Redemption

I wrote Hustler's Prayer the other day. It was for myself. But it was for a lot of other also in similar boats. Boats that have them barely afloat. Boats that have them adrift. Boats trapped in endless hurricane-like weather conditions.

But like Nas and Damien Marley say, "you got to keep on walking, on the road to Zion."

It's funny how twisted life's ironies can be.

In less than four hours, the state of California will execute the 12th man since it began doing capital punishment again in the 1970s.

Stanley "Tookie" Williams is in jail guilty of murdering four people in the year of my birth. Four lives were lost at the hand of some dIckhead, but Williams insists he was innocent. The facts of the case are what they may be, but Williams has since dedicated his life to ant-gang rehtoric and activism focused on preserving the lifes of those youth in the streets most susceptible to a life of crime and sense of belonging that comes with joining a street gangs.


I find it ironic that Jamie Foxx played Williams in a powerful movie, Redemption, much in the same vein that Denzel Washington played Rubin "Hurricane" Carter in Hurricane. The crazy shT is that I met Carter in 2001. Well actually, he was my buddy for a day as me and me homie KY organized a lecture and arranged for Carter to fly to Bean and give a speech and receive some awards from our organization. I had the pleaseure of being the limo driver and hotel escort and it was definitely a moving experience. As you may recall, Carter was a prize fighter (boxer) back in the day who was found guilty of murdering several people in Jersey, yet he mantained his innocence.

After years of activism, the truth finally set him free. And for the life of me, I cannot get the parallel between the two men out of my head.

What if Carter had given up afte all those denied appeals over the years and just succumbed to a sense of hopelessness. I would have never have met him. His words of perseverance and vigilance would never have resouneded around the world.

Yet, we brng it back to the reality. Ain't no fairy tale shT here. As many people as Schwarzenegger has killed in movies over the years, it was finally announced officially that Williams clemency petition was denied by the California governor.

I don't like violence. I don't like crime. I don't like gangs. I understand the need for all of them under certain circumstances, but there's some shT that you just don't need to be doing, feel me? However, I do believe in the power of the human spirit. in the ability of a man to change his life around. I've seen it happen. Hell, I even could have gone a different route had I not made some strategic life decisions and sacrifices of my own. Yet, with time comes growth. We all grow old. We all grow up. The timing may vary by individual, but it spritual epiphanies are not abnormal. It's a part of life. I just find it unfortunate that Williams life will not be spared in view of his post-conviction commitment to the future; our misguided urban yout out there struggling to find their way and make sense of the daily struggle. I can only hope that his execution will not lead to the further disillusionment of a new generation of brothers teetotaling on the egde of life or death; good or evil; street shT or productive livlihoods.

So pour a li'l something out for Tookie. Guilty or not; his impact of inspiring a generation of brothers to cleanse their souls of their sins and seek redemption should not be forgotten or taken lightly.

Shout-out to all the reformed soldiers out there striving to commit themselves to making their tomorrow today.