Prisons stay on high alert as "Tookie" execution n

[Guage12]

Prisons stay on high alert as Williams execution nears
Mason Stockstill and Sara Carter, Staff Writers



State prison officials are concerned the impending execution of former gang kingpin Stanley "Tookie" Williams could lead to an increase in violence among inmates.
Williams, a co-founder of the Crips street gang, is scheduled to be executed Dec. 13. He plans to ask Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to commute his sentence to life in prison.

On the day of Williams' execution, San Quentin the prison where California's condemned inmates are held will go on lockdown, and additional security measures will be in place, said a Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesman.

"Clearly, there's a heightened awareness due to the media reports and his affiliation as a co-founder of the Crips," said spokesman Todd Slosek. "We will take added precautionary measures to ensure the safety of the institution."

Those procedures are always put in place when a death-row inmate is executed, Slosek said. The same protocol was followed when convicted murderer Donald Beardslee was put to death in January.

However, some correctional officers are concerned that because Williams is a prominent member of the gang, which has thousands of members incarcerated in California prisons, inmate assaults against staff could increase as the execution date draws near.

"We have heard that rumored ," said Martin Aroian, president of the Chino chapter of the correctional officers union. "I don't have anything official."

Several messages posted to an online forum by correctional officers mention rumors that the Crips will have a "green light" on prison staff and other law enforcement officers.

In 2003, prison officials locked down black inmates at Corcoran State Prison after discovering a note linking possible assaults on staff by Crips with Williams' impending sentence.

Slosek said there has not been any increased "chatter" among gang inmates in recent weeks surrounding the upcoming execution.

Williams, 51, was sentenced


to death in 1981 for the fatal shooting of a convenience-store worker during a 1979 robbery. He also has been convicted of three other murders.

His pleas for clemency have garnered public attention due to the efforts Williams has made since he was incarcerated to persuade children not to adopt a gang life. He has written several books outlining the dangers of joining a gang, and his Web site www.tookie.com features testimonials from former gang members who say his story changed their lives. Also, in 2000, five members of the Swiss parliament nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Several former gang members in San Bernardino said Williams' death would be a tragedy for youth already caught up in gang life.

"Tookie has become a hero to the kids on the street," said a former gang member who goes by the moniker Evbody. "If he's put to death, it's going to get worse out there, because what hope will they have? Even if you change, it still doesn't matter."

Regardless, should Williams fail in his attempts to have his death sentence commuted, he'll be given a lethal injection less than six weeks from today.

"This will be probably one of the higher-notoriety executions since the reinstatement of the death penalty," Slosek said. "We have a job to do: carry out the law and the death warrant that was issued by the judge."

[Christina Marie]

From what I understand ALL CA prisons are going to be on lockdown. They are going through the mail so thoroughly its backed up at least 2 weeks. There have already been numerous staff assaults recently by Crips at several different prisons. Its going to come unglued bad.

[Guage12]

Yea I was finna visit my Homeboy Locked up in Ironwood for the Thanksgiving Holiday but, They gonna be on Locked down for a while Is it related to this??

[Christina Marie]

Yea I was finna visit my Homeboy Locked up in Ironwood for the Thanksgiving Holiday but, They gonna be on Locked down for a while Is it related to this??

I will check. What yard is he on?

[Guage12]

Yea I was finna visit my Homeboy Locked up in Ironwood for the Thanksgiving Holiday but, They gonna be on Locked down for a while Is it related to this??

I will check. What yard is he on?

Iits C if I'm not mistaken...

[Christina Marie]

Yea I was finna visit my Homeboy Locked up in Ironwood for the Thanksgiving Holiday but, They gonna be on Locked down for a while Is it related to this??

I will check. What yard is he on?

Iits C if I'm not mistaken...

This is what I found so far, also they put yards on lockdown purely because they are short staffed.

Mon Nov 07, 2005 3:06 pm Post subject: Ironwood

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On 11/5/05 a riot occured between approximately 450 hispanic and white inmates on B facility yard and buildings. Softball bats, and state pens were used as weapons.



Ironwood State Prison
B yard--Whites and Hispanics on lockdown
C yard--Blacks on lockdown
__________________

[Christina Marie]

I will probably know more when the ladies all come back from visiting this weekend and post about it.

[Oaktown_G]

They media is kinda smart they have not just been puttin this story on the world news cuz they would have to worry about more than the california prisons.

[Christina Marie]

They media is kinda smart they have not just been puttin this story on the world news because they would have to worry about more than the california prisons.

Its all over the news...in China, S.Africa, England...you name it I have seen it in the news there.

[Oaktown_G]

Dang I aint know that I got some locs in virginia that aint even heard about this yet I just told them lat week.They mentioned it once on the news down here cuz there scared of any gang riots.

[BlueCadillaC167]

This is some historical ish right here.

[Scriptz]

it probably be worse in prison than it will be on the streetz

[Oaktown_G]

You may have a few bloodz that make a smart ass comment or some surenos and have some shit started but you gonna have to watch out for that everywhere.

[Christina Marie]

You may have a few bloodz that make a smart ass comment or some surenos and have some shit started but you gonna have to watch out for that everywhere.

What are you referring to?? Where?

[MiChuhSuh]

You may have a few bloodz that make a smart ass comment or some surenos and have some shit started but you gonna have to watch out for that everywhere.

Some Bloods have respect for OG Big Tookie.

[Oaktown_G]

Some do but the ones i'm mainly talkin about is out of cali alot of these niggaz gotta smart ass mouth and may say some shit to get somethin started.

[MiChuhSuh]

Some do but the ones i'm mainly talkin about is out of cali alot of these niggaz gotta smart ass mouth and may say some shit to get somethin started.

Ya, the ones who are insecure about their own set identity, and there are people in-state that I know are like that too, it's more of not caring about the set but wanting to "look" and "be seen as" gangster. Basically self-enforced peer pressure. I see this mostly with wannabes, they flag the hardest and do the least work.