Rapper Snoop Dogg (right) walks in a protest for Stanley 'Tookie' Williams in San Quentin, California recently. - REUTERS
LOS ANGELES (AP):
JAMIE FOXX stepped into the spotlight at his latest movie premiere with more than the usual publicity drill in mind.
Don't let it happen, the actor urged - don't let the state of California execute Stanley 'Tookie' Williams, the convicted murderer and Crips gang co-founder who's been recast behind bars in the role of peacemaker.
Foxx is not alone. An unusually varied collection of Hollywood stars and other famous names are trying to persuade Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger that Williams, who has become a celebrity in his own right, can do more for society alive than dead.
Williams' supporters range from the holy (Archbishop Desmond Tutu) to the streetwise (rapper Snoop Dogg, himself once a Crip).
Whether a movie-star governor is more inclined to consider their pleas for clemency is debatable. But the chorus is only growing louder as Williams' December 13 execution by lethal injection approaches.
His supporters cite Williams' efforts to curb youth gang violence, including nine children's books and an online project linking teenagers in America and abroad. A Swiss legislator, college professors and others repeatedly have submitted his name for Nobel peace and literature prizes.
Last weekend, Snoop Dogg told about 1,000 people rallying outside San Quentin State Prison that Williams' activism has touched him.
"His voice needs to be heard," said the musician, whose new song, Real Soon, touts Williams' anti-gang efforts.
Foxx, who played Williams in Redemption, a 2004 movie which brought the death row inmate's story to a wider audience, used the New York premiere of Jarhead to issue his plea.
In a jailhouse interview last week, Williams said he is unimpressed by his prominent supporters ("I'm blasé about everything") and relies on his attorneys to evaluate the benefit of efforts on his behalf.
