San Quentin Death Row Inmate a Nobel Nominee

SAN FRANCISCO —  San Quentin death row inmate and Crips street gang cofounder Stanley “Tookie” Williams has been nominated for the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize, a member of the Swiss parliament confirmed Saturday.

Parliament member Mario Fehr nominated Williams and said the inmate has changed the lives of others through the series of children’s books he has written and through international peace efforts.

“I think he has done extraordinary work,” Fehr said in a telephone interview Saturday. “For these young kids that are in these street gangs, I think it is one of the only opportunities to get close to them. To get them out of the street gangs.”

Williams was said to be surprised by the nomination.

“He was positively stunned,” said Barbara Becnel, a journalist who edits Williams’ writings. “He was wide-eyed like a child and really excited and he was also very humbled by it.”

She broke the news of the nomination to Williams in person on a recent prison visit, she said.

Williams, 46, and high school buddy Raymond Washington joined forces and created the Crips in 1971 as an alliance to combat rival gangs in East Los Angeles.

In 1981, Williams was convicted of killing four people.

His first book was published in 1996 and he has published seven since. His latest book is “Life in Prison,” a first-person book targeted at sixth-graders that chronicles life behind bars in San Quentin.

Williams also created the Internet Project for Street Peace, which links at-risk California and South African youths together through e-mail and chat rooms, allowing them to share their experiences and transform their lives.

Abdulahi Mohamud uses the project in his work with Somali youths living in Switzerland. The Internet Project for Street Peace helps youths communicate with their counterparts in California who are trying to distance themselves from gang life. Mohamud applauded Williams’ efforts and was instrumental in getting him nominated.

“He’s a great man. We are happy to nominate him,” Mohamud said.

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, ex-wife of former South Africa President Nelson Mandela, visited Williams last year and called the two hours she spent with the death row inmate the highlight of her trip to California.

A five-member awards committee gives no hints and never releases the names of peace prize nominees, only the number--a record 150 this year. However, those nominating others for the award often divulge their choices in advance.

Members of national assemblies and governments, and members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union are among those entitled to nominate candidates. The 2001 Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded on Dec. 10, 2001.

Fehr said Williams’ violent past did not diminish his qualifications for the award. “Everyone can change his life, no matter what mistakes someone has done,” Fehr said