Redemption

Project carried out by three students Cozzarin Michele, Gerometta Mattias and Coletto Elisa. If you wish to see what this powerpoint is linked to, view our school blog http://cristianaziraldo.altervista.org/category/our-school-projects/ and look for The Death Penalty

1. THE FILM “Redemption: The story of Stan Tookie Williams” is a 2003’s movie, directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall, with Jamie Foxx, starring Stanley Williams and Lynn Whitfield, starring Barbara Becnel. In this movie is explained the real story of Stan “Tookie” Williams, the founder of one of the most infamous street gang of Los Angeles, “The Crips”, who was arrested and then condemned to death in 1979, at the age of 26.

2. THE PLOT Some years after Stan's arrest, the writer and journalist Barbara Becneto decides to write a book about gangs and wants to interview Stan, who is confined because has fought with an inmate his first day of prision. At the beginning Stan does not trust Barbara, because he thinks that she will use him to make money, but then decides to work with her because wants the world to know his story. In prison he thought a lot and decided to change his mind and fight crime. Besides William’s story, is told Barbara’s one. She is a divorced woman who lives with her only child, Charles. They do not talk to each other very much and the boy behaves like a street gangster, so she thinks he may become a criminal. Barbara, worried for her son, makes up her mind and suggests Stan to write a book to sensitize the young people in order not to make them grow up as criminals. He also has a videoconference with some boys and girls (among them there is Barbara’s son too) to tell them what not-to-do. He receives the visit of Nelson Mandela’s wife for his job. But since he was condemned, he had been fighting for avoiding the death penalty, without being able to make it. However, the movie has an happy ending, because in the last scenes we find out that he was nominated for the Nobel Prize, even if he was still in jail.

3. STANLEY WILLIAMS Stanley Williams is the main character in the movie. He was born in New Orleans in 1953, but grew up in Los Angeles. He was the founder of the Crips, one of the worst street gang in the United States, in 1971, when he was only 18. His intention was not that of creating a group of criminals, but to protect his neighborhood. Stan was convicted of robbery and murder in 1979. He brutally killed 4 people for their race. In 1993 he started writing books for children, in order to save them from the violence in the streets. It is reported that he helped over 100’000 boys and girls with his novels. Since 2001 he got nominated for every edition of the Nobel Prize both for peace and literature, but never won. The movie was set in 2003, when he was still alive but died 2 years later, in 2005.

4. AFTER THE DEATH In fact, the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, denied his last appeal and the same year he died by lethal injection at San Quentin State Prison, in California. After his death, Barbara Becnel, the journalist who helped him writing the books, started campaigning against death penalty. Even the rapper Snoop Dogg, a former member of the Crips himself, and Jamie Foxx, the actor who impersonated him in the move, helped the woman in her battle.

5. THE FILM DIRECTOR ABOUT THE MOVIE Voundie Curtis-Hall discovers Stan's story after his first nomination to the Nobel prize and decides to share the story through a film; At the release of the film he hoped that his work could help Stan in winning his appeal; Some people criticise his choice because they maintain that a murderer does not deserve help;

6. MAIN THEMES Redemption; Death penalty; Gangs and urban violence; Police behaviour, Family relationships;

7. ANOTHER CASE OF REDEMPTION Ilan Fernandez used to be one of the most powerful colombian narcos, before was arrested at the age of 22. He spent 10 years in prison and now he is the owner of the clothes factory “De Puta Madre 69”. What happened to him?