San Quentin, Calif. ? Rapper Snoop Dogg urged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Saturday to grant clemency to convicted murderer and Crips co-founder Stanley Tookie Williams so he can continue his work with young people.

“Stanley Tookie Williams is not just a regular old guy, he’s an inspirator,” the rapper and former Crips member told a crowd of about 1,000 outside San Quentin State Prison.

Williams, 51, is set to be executed Dec. 13. He was convicted in 1979 of murdering four people during two robberies in Los Angeles. He has exhausted his appeals and has asked Schwarzenegger for clemency.

Schwarzenegger said this past week that he was “dreading” the decision.

Williams founded the Crips with a childhood friend in 1971 in Los Angeles. In prison, however, he gained international acclaim for writing children’s books about the dangers of gang life.