Stanley 'Tookie' Williams

Here is my message to the stapmother of Lora Owens:

What I would like to say to Mrs Owens, is that I have
no personal or political agenda or any axe to grind. I
merely think capital punishment is wrong. I am not a
christian, nor even a believer, but I believe in
forgiveness. Not only for the perpetratos, but also
and especially for the victims and/or their families.
I can't feel the pain you feel, but I know that it is
possible to forgive, as it has been recently shown in
the case of a murdered teenager in Britain. His
mother, a christian has said she forgives. Luckily, I
would say, in Britian there is no capital punishment.
What I am saying has nothing to do with redemption or
mitigating circumstances. It doesn't matter whether or
not Williams means what he says, or whether he is a
'changed man'. What matters is, as you call it,
closure. Closure for you, and a hope of closure
(redemption if you will) for him. I do not expect your
feelings to change at this point in time, but even if
he is put to death, I hope you eventually find it in
your heart to forgive, and to accept that capital
punishment is not an answer. Even if by then Williams
was dead, your change of heart would not be
meaningless.
I wish you strength in coming to a sense of closure.