"An Eye For An Eye Makes The World Blind." Mahatma Ghandi

My motivation for taking the photograph "Execution Day," was to share, with people, the events that unfolded outside the gates of San Quentin Prison during the execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams. Williams was one of the founding members of the South Central Los Angeles Street Gang, the Crips, and in 1981 was sentenced to death after being convicted of murdering four people.
He was executed at midnight on December 13, 2005.

Walking from my car to the entrance of the prison was unreal: blinding lights, cold weather, news cameras, motorcycles, cops, radios, helicopters, protesters, drums. Despite the commotion, what stood out to me were these two women, using their candle flames to stay warm, holding their signs:

"The Death Penalty is a Hate Crime."

"The Weak Can Never Forgive."

They were the first comforting sight I had seen all night.

Some common reasons for opposing the death penalty are: capital punishment is too expensive, methods used to kill inmates are tortuous, the death penalty is racist or the possibility of killing an innocent person makes it not worth it.

However, what these woman are saying is that the Death Penalty, itself, is hateful. Capital Punishment is an act of revenge, not of justice. What Capital Punishment does is say that it is okay to kill. By keeping the Death Penalty legal, our Government teaches us that under certain circumstance, people deserve to die. Our minds become conditioned to think and to accept the idea of a "justified death."

Feelings of wanting to execute someone, I believe, are rooted in the fear of what might happen if we let them live. Having thought about the death penalty and its impact of society, I cannot help but oppose it. Even if it means allowing a cold-blooded murderer to live. We must remember that allowing someone to live does not mean setting him or her free.