My name is Gary Williams and I'm from Benton Harbor, Michigan. I am currently being held captive at Lakeland Correctional Factility on an unconstitutional charge of felony murder.
Now never did I want to be remembered in anyone's eyes as a murderer or just a misfit from Benton Harbor. However, in many eyes that will be the case. In life I have come to understand that we all grow in stages just like anything that is considered alive. While many things and people grow to maturity, others fall off and do not make it past the beginning stages.
I was a child who was always told what to do, how to do it, but I was never shown how to do it. Because it was assumed automatically that I or “we” should know how to do it because so many have failed doing the same thing. Then when I didn't stop doing what I was told not to do I was considered to be hard-headed, ignorant, crazy! It's like we know the math, but not the formula for the division. But if the formula is not ever shown or explained, why is the answer only given? That is how I felt. So until someone came and showed me how to do it right, I was aimless like blown dust.
My mother and grandma did a great job. But those streets taught me things that neither of them could...things like my ability to survive, and learning how to deal with different personalities, how to provide for myself (depending on me when I can't depend on anyone else). It taught me about false love and loyalty as well.
So as I look back in hindsight it was my strength as well as my downfall, because the good lessons I learned I understand now. But the bad lessons I moved off of and didn't have the formula. So the experiment blew up! Now I'm onto a new project, understanding the true knowledge of self.
The majority of the unguided in our world are caught up in a drought, meaning we do not have deep roots that will help provide the necessary water (knowledge, understanding, love) when we need it most. If one does not feel loved or cared for, then it is even harder to love or care about oneself! So then self-destruction begins to take place, whether it's by drugs, suicide, mental genocide.
However, we have many who try hard to bring forth this knowledge to the masses, but unfortunately we have those who want the masses to remain dry! That way they can continue to use us as tools. Therefore, they are working twice as hard for that knowledge not to reach the masses, especially the youth! And, it is done by all of thes faulty images through TV programs, music, schools, etc. There are positive networks out there, however, they aren't being promoted as they should. So the degrading of women, materialism, and drug money is what's encouraged.
Then we have these schools that provide books and lessons they had when I was going to them, which were a complete shame. But try to imagine this...say someone is starving and you push a steak in front of him and he doesn't eat it, naturally we would ask him what's wrong with him, and not take a second to think if it's something wrong with the steak.
Those are just some of my thoughts that I want to share with you. I pray that some of it will provide thought, conversation, and change.
Thank you,
Gary Williams
By Rev. Edward Pinkney
I want to talk about the hearing on April 14. It was a major victory for us. We exposed a corrupt system. It showed they will do anything to crush you. They will lie, cheat, even kill, if necessary. We, the people, had the opportunity to actually see them in operation. The judge and the prosecutor work hand in hand with one goal: to keep me in prison for a crime that was never committed.
We’re dealing with people, government and the corporations—all working together. It is a true example of fascism. Nobody would believe that they would go to such extremes to keep the people down. It’s the rich against poor, the haves against the have-nots.
We must continue to fight this battle until the people understand. We must start educating the people so they will know exactly what to do. This is not conflict. We are at war. We must continue this fight until we win. There are more of us than them.
The problem is we are not educating the people enough so they can stand up and fight for what is right. Even here at Lakeland Correctional Facility, the people have been beat down so low they can hardly walk around with their head up. The medical conditions are unheard of. Michigan does not have a death penalty, but if you get sick here, you have almost a 75% chance of dying. I can’t imagine anything worse than being in prison. The conditions are unheard of. Food has been served with rocks and bugs in it. They have thrown food in the garbage and served it to the prisoners. Nobody deserves the cruel and unusual punishment that the people are receiving.
The poverty in the country and the prison system is going to get worse before it gets better unless the people around the country take a stand and say, “no more.”
We must continue to fight for each and every one and educate them on the things they need to know. We only get information that they want to give us. We have to reach out to other sections of the population falling into poverty. We have to get out newspapers like the People’s Tribune to help motivate us and take us to a whole different level.
The fight has just begun. We have no intention of stopping. Enough is enough.
Oh my friends, if there is one thing we must see today, it is that these are revolutionary times. All over the world, men and women, as never before, are rising up against the old systems of exploitation and oppression. Out of the wounds of a frail world, a new system of justice and equality will be born.
I speak out against injustice, not in anger, but with anxiety and sorrow in my heart, and above all, with a passionate desire to see our beloved country stand as a moral example to the world.
We must stand together, Black, White, Red, Brown, and all others.