Angela Davis Speaks On Stanley Tookie Williams' Death

In California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's written response to Stanley Tookie Williams" clemency appeal. Schwarzenegger writes: "The dedication of Williams' book "Life in Prison" casts significant doubt on his personal redemption. This book was published in 1998, several years after Williams' claimed redemptive experience. Specifically, the book is dedicated to 'Nelson Mandela, Angela Davis, Malcolm X, Assata Shakur, Geronimo Ji Jaga Pratt, Ramona Africa, John Africa, Leonard Peltier, Dhoruba Al-Mujahid, George Jackson, Mumia Abu-Jamal, and the countless other men, women, and youths who have to endure the hellish oppression of living behind bars.' The mix of individuals on this list is curious. Most have violent pasts and some have been convicted of committing heinous murders, including the killing of law enforcement."

Schwarzenegger goes on to particularly single out the inclusion of George Jackson on this list. George Jackson, the jailed Black Panther member gunned down by prison guards at San Quentin in 1971. Angela Davis stood trial and was acquitted for taking part in a courtroom raid that sought Jackson's release.

* Angela Davis, a longtime prison activist and professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is the author of several books including "Are Prisons Obsolete?" and "Women, Race and Class". Her latest book is titled "Abolition Democracy: Prisons, Democracy, and Empire." She was at San Quentin State Prison last night.

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