Question

PART A: Williams is quoted in the text stating that he is "innocent." In a few sentences, explain what Williams means by "innocent." Is Williams denying that he committed crimes?(STANLEY WILLIAMS)

Answer 1

Answer:

He was not denying the crimes he committed, but claiming that he had changed and it was no longer that person who committed crimes. His new self was innocent, because the old was no more.

Explanation:

Stanley Williams was a great activist against the formation of street gangs and the involvement of children and adolescents with these gangs. However, he was a street gang member, even participating in serious crimes that sentenced him to death.

He became an activist while on death row, where he repented and redeemed himself for all the harm he had done. Williams became someone else on death row and so he claimed he was innocent. He did not deny any crime he committed, but he reinforced that redemption transformed him and made him clean and innocent.