News Advisory

THE GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA www.cagreens.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, December 6, 2005

Contact(s):

Susan King 415.823-5524 funking at mindspring.com

Pat Driscoll 916.320-6430 pat at sonicfrog.com

Beth Moore Haines 530.277-0610 beth at ncws.com

Green Party of California asks the governor

to spare life of Stanley ‘Tookie' Williams

at upcoming clemency hearing date

SACRAMENTO (December 6, 2005) – As the only major political party opposed

to the death penalty, the Green Party of California – in a letter

hand-delivered to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today – asked the state's

chief executive to spare the life of Stanley "Tookie" Williams, now

scheduled to be executed Dec. 13.

The GPCA, in its letter, thanked Gov. Schwarzenegger for scheduling a Dec.

8 clemency hearing to "review the death penalty case," and requested the

governor consider "the importance of the life of Stanley ‘Tookie' Williams,

the negative social and economic impact of the death penalty, and spare Mr.

Williams' life."

"The Green Party rejects the notion of capital punishment as a viable crime

deterrent, and we urge you to grant clemency in this case," said the

letter, which was also e-mailed and sent by facsimile to the governor.

"The campaign to save Stan Williams is particularly urgent, and the Green

Party platform is clear on this issue: the death penalty is wrong, under

any circumstances," said Susan King, a GPCA spokesperson. "We know innocent

people have been executed. The death penalty does not deter crime, and has

disproportionately affected the poor and people-of-color."

The Greens noted that, among other issues in Mr. Williams' case, there is

compelling evidence that racism was a major contributing factor to his

conviction. The prosecutor was able to secure a conviction by effectively

barring all African Americans from the jury.

Mr. Williams has become a leader in speaking out against gangs and

violence, and written nine childrens books about the dangers of gang life

which have touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people all

over the world. He has developed a Protocol for Street Peace which has

been used by rival gangs around the country and the world to broker gang

truces. In recognition of his work, Stanley Williams has been nominated for

the Nobel Peace Prize five times and has been nominated for the Nobel

Prize for Literature four times.

##