Crips are a Los Angeles-based street gang notorious for involvement in several illegal activities. These activities involve auto theft, extortion, robbery, fraud, assault, burglary, drug dealing, and even, murder. The majority of this gang’s members are of African-American origin. According to Britannica, they usually wear blue clothing and have a strong rivalry with another infamous street gang called Bloods.
The truth about the origins of Crips is often disputed. Some believe that two high school students, Stanley “Tookie” Williams and Raymond Washington, founded it in 1971 to shield them from gang violence. However, there are even others who believe that the Black Panthers inspired Washington to form Crips. Initially, during its inception in 1969, the idea of Crips was to be a political group. However, it gradually transitioned into a gang.
Raymond Washington became a victim of a fatal drive-by shooting in 1979, while Stanley Williams was executed in 2005. In 1979, authorities arrested Williams for the murder of four individuals and sentenced him to death in 1981. Authorities used lethal injection to terminate him.
In the year 2008, a documentary titled Crips and Bloods: Made in America showcased the rise and intense rivalry between Crips and Bloods. Stacy Peralta directed this documentary.
According to IMDb, the synopsis of Crips and Bloods: Made in America reads, “With a first-person look at the notorious Crips and Bloods, this film examines the conditions that have lead to decades of devastating gang violence among young African Americans growing up in South Los Angeles.”
Crips and Bloods: Made in America is available to stream for free on the YouTube channel Free Movies By Cineverse.
How old was Stanley Williams at the time of his death?
At the time of Stanley Williams’ death, he was 51 years old. Authorities executed him on December 13, 2005, by lethal injection at the San Quentin State Prison. However, before his execution, thousands of protesters were outside the prison who were demanding Williams’ clemency.
Even though, he did not utter any final words to the prison warden, WBAI Pacifica radio took his interview hours before his execution. In the interview he said, “My lack of fear of this barbaric methodology of death, I rely upon my faith. It has nothing to do with machismo, with manhood, or with some pseudo former gang street code. This is pure faith, and predicated on my redemption. So, therefore, I just stand strong and continue to tell you, your audience, and the world that I am innocent and, yes, I have been a wretched person, but I have redeemed myself.”
He further said, “And I say to you and all those who can listen and will listen that redemption is tailor-made for the wretched, and that’s what I used to be … That’s what I would like the world to remember me. That’s how I would like my legacy to be remembered as: a redemptive transition, something that I believe is not exclusive just for the so-called sanctimonious, the elitists.”
Stanley Williams was born on December 29, 1953, in New Orleans, Louisiana. His mother’s name was Louisiana Williams.
