Sunday, January 25, 2009

Wolves Always Guard Henhouse in Berrien County, MI

(Summary of article; COMMENTARY IN CAPS)

[It cannot be emphasized enough that Berrien County is an example of corporatism, sometimes referred to as corporate facism: government and people controlled by corporation (Whirlpool). This applies especially to Benton Harbor where Whirlpool has been doing all in it's power to remove by any means necessary the African-American population in order to construct an enormous, oversized, environmentally ruinous resort for the wealthy. All things described by K. Allen in the partial article below can only happen with Whirlpool's approval and a lot of assistance from Paul Bailey's Sheriff Dept.]


Mingo: Proposed board is 'an attempt to be more transparent' in light of criminal investigations of city's police department
By K. Allen H-P 1/24/09

Benton Harbor residents may soon have a new outlet to air their grievances about the city's police department. [SO THEY'RE BEING TOLD.]

The City Commission is scheduled to decide at its next meeting, Feb. 2, whether to create a Citizen Police Review Board to address situations in which people may have been victims of police misconduct.

The Benton Harbor Police Department's image has been blemished by three criminal [cop]cases in the past few months. [DEFINITELY NOT THREE CRIMINAL COP CASES. PROBABLY OVER 100 CASES OF POLICE CRIMINAL CONDUCT IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS ALONE. THERE HAS BEEN NO REPORTING OF THESE CASES, AND NO ACTION TAKEN AGAINST THE COPS.]

Federal authorities indicted former narcotics detective Andrew Collins on drug trafficking charges Dec. 1, and Berrien County Prosecutor Arthur Cotter has requested dismissals of more than 20 convictions that were based on Collin's evidence or testimony. [THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT CHIEF AL MINGO AND COLLIN'S PARTNER BERNARD HALL SHOULD ALSO BE INDICTED ON THE SAME CHARGES. IF JUSTICE IS ACTUALLY CARRIED OUT IN BERRIEN, THERE WILL EVENTUALLY BE AT LEAST 100 DISMISSALS OF CONVICTIONS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE. PROSECUTOR ARTHUR COTTER HAD PRIOR KNOWLEDGE AND WAS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE DRUG PLANTING SCHEME FOR MANY YEARS.]

Michigan State Police are also investigating an Oct. 27 break-in at the department in which two guns, some police radios and paperwork were stolen. [CHIEF MINGO HAD PRIOR KNOWLEDGE AND WAS AN ACCESSORY TO THESE CRIMES.] Another case being investigated allegedly involves a former officer who sold abandoned and impounded cars. [CHIEF MINGO CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA, AND PUT AN OFFICER IN THE PUBLIC INSPECTION DEPT. SO HE COULD HAVE EASY ACCESS TO CARS TO TOW AND SELL ON EBAY.]

"In light of some of the things that have taken place, (the review board) is an attempt to be more transparent," Police Chief Al Mingo said in a phone interview. "We're in full rebuilding mode here. We're trying to do what we can to gain the confidence and trust of the community and just move forward." [CHIEF MINGO WILL GAIN THE MOST PUBLIC TRUST BY FIRING HIMSELF. THE OBVIOUS PROBLEM IS THEN TRUSTING WHIRLPOOL TO "INSTALL" A CHIEF OF INTEGRITY WHO WILL TRULY SERVE THE PUBLIC. BENTON HARBOR HAS BEEN WAITING A VERY LONG TIME FOR THIS.]

If approved, the review board would consist of four city commissioners and three citizens selected by the city manager and approved by the City Commission. Meetings would be held monthly but not be open to the public. [NOTE: "NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC." THIS MEETING AND ALL MEETINGS SHOULD BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. BY "CLOSING" MEETINGS, A CLEAR SIGNAL IS GIVEN THAT MEMBERS ARE OPERATING IN SECRET.]

[TO BE AN EFFECTIVE POLICE OVERSIGHT BOARD, IT SHOULD NOT HAVE FOUR CITY COMMISSIONERS, ONLY ONE. (WITH FOUR, THE OUTCOME OF EVERY MEETING CAN BE CONTROLLED BY THE COMMISSIONERS.)]

[THE POLICE OVERSIGHT BOARD SHOULD BE AT LEAST PARTIALLY ELECTED BY BENTON HARBOR RESIDENTS. THE QUESTION ARISES: WOULD WHIRLPOOL, MINGO, THE COMMISSIONERS, AND MARSH BE WILLING TO BE THIS DEMOCRATIC? THIS INDEPENDENT CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT BOARD SHOULD HAVE SUBPOENA POWER. WITHOUT IT, THE BOARD HAS NO POWER TO RECEIVE TESTIMONY FROM POLICE OFFICERS AND CITY RESIDENTS.]

[THE ONLY WAY THIS DECADES-OLD MESS CAN BE CLEANED UP IS WITH AN EFFECTIVE CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT BOARD WITH SUBPOENA POWER. NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE WITH BOARD MEMBERS CHOSEN BY COMMISSIONERS OR BY THE CITY MANAGER. POLICE ARE KNOWN FOR CORRUPTION, PROTECTING EACH OTHER, AND LYING.]

[WILL RESIDENTS STAND UP AND DEMAND REAL CHANGE FOR THE POLICE DEPT?]

Marsh said he already has asked Mingo to provide a report with a history of the Collins situation, the department's response to the former detective's alleged offenses and what policies could be implemented to prevent such a situation from happening again. [EVEN AFTER COLLINS WAS ARRESTED, DRUGS ARE STILL BEING PLANTED BY COPS WITH COTTER AND MINGO'S PRIOR KNOWLEDGE. DRUG PLANTING AS RECENT AS LAST WEEK HAS BEEN REPORTED.]