This is just terrible

Tookie Williams was executed.

Aside from the usual reasons why the death penalty, at least in practice, is horrible, this particular execution made very little sense. There were absolutely no unique benefits to killing this man that couldn’t have been gained by keeping him in jail for life. None. However, there were plenty of good things that could have happened, i.e. Tookie continuing his successful anti-gang outreach, saving hundreds of lives, which would have been gained had someone at some level stayed the execution.