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Options for Crips Founder on Death Row Dwindle

Stanley "Tookie" Williams, co-founder of the Crips gang, says he is prepared to die if California proceeds with plans to execute him on Dec. 13. Wednesday night, Williams phoned from San Quentin Prison to thank supporters for urging California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to stop the execution.

Since his murder conviction, Williams has renounced his gangster lifestyle, written children's books, and been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize -- which supporters cite in their arguments for clemency.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

As an arts correspondent based at NPR West, Mandalit del Barco reports and produces stories about film, television, music, visual arts, dance and other topics. Over the years, she has also covered everything from street gangs to Hollywood, police and prisons, marijuana, immigration, race relations, natural disasters, Latino arts and urban street culture (including hip hop dance, music, and art). Every year, she covers the Oscars and the Grammy awards for NPR, as well as the Sundance Film Festival and other events. Her news reports, feature stories and photos, filed from Los Angeles and abroad, can be heard on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, Alt.latino, and npr.org.