Four Stars
From KRCB Voice of Youth Radio.

?As we get to the exit I?m feeling weird ?cause someone will die tonight,? writes 19-year old Greg Shimada on the night of Stan ?Tookie William's? death last year. He and his friends are driving to San Quentin, to join the crowd outside protesting Tookie Williams death by lethal injection. This piece gives the sounds of the night and the thoughts in Shimada?s head as the execution goes down.

Much has been written about Tookie Williams? and his death and death penalty.
I was interested in seeing how this would stand up. But Shimada is disarming and vibrant as storyteller and channeler of this unusual event, where vendors sell cocoa and socialist newsletters to the crowd. He and his young friends are the ideal interpreters of this Deathapalooza.

Shimada does a great job gathering interesting and well-recorded sound. The tight mix and his casual read bring the carnival atmosphere outside San Quentin to life. The anticlimactic offset of Williams? death is also done well.

This would make a great one-year anniversary piece on Williams? death ? December 13, 2005. It could be used as a cutaway or as a topper in a magazine format.

Anthea Raymond
Editorial Board
Los Angeles
July 30, 2006