Monday, July 20, 2009

St. Joe is a strange place when your skin has more melanin

Boycott Everything in St. Joe

Planting drugs on citizens to improve a policeman's job performance is such a surreal act. Is it possible that a white police officer in Benton Harbor could hold a variety of drugs in his locker to use as false evidence by planting them in black mens' cars or houses or on their persons? Yes. Could this heinous act be discovered through complaints from citizens and the officer get punished? Yes. Could the sentence fit the crime, as determined by Judge Robert Holmes Bell in federal court? No.

The unimaginable criminal behavior of Andrew Collins, a 26 year old white male, took place in no other than Benton Harbor, Michigan. He planted drugs. The drugs were found in his professional locker. He did this over and over and a minimum of 200 Benton Harbor residents were found guilty of drug possession. This was so easy. Everyone knows that black men of Benton Harbor are deep in drug activity. Right? Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. This stereotype must be challenged.

It must have been a real power trip for Andrew Collins. Sociopathology enjoys seeing others in pain and sociopathology loves to have power over others' lives. This is a difficult concept for most to understand. Andrew Collins will remain a dangerous man even after the 37 months in prison and the 4 years of supervised release. Sociopaths are really not curable. The sentence does not fit the extent of the crime. Particularly after looking at the now absolved sentencing (3-10 years) given to the Reverend Pinkney for paraphrasing the Bible or the sentencing of the victims for having drugs in their cars. St. Joe, where all this takes place, is a strange place when your skin has more melanin.

Is Benton Harbor passive to the oppression? Not any more. Demario Allen, a 25 year old African-American male was an indirect victim of Andrew Collins. He was one of the Benton Harbor residents who filed a complaint that Collins had planted drugs on his brother and himself. He was arrested for an alleged domestic issue several months ago. Once in jail, police claimed he possessed drugs, which was impossible given the thorough search a prisoner is subjected to upon entry. He received a sentence of 15 - 40 years in state prison for drug possession. The sentencing was done by Berrien County Judge Bruce. This sentence will not go unnoticed outside of St. Joseph. The comparison of the sentences is the writing on the wall.

Quacy Roberts is another Benton Harbor African-American male victimized by Andrew Collins and recently, by other cops. He is filing a lawsuit. Benton Harbor will not accept the police state as created by Rep. Upton and St. Joe as an acceptable means of boosting the community. The recent grant received by the golf course developers and Fred Upton includes $500,000.00 It will be used to continue sentencing African-American males in an attempt to make the wealthy golfers and their wives "safe" - another sign of the St. Joe mentality. Just think of the parks, playgrounds, Boys and Girls Clubs that could have been started in Benton Harbor with that money (part "Stimulus Dollars" from the federal connection of Fred Upton?) Instead, we like to lock them up, spend tax payers money on Fred Upton's personal fraternity boy agenda. He has the police behind him. --K.T.Schmidt

BOYCOTT EVERYTHING IN ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN