Execution of Stanley Williams a Disturbing Scene
PHILLIPS: The Royal Caribbean Cruise Line says it was an accident, but George Smith's parents say they suspect foul play in the disappearance of their son during a Mediterranean cruise. They are planning to sue. The Connecticut family also came to Capitol Hill to attend congressional hearings about the cruise industry. George Smith's sister, Bree, spoke to reporters.</s>BREE SMITH, MISSING MAN'S SISTER: We have been in silence for the past five and a half months for two different reasons. The first is that we wanted to mourn in private. We did not want to share our private views about my brother's loss at that time with the media. Additionally we were respecting the FBI's wishes. As you know the FBI is conducting a very active investigation into the suspicious circumstances surrounding my brother's death. At the request of the FBI we have kept our silence. However, now with the hearing before us today, we think it's our time to come forward to speak with the press. I'd like to discuss what our goals in the hearing today would be. Tragedies like my brother's and my family's should not be treated as business as usual. My brother is not a mere insurance liability. He was very loved, as I mentioned, and it's not a matter of dollars and cents. It's a matter of protecting U.S. citizens that are aboard cruise ships whether they are traveling within the United States or without the United States. We'd like to educate the people and Congress on the dangers of cruising.</s>PHILLIPS: And right now those congressional hearings are underway to examine international maritime security. One major question, who has jurisdiction over some of the cruise ships, especially if they are in international waters. Representatives from the Department of Defense, U.S. Coast Guard and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the cruise lines have been invited to testify. You may have heard a lot this week, and for weeks before, about the life and death of Stanley Tookie Williams. It seemed to generate conflict and passion, anger and anguish. And for a quadruple murderer turned anti-gang crusader and children's book author, not even execution went by the book. Steve Lopez witnessed Williams' the final moments as a member of the media pool at San Quentin prison. He joins us now from his news room at the "Los Angeles Times." Appreciate you being with me, Steve.</s>STEVE LOPEZ, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": Thanks for having me.</s>PHILLIPS: I read what you wrote and it was short, sweet, to the point. I want to get to that in just a moment. But first of all, give me a feel for what it was like, what you witnessed, what was probably the most memorable, say, moment for you as you spent time sort of waiting up to the point and after ward.</s>LOPEZ: Well, it was quite a bit of waiting. It's hours and hours for the witnesses. You're finally ushered into this death chamber and it's kind of like a little amphitheater. It's a little auditorium and there's a stage. The stage is this glass enclosed chamber and here comes Tookie Williams. He's led by guards. He showed no resistance. He got up on to this table that looks like a converted dentist chair and they laid him out. Strapped him down. There were a few points of drama other than just the moment of his entering the death chamber. He kept lifting his head up and looking around at all of the people in the room, in particular looked at some of his supporters and a couple them appeared to be saying, we love you, god bless you. There were clenched fist salutes. At one point he looked over at the media for a long look. There were those things. The next point of drama was that they appeared to have trouble getting a vein tapped. It took forever to get into the vein on his left arm so that they could begin the lethal injection. He at one point seemed to be looking at them in wonderment. Come on, aren't you guys qualified to do that properly? So there was all of that, and then in the end, once he had died and we were on our way out, three -- it looked like three of his supporters, yelled out in unison, "The State of California just killed an innocent man."</s>PHILLIPS: I want to read part of what you wrote, talking about his execution. You're saying, "In a nation that preaches godly virtue to the world while resisting a global march away from the medieval practice of capital punishment. I would have had no problem leaving Williams locked up with his regrets and haunted by his deeds for the rest of his natural life. I watched a man die today, killed by the state of California, with institutional resolve and wondered what we gained." How is this -- first of all is this the first execution you have watched?</s>LOPEZ: It is.</s>PHILLIPS: How has that changed you? Has it changed you, number one, as a journalist, number two, personally?</s>LOPEZ: Well, you know, it was on a lark I tossed my name into the ring. I didn't expect to be selected. Once I was I didn't give it much though. People kept asking me what my strategy was for handling this. My strategy was to not prepare and not deal with it. It's a bit of a shock when you get into the death chamber. Here is. He's taking his last walk. There's something about the lethal injection that makes the whole thing extra creepy and, you know, it's allegedly for the humanitarian concern about the man who is to be executed. I wonder if maybe it's more for us. It's easier to be in denial about the reality of the death penalty. We have in this country, in the past what is it 10 or 15 years, 122 death row inmate whose have been exonerated or granted new hearings. We have made mistakes in the past. We're going to continue to make them. I don't know what extra justice or satisfaction anybody gets from executing a man, rather than locking him up with his regrets, just haunted by his deeds for the rest of his natural life.</s>PHILLIPS: It's interesting you bring up the reality of the death penalty that it really hit home for you. Also, Steve, I think even as journalist living in Los Angeles we can't forget the reality of the Crips, as well.</s>LOPEZ: He's a bad guy. I think that those who oppose the death penalty keep picking the wrong guys to put on the poster. I think Mumia Abu Jamal killed the cop; I don't have any question about it. I think Tookie killed these people. I don't have any question about that. It might be better to fight the death penalty by finding out who is number 123 who is going to be exonerated on death row. Tookie did some bad things. I think he didn't really earn this redemption his supporters talked about. His final words should have called for the dismantling of the Crips. A lot of weeping mothers from something that he unleashed, and I don't hold him responsible for all of that, but I just don't think he owned up to it in the end. But why do we need to put him to death at the hands of the state? Is that something we want to pay our government to do? In my case the answer is no.</s>PHILLIPS: Steve Lopez, "Los Angeles Times", I enjoy reading your work, Steve. Thanks for your time. Stay with us, LIVE FROM has all the news you need this afternoon. We have more for you.