Tookie's Mailbox

I understand the gravity of gang life first hand. However, with what Mr. Williams has accomplished and continues to accomplish, I wish to see his life spared so he can finish what he has started. I would be glad to sponsor him even if he was released. He has personally been instrumental in salvaging many youths that I know, including my son.

Reverend E. T. D.

Tookie receives hundreds of email notes and petition entries each week. Here are only a few of them. They inspire Tookie to continue working to save the lives of children everywhere. He can answer only a few of the notes that his supporters send to him.

On this page, all names are abbreviated -- or shown with first names only -- to maintain the correspondents' privacy.

Tookie's Mailbox

Hi Tookie!!!!
First of all I want to commend you for all that you have accomplished.

I am a Juvenile Detention officer. I wish there were some way the kids I work with could meet you. For the last three years I have met so many kids, mostly Hispanic, intensely involved in gangs. They are apparently brought into gangs to keep up some family tradition. I met one black kid who is 20 years old. He's been locked up for a dreadful crime while in a gang. When I met him I was taken by his intelligence. This young man was sent to the ______ Youth Comission at 14 years old and now at 20 he is in the _____ Department of Corrections. The young man is so inspirational that it hurts. When I met him he was supposed to be getting out but the system was holding him back. Like most kids he was sucked in this type of world due to the absence of a father or any a family structure to guide him. He writes beautiful letters filled with poems and songs he has written himself.

I am going to end this letter by saying that I wish you all the best in the world, and I hope that you do soon get out of prison and continue to help our teens around America.
God bless,
T.F.

Tookie's book on gangs helped my grandson to not want to be in any gangs. He just graduated from junior high and plans to go to high school and wants to be a police officer.
(from the petition to Gov. Schwartzenegger)

Dear Mr. Stanley
I am a young teenager from New York. I am not involved in any kinds of gangs, but I am very rebellious and I have a bad attitude. I was just introduced to your books two days ago and I already feel the need to change. Your stories are now a part of my motivation. Because with my attitude, I was heading down the same road you took, before you became the man you are today, one of my heroes. Thanks.

Dear Tookie,
I live in Decatur, Georgia. I first heard your story from your movie. Your story has made me a better person and has helped me on this tough road through the teenage years. As soon as I get a job I am planning to buy all of your books, the movies, and autobiography.
Yours truly,
C.P.G., Georgia (Age 15)

My name is J______ and I was a member of a Los Angeles street gang. I would just like to let you know how big of an impact your story had on my life. Your works have made me realize the self-destruction that my involvment in a gang was causing. I love you for that. I pray for you every night. I wish you the best of luck on any futher works. Thank you for saving my life.

Dear Tookie, i have showed about 6 people that are in the Crips out here your movie n' told them about you n' they have been in this gang for almost 4 years n' they are hard core people n' i have been a friend [of] them. now they are no longer banging the whole gang is now no longer a gang. they have jobs n' going to school n' most of them have A's n' B's. i am proud of them, n' it is because of you. you are a great person n' keep your head up! cuz, i am here for you n' i will do everything in my power to help in any way. cuz i believe in you. you have touched every ex- gang banger's heart there is sitll a lil more. keep your head up n' never give up, cuz. i will not! i am proud of u
take care. Jesse, Utah

Tookie
Myself and my son watched your movie the other night. The impression it made on me from long ago bangin and the impression it made on my son -- all i can say is thanks for the wisdom and courage you put into your word and work. I'm in the military as a police officer and GOD BLESS YOU. My son is at a very impressionable age right now. If it wasn't for your movie i think he would have gone the same route a lot of us did at our age (back then). My son has even stopped playing violent games.
Thanks and very respectfully,
Michael AKA Trippin

Dear Tookie,
My name is Antoinette and I'm 15 years old. Awhile back in November, me and some of my friends got arrested for auto theft. I am going through a lot of stuff right now behind all that. Along with me reading some of your stories and watching the movie "Redemption," my life has changed. I have a whole different perspective on life. I realized that gang life is no kind of life to be living at all. I was worried and so was my family about where this stuff was leading to. I was told that I could go to prison and I'm deathly scared of that, so I wanted to change for my own good. I didn't want to be doing any kind of a jail sentence. I would like to thank you for that and let you know that you have influenced my life and I was encouraged to do good.

Antoinette

hey tookie
my name is ben and i'm 16. i live in australia. the other night. i was arrested at the mcdonalds near my house and locked up. thankfully i got out on bail that night but the next day i read an story about you and it has changed my view on life. i was into all that gang shit because i thought it was cool but seeing where it has got you, i realized it is just stupid. i am now trying to focus on my education and fitness. i have also quit drugs because of you. thank you very much and i hope it all turns well for you.
your friend, ben

Tookie, I'd like to say thank you for saving my friend. You have saved his life. He got out while he still could. You are making things happen. Even if it's one kid here, one young adult there, it adds up over time. My friend watched the movie and broke down. Good men can get lost. They can also find their way to the road to redemption, which you did. I'm so glad that this movie came out when it did, and I'm so glad people are taking notice of you and your books now. Because I truly believe that my friend had only another year before he was on death row, or dead somewhere in an alley because of a fight. I'm so thankful to you. I believe you are a man of your word. And through your words, and people like my friend who has gotten out, and others who have gotten out, and people like me who truly believe there can be a change, we can stop this madness. I love you for all that you have done, and all that you are going to do. To me you are one of America's unrecognized heros. I thank you, Mr. Williams. I thank you.

Courtney

After watching the movie on Mr. Williams many of my gang banging friends got out while they could. For that I see him as a hero.
K.J.

I used ta be a crip but I watched tha movie. It helped me a lot in seeing that bangin blue aint nuthin .I can do without the trouble. Tookie kept me from bein behind barz. I'm stayin out of jail and keepin my head up all cuz of him.... He deserves to live. He helped people live and stay off the streets.
Joy

Tookie, I don't know how else to say it but thank you. I was told about you a few years ago, but i wasn't trying to hear about how someone could straighten out. I wasn't mature enough at the time to draw the parallel. I was hospitalized a while back and had ample opportunity to research your work, and while I started out just wanting to be able to dispute the argument against me, it made me realize something. I am responsible for my own actions and once I realized that it became apparent that I got no excuse for living a fucked up life, excuse the profanity. You made me realize being the baddest cat in the hood isn't the answer to anything. I was hurting and using people as I saw fit to benefit myself. Now, if the creator of the crips can turn it around, why can't I? I know it takes a lot of resolve to become a good person, when old habists are easy to come by and hard to break, and while I strive to turn it around, like you did, I know I'm going to stumble on my path. But one day at a time. I don't know what tomorrow brings, so I'll try to do my best right now. You are an inspiration to many. And the example you set saved my life. I'll thank God for you every day.

M.N., New Jersey

ah brah--
God bless you as you blessed so many of us. Your testimony has made a inpact on my life.

thanks, b

hi tookie
this is chris. I just want to tell you that your book Life In Prison changed my mind about prison. I am telling all my friends about you and how you want peace in the world. Thank you Tookie for inspiring me and for making me look at life differently.

sincerely, chris

Tookie, Thanks for allowing others in this country to see your story in the film. I have personally grown up around violence and came from a broken home. My friends in my life have been drug dealers, murderers, and are now prison inmates. I was a victim of violence and physical abuse.

It took seeing your film to be completely honest with myself. I can finally live in peace! Thanks, Tookie.

A.G.
April 13

I think "Tookie's Corner" is a great place to research information not just on Stanley Williams himself, but also to gather information on possible solutions for gang violence. I lost my cousin to a gang-related drive-by. So seeing that there are people out there who are fighting for this violence to stop gives me peace knowing that there are people who care. And those people are trying to make sure that drive-bys and other criminal acts don't happen to other families. Tookie, I greatly applaud you and admire you.
Michele

To The Governor:
I am an 8th-grade history teacher in California. I have read all of Stan's books to over 300 students. We were the first school group to ever speak to a death-row inmate [Mr. Williams] over a speakerphone. Because of this, 15 of my students will be featured soon in a "60 Minutes" segment on his work. I pray you will find a way to grant clemency to Stanley Williams so that he can continue to help young people around the world make good choices about gangs and drugs. Mr. Williams' books have had a positive effect on my students, many of whom would be classified as "at risk."

R.W.

Tookie,
Thank you for all your efforts. I want to say that because of you I quit gangbanging and I'm following your example by helping the youth in my area w/ other things so they do not go the way I did.
D.W.

Yo tookie,
my name is P____, i am a latino from calgary alberta canada...and although this is canada there is still a lot of organized crime and a lot of drugs and a lot of gangs...i am 16. i joined a gang when i was 12...kidz here try 2 be like L.A. gangsterz but will never come close...i was stupid like those other kidz. i started doin a little bit of jail time here at the calgary young offenders centre...during the time i was there i read your book life in prison and saw the movie redemption. ever since i have been tryin 2 clean up off the drugz and i have also been makin an effort 2 stop my very violent wayz...i have already been in and out of jail 18 timez in a period of just 3 yearz...i am off probation and community supervision which is parole for young offenders here in alberta and have cut down on the crime ever since i last got out of jail about a month ago...thankz 2 yur book and video i'm goin 2 change my life around..no matter how many timez my boyz call me a bitch i'll do whatever 2 stop this destructive way of life. i really do not wanna see the federal pen.

Dear Tookie,
I joined the Crips in Indiana when I was 16. My father was in the Army and we moved around every 3 years. I joined the Army National Guard when I was 22 and served 8 years. I am now a professional businessman, but I don't forget where I came from and what I know. Along with two friends, we saw a lot of boys and girls on the street with nothing constructive to do, no parents involved, etc. We started a drill team called Set Time - the kids picked out the name because they said it is "their time". We do military-style marching for kids ages 4 and up. We have mime dancers, rifles, sabres, flags, percussion section and then just the drill team portion. We have a mandatory 75% or better with regular school visits to encourage them academically. If they need tutoring, we get them there and make sure they get it. We have mandatory 30 hours a year of community service like clean sweeps in the neighborhood. And then we have character building workshops. Our core values are integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do. We teach them self-respect, respect for others, discipline and give them the support a lot of them are looking for on the street.

We use your books in some of our classes. THANK YOU! I wish they could meet you in person. We are working towards obtaining full scholarships for those that stay through graduation. It's all about the kids. I pray for you, my brother. But know that you have shown your faithfulness and you will be rewarded. Your father will make you a ruler over this seed that you planted...he will not let you be taken away. He that has begun a good work in you shall complete it - keep the faith and know in your heart that the love is out there. If there is anything you need help with in this journey - don't hesitate to ask!

dchIV

Dear Mr. Williams, I am a 16 year old kid living in San Francisco. I wanted to personally thank you for saving my life. I have been an outcast at my school, but I maintain an outstanding G.P.A. and I am a starter on the football team at middle linebacker. After reading about your life I have quit a drinking problem I have had for a while. Nobody knows about it at all, but I have quit. Also, you have taught me how to live peacefully and that life is too short to be angry all of the time. This problem plagued me when I would fight and beat anybody who challenged me until they started to bleed. I am a changed young man thanks to you, and I no longer put my hands on anyone except on the football field. I still feel alone though. Things with my parents have not been going to well. They fight, and I feel that they will soon get a divorce. I do have a girlfriend. She keeps me focused and I love her very much. Mr. Williams, I want to thank you again, and I want to let you know that you are in my daily prayers. Stay strong and please continue to spread your message. You are a modern day saint. God Bless You. -
Sincerely, W. M.

Tookie,
I don't know if you will read this but if you will have someone tell you that I wrote this to you, it would be greatly appreciated.

I watched the movie "Redemption" on FX last Sunday night and I'm pretty sure it has saved my life.

I was about to get into a "clique" with some of my friends because there are gangs forming more and more around where we live. We were going to form the Diablos to protect ourselves, just like you and the Crips. Before this movie I was very interested in gangs and I got friends that are in a gang that are with the Crips, so I did research on the Crips and found out about Raymond Washington and how the gangs formed. I decided to watch the movie.

The Monday after I the movie I went to school and told Turtle (our leader) that I wanted out. He told me no you can't get out and all that but I stuck with my word, today is the day after I did that. He comes comes up to me after school and grabs me and tells me they need me.I told him I didn't want it because I saw how it is. I just was researching you tonight and found Tookie.com and I wanted to email to tell you how much I am thankful for your movie. You have saved my life. One more soul won't end up in the prison system. I am going to buy your book "Life In Prison" and try and help my friends to see how it is before they start Diablos.

Thank you once again, Mr. Williams, you have saved my life. I have said this many times, but every day I think about how it would be to be in prison and about gangs and I am so thankful for that movie. It probably will save many souls just like me.

I hope if you get this that you will write me back so I know that this was read and that you know that you have saved my life.

Signed,
R.P.
April 15

Hello Tookie:
I am a college instructor who teaches race and ethnic relations. I watched your movie last night. It was powerful. I feel confident that it will accomplish what you intended it to do.

Each semester I read a quote that you gave to an interviewer from Mother Jones who asked about anger being at the core of a lot of street violence. You stated: "That anger that we talk about is self-hate. On a daily basis these youngsters digest negative stereotypes about blacks, and eventually they end up believing them and acting them out in life." It is important for my students to hear this message and to understand the consequences of prejudice and discrimination, behavior that wounds and pierces the soul of an individual.

I am sending a letter to the Governor in hopes that you will be pardoned.

Sincerely,
L.E.
April 18, 2004

Mr. Williams,
I would like to take a moment to share the effect your books, movie and website is having on the juveniles in my rehabilitation program:

1) Dictionaries are going off the shelf faster than I can buy them
2) More books are being borrowed from the library than before
3) Juveniles are telling me and writing me that they are changing their ways, that they are working harder at school.

A sample is this: a letter to me from a 16-year-old juvenile, Z_____ R_____, who is serving time in an adult prison. "Thank you for writing me about Tookie Williams and sending me information about him. I like the Tookie Williams story. It encouraged me to pay attention to my school work while it lasts. And get my own mind focused on my weak points. My teacher tells me now I'm the fastest worker in class, I'm the best student in class. My comprehension skills are above average."

W.H., Juvenile Rehabilitation Officer, Florida

Your commitment toward children and their well-being is truly inspiring. You are in my prayers.
Stephanie