NEWS ABOUT TOOKIE

- CALLING ALL EDUCATORS -- SIGN ON WITH EDUCATORS FOR TOOKIE

We need everyone who gets this action alert to forward this part of the
message to any educator they know--and ask them to take a moment right away
and sign on with Educators for Tookie.
Right now, close to 400 educators have signed our letter urging
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to grant clemency to death row
prisoner Stanley Tookie Williams. Among the signers are Noam Chomsky, author
and linguist; Howard Zinn, historian and author of People's History of the
U.S.; Stephen Bright, law professor and director of Southern Center for
Human Rights; and Steve Drizen, law professor and director of Center on
Wrongful Convictions.
A delegation of signors will deliver the "Educators for Tookie" letter
to Gov. Schwarzenegger's office in Sacramento at Noon on Wednesday, December
7, the day before Stanley Tookie Williams' clemency hearing. The delegation
will include Professor Philip Gasper who initiated this effort and has
nominated Stan for the Nobel Peace Prize.

To download a copy of the "Educators for Tookie" letter, visit
http://www.nodeathpenalty.org/downloads/TookieEducatorsLtr.pdf.

To sign the letter, send the following information to akim007 [at] speakeasy.net:
Name, Title, Name of institution (for identification purposes only), Home
address, City, state and zip, E-mail address


- SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT DECEMBER 8

>From the Bay Area Save Tookie Committee--Please Forward Widely!

The Bay Area Save Tookie Committee invites you to...The People's Clemency
Hearing for Stanley Tookie Williams!

When: December 8th, 2005
Where: Steps of the State Capitol Building in Sacramento
Time: 12 NOON

On December 8th, 2005 Tookie's supporters far and wide will hold our own
clemency hearing to coincide with the private clemency hearing that Gov.
Schwarzenegger has scheduled regarding Tookie.
Come hear the arguments for our side, have your voice heard and tell the
governor to do the right thing. Stanley Tookie Williams Deserves Clemency!
To endorse this event, please email Lichi_d [at] yahoo.com

In conjunction with this action in the Bay Area, we are encouraging people
all around the country to hold vigils, press conferences and rallies on
December 8, and call, fax or email the governor demanding clemency for
Tookie.


- HEAR STAN'S SUPPORTERS ON THE AIR

People who support Stan are getting our message out through the media.
Stan's advocate Barbara Becnel is kept busy constantly by requests for
interviews.
We've also heard of a couple other appearances by Stan's supporters this
weekend:

Dave Zirin, author of the book "What's My Name Fool," about politics in
sports, will be on Chuck D's Air America radio show to talk about Stan's
case. The show airs at 11 pm to 1 am on Sunday nights, and an hour later on
XM radio.

Phil Gasper, the initiator of Educators for Tookie, will be interviewed on
CNN's "Saturday Morning" tomorrow (Saturday) around 8:30 am Pacific time,
and on KALX radio in Berkeley on Sunday morning around 10:20 am Pacific
time. You can listen to the KALX broadcast on the Internet at:
http://kalx.berkeley.edu/quotes.htm.


- PHOTOS FROM THE NYC NOVEMBER 30 DAY OF ACTION PROTEST

http://homepage.mac.com/bronxred/ISO/PhotoAlbum46.html


- HOLLYWOOD SUPPORT FOR STAN

>From the Independent: Hollywood actors, musicians, church leaders and death
penalty opponents staged protests and vigils across the US on behalf of
Stanley "Tookie" Williams, founder of the Crips street gang who faces
execution in less than two weeks unless the California governor, Arnold
Schwarzenegger, can be persuaded to grant him clemency.
The outpouring of support for "International Save Tookie Day" yesterday
underlined the controversy surrounding Williams's death sentence and
suggested that his execution, if it goes ahead, could be the most
contentious judicial killing in America in years.

Read the full report at:
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article330456.ece


- AUTHOR MARK ESSIG ON CLEMENCY

>From the New York Times: "Mercy" is not the first word that comes to mind in
reference to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California. But he now has an
opportunity to change that. To do so, however, he'll have to buck a historic
shift in America away from the granting of executive clemency...
Commuting Mr. Williams's sentence would almost certainly bring charges
that Mr. Schwarzenegger is soft on crime. But the governor has prided
himself on being a political maverick. What better way to confirm his
strength than by revealing the quality of his mercy?

Read the full article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/02/opinion/02essig.html


- STAN INTERVIEWED IN THE SF CHRONICLE

>From the San Francisco Chronicle: Stanley Tookie Williams is not afraid to
die.
The 51-year-old convicted murderer, who has spent nearly half of his
life on Death Row, knows his scheduled execution date is less than two weeks
away, but he says he is not fearful, that it's a prospect he has dealt with
his entire life.
"Being near death is nothing new to me or any other black male,"
Williams said Thursday during an interview in a visiting room at San Quentin
State Prison. "I've been shot and close to death many times. This is no
different. But I am praying that I live. Of course, I want to live."

Read the full article at:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/12/02/WILLIAMS.TMP


- THE NEW YORK TIMES ON STAN'S CLEMENCY APPEAL

>From the New York Times: Stanley Tookie Williams, once a leader of a
notorious street gang and now perhaps the nation's most prominent death row
inmate, leaned over a small wooden table in a cramped visiting cell here and
tried to explain what he used to be and what he has become.
"I have a despicable background," Mr. Williams said. "I was a criminal.
I was a co-founder of the Crips. I was a nihilist."
"But people forget," he added, chewing on a turkey sandwich, "that
redemption is tailor-made for the wretched."

Read the full article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/02/national/02prison.html


- GROWING DOUBTS ABOUT THE DEATH PENALTY

>From the Washington Post: Ruben Cantu is long gone, executed by Texas
authorities in 1993 after he was convicted of murdering a man during a San
Antonio robbery when he was 17 years old. To the end, Cantu insisted he had
been framed, and now his co-defendant and the sole surviving witness both
say he was telling the truth.
A state legislator called for an investigation this week as prosecutors
moved to study the 20-year-old case. Opponents of the death penalty suspect
that Cantu may be what they have long expected to find: an innocent person
put to death. Houston law professor David Dow said the case shows that "we
make mistakes in death penalty cases, too."
The nation's 1,000th execution since the Supreme Court reinstated the
death penalty in 1976 took place Friday morning at 2:15. The execution of
Kenneth Boyd in North Carolina for murdering his wife and her father comes
at a time of growing misgivings over the death penalty, as reflected in jury
verdicts, opinion polls and the actions of courts and state legislatures.
Death sentences have declined to their lowest level in three decades,
with juries sentencing 125 people to death last year, compared with an
average of 290 per year in the 1990s. The number of inmates executed last
year was the lowest since 1996, and the Supreme Court has twice in the past
three years limited who can be punished with death.

Read the full article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/02/AR2005120200
146.html


- DONATE MUCH NEEDED FUNDS FOR OUR EFFORTS

The Campaign would very much appreciate any donations to help offset the
costs of organizing to stop the execution of Stan Tookie Williams. The
Campaign is sending Shujaa Graham, a former San Quentin death row prisoner,
and Alice Kim, a national organizer with the CEDP, to California to help the
on-the-ground efforts to stop the execution.
We are asking for your help to cover these expenses - so please send
what you can today. Checks can be sent directly to our P.O. box: CEDP, PO
Box 25730, Chicago, IL 60625.
If you would prefer to donate online, you can go to our Web site at
http://www.nodeathpenalty.org and click on the donation button for
instructions on how to do it.
Thank you all!!

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UPCOMING EVENTS

- DECEMBER 3 - Baltimore
Demonstrate at the Supermax prison
Protesting the pending execution of Wesley Baker and in support of Stan
Tookie Williams. At 2 pm at the Supermax prison, Madison and Fallsway. For
information, call 410-271-1099 or e-mail SaveVernon [at] excite.com.

- DECEMBER 3 - Los Angeles
Rally for Clemency for Tookie
Leimert Park at 12 Noon. All the groups working in the Save Tookie committee
in Los Angeles are asking everyone to come out. For more information, call
310-404-1739 or e-mail cenddeathpenalty [at] yahoo.com

- DECEMBER 3 - New Hope, Pa.
Screening of "Redemption" and Informational Meeting.
At 8 pm at the Saraswati River Yoga Center is located at 415 South York
Road. Call 609-532-7750 or e-mail mpillischer [at] yahoo.com for information.
Sponsored by the Lambertville Coalition for Peace and Reel Justice.

- DECEMBER 3 - New York City
Screening of "Redemption"
At the Bread Stuy Cafe, 403 Lewis Ave., Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

- DECEMBER 3 - New York City
International Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners
Speakers include Ninotchka Rosca (Philippines, Gabriela network); Andra
(Basque Country, Kalera Project); Ashanti Alston (Black Liberation Movement,
U.S.), Frank Velgara (Puerto Rican Independence Movement, U.S. and Puerto
Rico); plus a Palestinian comrade TBA and statements from David Gilbert and
Marilyn Buck, white anti-imperialist political prisoners. At 7 pm at
Columbia Law School, 435 W. 116th Street, Room 103 (C or 1 train to 116th
Street). $5 donation requested.

- DECEMBER 3 - New York City
Stan Tookie Williams: Blue Rage, Black Redemption
A discussion of Tookie's book sponsored by Brownstone Bookstore and the
Campaign to End the Death Penalty. At 6 pm at Brownstone Bookstore, 409
Lewis Ave. (at Decatur Street). Take the A/C to Utica Ave. For more
information, call Glo at 718-207-3980 or email gloriaross [at] gmail.com.

- DECEMBER 4 - Los Angeles
Candlelight Vigil for Tookie
At 7 pm at Schatzi on Main, 3110 Main St., Santa Monica. Bring your candles.
Organized by the Save Tookie Committee-LA. Call 310-404-1739 for
information.

- DECEMBER 4 - San Francisco
Movie Screening of REDEMPTION
Hosted by Danny Glover, Barbara Becnel and Kevin Epps, who will present a
short program before the movie to explain the status of Stan's case and let
people know how to get involved in the movement to stop the execution. At 5
pm at the Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th St. (next to the 16th Street and
Mission BART Station). This event is a fund-raiser for the San Francisco
Save Tookie Coalition. Tickets are $5 for students/youth/seniors and $10 for
the general public. Co-sponsors and endorsers welcome; donations
appreciated. Contact Danielle at Danielle [at] vanguardsf.org or 415-581-2512 for
more information about endorsing or co-sponsoring the event. Tickets
available at http://www.victoriatheatre.org or at the door.

- DECEMBER 4 - San Quentin, Calif.
Vigil and Action by Religious Imperative to Stop State Murder
Continuous vigil and action to begin at San Quentin Prison's Main Gate.
Beginning Sunday, December 4th from 2 pm to 4 pm and continuing on December
5th beginning at 10am.

- DECEMBER 5 - Toledo, Ohio
Screening of "Redemption"
At 6 pm at the Kent Branch library.

- DECEMBER 6 - Berkeley, Calif.
Panel Discussion on Clemency for Tookie
Featuring Alice Kim, national organizer for the Campaign to End the Death
Penalty; Shujaa Graham, exonerated California death row inmate; and a
message from Tookie himself. At 7pm at UC-Berkeley, in 101 Moffit.

- DECEMBER 6 - New York City
Town Hall Meeting to Save Stan Tookie Williams
Featuring Ras Baraka (deputy mayor of Newark, N.J.), a representative of SOS
(former gang members in Newark who negotiated a truce based on Tookie's
Protocol for Peace), Anthony Papa (author and victim of the Rockefeller drug
laws), and Yusef Salaam (wrongfully convicted in the Central Park jogger
case and recently exonerated), the Welfare Poets (spoken word/hip hop
artists), and many more. At 7 pm at the National Black Theater of Harlem,
South Tower-Temple of Liberation, 2031 5th Ave. at 125th Street (take the
2,3 to 125th Street or 4,5,6 to 125th Street). $5 donation.

- DECEMBER 6 - San Rafael, Calif.
Capital Punishment: Who Are We Executing?
A film and discussion about death row and the death penalty. At 7 pm at the
Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, 1520 Grand Ave., corner of Grand and Acacia
Streets.

- DECEMBER 6 - Toledo, Ohio
Screening of "Redemption"
At 6 pm at Brewed Awakenings.

- DECEMBER 7 - Chicago
Stop the Execution of Stan Tookie Williams
Featuring pardoned Illinois death row prisoner Madison Hobley; exonerated
Illinois death row prisoner Darby Tillis; Gloria Johnson, mother of Illinois
prisoner Montell Johnson; Alice Kim of the Campaign to End the Death
Penalty; and more. At 7 pm at Northeastern Illinois University, Student
Union, (Room TBA), 5500 N. St. Louis. Call 773-955-4841 for information.

- DECEMBER 7 - Sacramento, Calif.
Educators for Tookie Deliver their message
A delegation of educators who signed a letter to Gov. Schwarzenegger calling
for clemency for Stan will meet to deliver their message to the governor. At
Noon on the steps of the State Capitol Building. E-mail
akim007 [at] speakeasy.net for information.

- DECEMBER 7 - San Diego
Vigil, Press Conference, Rally and Demonstration
At Noon at the Hall of Justice, 330 West Broadway. For information, call
619-804-1685 or e-mail tkalonji [at] Hotmail.com.

- DECEMBER 7 - San Diego
Screening of Redemption
Followed by a discussion of death penalty work and the campaign to save
Tookie Williams. At 6:30 pm in City College Room B103, sponsored by
Resistencia Estudiantil.

- DECEMBER 8 - Los Angeles
Demonstration for Clemency
Join the Youth Justice Coaltion and Save Tookie Committee. At Noon, outside
Central Juvenile Hall and the Juvenile Court on Eastlake, 1605 Eastlake Ave.
E-mail freelanow [at] yahoo.com for more info

- DECEMBER 8 - Rochester, N.Y.
Stop the Execution of Stan Tookie Williams
At 7:30 pm at Rochester Institute of Technology, SAU Room Clarke A.

- DECEMBER 8 - Sacramento, Calif.
People's Clemency Hearing for Tookie
At Noon, on the steps of the State Capitol building. Called for by the Bay
Area Save Tookie Committee.

- DECEMBER 8 - Washington, D.C.
Rally to Save Tookie Williams
At 5:30 pm at the African American Civil War Memorial, 10th and U St. NW

- DECEMBER 9 - Los Angeles
Screening of "After Innocence"
A film about the dramatic and compelling story of the exonerated--innocent
men wrongfully imprisoned for decades and then released after DNA evidence
proved their innocence. At 7 pm at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center,
4718 West Washington Blvd. Sponsored by the LA Coalition Against the Death
Penalty. For information, call : Project:Involve at 310-432-1280.

- DECEMBER 10 - Berkeley, Calif.
Screening of "Redemption" and Discussion
At 6 pm at Long Haul, 3124 Shattuck (across the street from La Pena).

- DECEMBER 10 - Chicago
Speak Out for Justice
At 3 pm at
University Church, 5655 S. University, in Hyde Park.

- DECEMBER 10 - New York City
Save Stan Tookie Williams.
Featuring Fred Hampton Jr., who visited Tookie along with other human rights
activists; Pam Africa, International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia
Abu-Jamal; Herman Ferguson, co-chair, National Jericho Movement; Lynne
Stewart, to be sentenced in December by the U.S. government; Masai Ehehosi,
Free Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin (Rap Brown) Campaign; and others. At 4 pm
at Salem Methodist Church on 129th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard.
A cultural program and dinner will be served. $10 donation at the door. For
information, call the Free Mumia Hotline at 212-330-8029, or 914-941-6046

- DECEMBER 11 - New York City
Discussion of "Blue Rage, Black Redemption" and Screening of "Redemption"
At 5 pm at Bluestockings, 172 Allen Street, between Stanton and Rivington.
Call 212-777-6028 for information.

- DECEMBER 11 - San Francisco
Sister Helen Prejean Speaks
One of the world's best-known opponents of the death penalty speaks out at
an ACLU event. At 2 pm at the San Francisco Marriott Hotel, 55 Fourth Street
at Mission. Tickets are $25 per person, $10 for students and low income,
$250 table sponsor.

- DECEMBER 12 - San Francisco to San Quentin
Walk for Abolition
The Walk For Abolition begins at the Palace of Legion of Honor in San
Francisco at 7 am and ends at the gates of San Quentin Prison around 6 pm.
For information, contact Rev. Lyle Grosjean at 510-895-8203 or email
l.grosjean [at] sbcglobal.net.

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WHERE TO FIND MORE INFORMATION

Download a fact sheet about Stan's case:
http://www.savetookie.org/tookie_fact_sheet_10.18.05.pdf

Read the story of Stan's life in his book, Blue Rage, Black Redemption,
available for $22. To order, visit http://www.nodeathpenalty.org or call the
CEDP national office at 773-955-4841.

Do a showing of the movie Redemption, the TV movie about Stan's life,
starring Jamie Foxx. The movie is available at Blockbuster.

Get "Save Tookie" buttons from the Campaign to sell to supporters. Get 25
buttons for $20, and shipping is free. Call the CEDP national office at
955-4841 to order.

Check out the Save Tookie Web site:
http://www.savetookie.org/

And the Campaign to End the Death Penalty Web site:
http://www.nodeathpenalty.org/

Order copies of the New Abolitionist. This issue has stories by and about
Stan, as well as other information about fighting the death penalty. You can
get a bundle of 25 New Abs, shipped free of charge at a cost of $12.50. To
order, call the CEDP office at 773-235-0778. Yearly subscriptions are also
available.