LOS ANGELES - Here in Tookie Williams' home town, there were a number of protests and vigils held in the final hours before the state’s execution of Stan Tookie Williams. The execution is reported to have taken 36 minutes and the procedure was fraught with complications. According to reports from the witness chamber, after Williams was pronounced dead some of his supporters in the room raised their fists and yelled in unison
“The State has just executed an innocent man!”
In Los Angeles there was a vigil held at Leimert Park, people gathered at the gates to the governor’s mansion in Brentwood, there was a vigil in Westwood and a march through Westwood to the St. Paul the Apostle Parish where there were speeches by death penalty opponents including California State Assemblyman Paul Koretz, Los Angeles City Councilman, Bill Rosendahl and human rights activist Bianca Jagger. Despite speculations of rioting made by corporate media outlets, there have been no reports of any violence following the execution.
Video from the newswire: Protest March Against Execution by the State. / / Bill Rosendahl speaks out against the Death Penalty / /
Paul Koretz, California State Assemblyman, 42nd District and AB-1121
Follow up report: Monday Night’s Protests Against State Execution