Tookie??

[Corinna]

I won't get started on the whole subject but lets just say Richard's response was mild compared to my thoughts. Needless to say I agree with all of you here so far.

[senorita02]

Im sure everyones sick of hearing about it but i also heard on the radio this morning that Tookie (whatever his stupid name is) was upset after his trial because one of the African American Jurors who found him guilty did not look black according to Tookie, and wanted them to retry him with a different juror, as if it mattered what color the juror was, they found out the juror was from the Phillipines and Tookies insisted he was not black even though he was, and now the juror is deceased (since it was in 1979) and sure enough on his death certificate it states him as African American.
I am tired of hearing it was a race issue too, im pretty sure it doesnt matter what color you are what matters is your a murderer.

As if, if the juror was African American (To his standards) he was going to suddenly excuse Tookie and find him innocent, LOL

[CathyBogart]

You see, in Cali, getting a 'celebrity' to play the race card for you will usually get you out of a whole lot of trouble. Our higher-ups would rather make monstrous, humiliating blunders than risk looking un-pc for a moment.

*Laugh* That is so true.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

He did the crimes knowing the death penalty could be carried out. As it was, he had 26 years more on earth than the ones he killed.

We would have prisons full of "reformed" thugs and murderers if he had gotten off; all trying to get off too. Anyone can be an angel if it will get their butt out of trouble!

[Allecto]

His supporters still claim it was an all-white jury, Senorita. A lot of the propaganda they buried Californians with was spreading the lie that somehow if Tookie died, then it would make it legal to keep minorities off of juries just because of race. Like that even makes sense... but a lot of people bought in to it.

The most disgusting thing for me was that the founder of the frigging CRIPS went to his grave insisting he was guiltless of any crimes, and wholly unapologetic for the lives he took and the uncounted families his gang destroyed.

[JenBKR]

You see, in Cali, getting a 'celebrity' to play the race card for you will usually get you out of a whole lot of trouble. Our higher-ups would rather make monstrous, humiliating blunders than risk looking un-pc for a moment.

Ah, I see Well, I'm glad that they didn't win this time, although I am not entirely sure where I stand on the death penalty...

[senorita02]

Well i heard this morning in the radio that yes there was a black juror but Tookie didnt think he looked black so he wasn't buying, LOL
Im Armenian and you would never guess it by just looking at me.
And again i dont understand why race is an issue when u are a juror, its about evidence not what color or Nationality you are. Shouldnt we all believe in the same right or wrong??

[JenBKR]

Had it been a white person, with an all black jury, it would not have been an issue of race. He was guilty, race has nothing to do with it.

[RICHARD]

Listen to the story about who he dedicated one of his books to..
Some idiot who was going to trial, and on the day of the hearing his brother breaks into court with a machine gun to try and free him.

A lawyer is paralyzed from a cop bullet during the shoot out and the judge in the trial is killed with a blast from a shot gun taped to his head. The brother was killed later on.

The original idiot was later killed in San Quentin during one of the worst days of prison violence in their history.....3 guards and three inmates died that day.

If you are that repentant, why acknowledge another moron in a book you 'wrote' to end violence????

[Lobodeb]

And again i dont understand why race is an issue when u are a juror, its about evidence not what color or Nationality you are. Shouldnt we all believe in the same right or wrong??

Actually, race does matter in a jury. I work for a litigation consulting company with a bunch of Ph.D.s who study this kind of stuff, juries specifically. We do mock trials all over the country on actual cases.

Theoretically, if there were more black people on the jury, they more than likely would have sided with "Tookie." You would be surprised at how people of certain races will dismiss evidence and come up with the most bogus excuses. Race, education, occupation, age, etc. all play a roll. Tookie should have had his lawyer pick a better jury with more black people on it.

I'm not really sure I know where I stand on capital punishment, but I do know that his victims didn't get a second chance, so why should he. I'm just glad I wasn't the one who was a) affected by his crime or b) the one who ultimately had to decide his fate.

[senorita02]

Well if more black people on his jury would of set him free, what does that say? that is ridiculous so since u are the same color you dismiss a murderer? I guess that is what racism is though, and you cant exactly tell wether someone is or not.

How does anyone get a fair trial then if people are just siding with the same race they are. white or black.
All i was saying was evidence is evidence, no matter what color u are, and i guess that is why OJ is free huh?

[Lobodeb]

All i was saying was evidence is evidence, no matter what color u are, and i guess that is why OJ is free huh?

I hear you. Believe me. It's sad to watch our deliberations and the silly reasons people use to discount hard facts. I didn't say it was right, but it happens.

As for OJ, yes, his lawyers chose a damned good jury. One of the consultants I work for worked with his lawyers.

[caseysmom]

In OJ's case his attorneys turned it into a race thing and used the black people on his jury like pawns. Other factors are counted in as well, like education level, etc.

I hope they someday execute David Westerfield, I don't know if anybody remembers his trial but he kidnapped, raped and killed a 7 year old girl. He is on death row in san quentin. Being white thankfully did not help him get out of his punishment.

[Lobodeb]

My mom had made a comment that Scott Peterson just got moved up, too.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I actually thought he should be allowed to live. Not set free, mind you, just allowed to live.

Why you ask? I think I'm starting to change my outlook on the death penalty. Do you realize that to belong to the European Union you cannot allow the death penalty? That means the majority of European countries do not allow the death penalty. A few countries that do....North Korea, Iran, the US. Now...if I remember right....weren't North Korea and Iran part of what was dubbed "the axis of evil"? Why or why would we partake in something that is so barbaric that the majority of the civilized world outlaws it and the part of the world we think is uncivilized does it?

I'm still confused on this whole issue because I've always been for the death penalty. It's hard not to justify killing someone who performs such heinous acts, but why do we think that just because they thought they had the right to take someone's life, that that gives us the right to take their lives?

I haven't really followed the details that much on this particular case, but it sounds like he did some pretty nasty things. However, now not only have we implemented the death penalty again, we have killed someone who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize - twice, if media reports are correct. How does that look to the rest of the "civilized" world? And I know people like Bush believe we don't need the rest of the world, but I beg to differ with him on that point......