Thursday, March 31, 2016

URGENT: A Call to Action

We are asking for action from everyone who believes in justice and freedom for political prisoner Reverend Edward Pinkney, #294671, in Marquette Branch Prison (1960 U.S. Hwy 41 South Marquette, MI 49855).

Please join us in calling Governor Snyder's office demanding that he remove Rev. Pinkney from a dangerous, hostile, racist environment at Marquette Branch Prison. Some of the prison guards are intimidating and harassing Rev. Pinkney. Guards are issuing tickets with no merit, only to have them accumulate to have Rev. Pinkney endure further cruel and unusual punishment at Marquette, one of the most racist prisons in Michigan.

Please call Gov. Snyder at 517–373-3400, or his Washington D.C. office at 202-624-5840, asking for Rev. Pinkney’s immediate release from prison.

Thank you,
Marcina Cole, Observers in the Court

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Who Polices Prosecutors Who Abuse Their Authority? Usually Nobody

Berrien County Prosecutor Mike Sepic colluded with Judge Sterling Schrock to violate Rev. Pinkney's constitutional rights at trial. Rev. Pinkney has been protesting prosecutorial misconduct in many defendants' cases for years. And it's not just Berrien County where prosecutors get away with breaking the law and violating rights of defendants. It's everywhere across the country.

Here are some recent articles and reports on the growing national conversation about prosecutorial misconduct.
" A ProPublica analysis of more than a decade's worth of state and federal court rulings found more than two dozen instances in which judges explicitly concluded that city prosecutors had committed harmful misconduct. In each instance, these abuses were sufficient to prompt courts to throw out convictions.

Yet the same appellate courts did not routinely refer prosecutors for investigation by the state disciplinary committees charged with policing lawyers. Disciplinary committees, an arm of the appellate courts, almost never took serious action against prosecutors. None of the prosecutors who oversaw cases reversed based on misconduct were disbarred, suspended, or censured except for Stuart. (Stuart declined repeated requests for an interview for this story.)

Nor were any but Stuart punished by their superiors in the city's district attorney offices. In fact, personnel records obtained by ProPublica show, several received promotions and raises soon after courts cited them for abuses."
"Johnson remains in prison even after the prosecutor, who handled his case and lied to a judge in an effort to convict him of murder, has been exposed and disgraced."

Friday, March 25, 2016

Occupy the PGA 2016 Is On!!!

Mark your calendars!

Join and share the facebook event!


Saturday, May 28 at 11 AM
City Hall Steps, 200 East Wall St., Benton Harbor, MI


Rev. Pinkney is in prison and Whirlpool and Harbor Shores hope that means we won't protest like we did in 2012 and 2014. Let's make this the biggest Occupy the PGA yet!

As we did in 2012 and 2014, we gather to protest in Benton Harbor to #OccupyThePGA & march on the 2016 Senior PGA tournament. Join & share across all your social media! Benton Harbor residents need your support in their struggles against corporate corruption at every level!

"It's not one thing, it's everything!" -political prisoner Rev. Edward Pinkney

  • The Senior PGA in Benton Harbor represents:
  • Gentrification of Benton Harbor and genocide of its Black residents by corrupt Whirlpool Corp...#BoycottWhirlpool
  • Theft of public parks for poor children in order to make golf courses for rich people--alongside $500K condos, while the majority of Benton Harbor's residents live in poverty and unemployment
  • Whilrpool's stranglehold on Berrien County politics, media, law enforcement, and civil life
  • Murder of Benton Harbor residents...Justice for #MartellHadley, murdered in Berrien County Jail in March 2016
  • Snyder's corrupt Emergency Financial Manager law which stole democracy from majority-Black cities like Benton Harbor, Flint, and Detroit...#NotOurGovernor #ArrestSnyder
  • Attack on political activity and dissent through the unjust imprisonment of Rev. Edward Pinkney, still in jail on false charges of changing dates on a recall petition with no evidence #Justice4Pinkney


For more background, see the Occupy the PGA blog. Don't forget to join the facebook event and share everywhere on social media!

Monday, March 21, 2016

Another murder in Berrien County by Sheriff Paul Bailey

One of the most outrageous and not well published lynchings in Berrien County has taken place.  I cannot believe for one moment that Martell Hadley committed suicide.  I cannot and will not believe anything that Sheriff Paul Bailey of Berrien County says.

I believe this cold-blooded, calculated slaughter was carried out by the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department.  This pattern continues, like never before, as Berrien County Sheriffs and vigilantes routinely gun down, lynch, and brutally beat blacks with impunity with freedom from punishment.  No one has been held accountable for their action and inaction.

In most cases the Berrien County Court has been proven incapable of prosecuting the Sheriff’s department — or court members such as judges, prosecutors, and law enforcers. Those who engage in racist violence against the oppressed are not held accountable.

The US Department of Justice has refused to investigate the decades of Berrien County law enforcement corruptions only because of US Rep. Fred Upton, Berrien County resident and heir to the bloodsucking Whirlpool Corporation.  The DOJ has admitted that their department does not accurately document Berrien County killing, lynching, brutality, or the racism that is involved.  Sheriff Paul Bailey is the Policy Maker in Charge.  He failed to prevent harm to prisoner Martell Hadley.  Bailey’s department has a history of providing unprofessional service, served up with a huge does of brutality to Blacks.  

To my knowledge Mr. Hadley was not suicidal and did not commit suicide.  This was a horrendous crime in the minds of the Blacks who live in Berrien County.  Bailey/Upton/et al know this.  Murder is a control mechanism.  Some say Bailey is a serial killer — this is not the first time his jail has “found” a dead inmate.  There is a monumental struggle between those who stand with the corrupt law-enforcers and those who demand radical change.  We can no longer stand back and allow Sheriff Bailey to attack the Black community.

We must make this struggle a victory for all who are victims of the corrupt system in every city, town, and state in America.  We must ask the DOJ to do a complete investigation of the murder of Martell Hadley.  He did not hang himself inside the Berrien County Jail.  We must confront criminal Sheriff Paul Bailey at all costs.

Rev. Pinkney
Marquette Branch Prison
March 2016

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Noel Night

At last December's Noel Night in Detroit, thousands of people gathered and multiple groups joined in solidarity to bring attention to the demands of the people. Free Rev. Pinkney, Stop the Police Terrorism, Fight for 15, Stop the Foreclosures were all there. We recited carols with social justice lyrics written by author and poetess Martha Garrett.



Friday, March 11, 2016

Join Protests at Berrien County Courthouse!

EVERY 2nd TUESDAY OF THE MONTH at 11:00 am at the Berrien Co. Court House is where you will find us!

This week we continued our "Regular 2nd Tues. Demonstration."

I continue to support Mrs. Pinkney in her efforts to ‪#‎FreeRevPinkney‬, and bring attention to the injustices of Berrien Co.

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I really hope to see more people come out and practice their Constitutional Rights!

I KNOW there are more than just a few people who have felt the painful injustice of this system! THAT is why more people should be out here! I promise you, sitting back, being silent isn't going to save you, it just makes it seem like you're o.k. with the things that go on, at OUR expense!

-Pati

‪#‎Justice4Martell‬
‪#‎Justice4Bulldog‬
‪#‎Justice4tShirt‬
‪#‎Justice4Kerrington‬
‪#‎Justice4BentonHarbor‬


Thursday, March 10, 2016

Protest in Lansing at Michigan Department of Corrections March 4, 2016

FRIDAY March 4th, residents from across Michigan gathered in Lansing at the Mich. Dept. of Corrections to protest the wrongful incarceration of ‪#‎RevPinkney‬, and the inhumane treatment of inmates in Michigan.

Many people are incarcerated wrongfully in the state of Michigan. There are innocent people spending YEARS in prison for things they didn't do. People who dared to speak out against a corrupt system targeted.

WE must use our rights as voting citizens to get rid of the crooks in OUR state, "‪#‎PureMichigan‬". And call for an investigation of MDOC. As I see it, MDOC is the Plantation, and the in-mates are nothing more than slaves, providing cheap labor for the corporations that now run them.

Just because a person commits a crime doesn't mean they aren't human! The MDOC needs to know serving people spoiled food, food with rat feces, rat poison, is NOT acceptable!! Less than adequate medical/psych. care, black mold, etc. MUST STOP!!

So we showed up to let Heidi Washington (Director of MDOC) know we aren't pleased, and we will be watching VERY closely.

-Pati


As long as they keep us divided they win


Free Rev. Pinkney!

pt.2016.03.12_pinkneyProtest

Defender of the poor and a political prisoner—Rev. Pinkney sounded the alarm early on about the threat of the iron fist of the emergency manager system of corporate dictatorship in Michigan. Now the fight is spreading from water shutoffs in Detroit to fighting poisoned water in Flint, both of which result from the emergency manager system. The “Free Rev. Pinkney Coordinating Committee” coordinates national activities in the campaign for his defense. In the words of Rev. Pinkney, “Let’s join together and defeat this monster!” Contact us at justice4pinkney. Friend us on Facebook at justice4pinkney and join the fight to “Free Rev. Pinkney.” Make donations at bhbanco.org.



Voices from Benton Harbor


pt.2016.03.12_whirlpool
“There’s an inequality problem here. There’s no due process. There’s judges sitting here for years locking up 15-year-olds living in extreme poverty. When you have poverty and no jobs, you’re going to have crime. People are starving here. Rev. Pinkney was an advocate. He fought for the low man on the totem pole. He asked why they build $50 million golf courses and then close down a whole school system? They brought a financial manager in. What did he manage? He just put the nail in the coffin for the corporations. —Linda and John Bey, Benton Harbor
“I think they should lock Snyder up. He took lives. Others are locked up for nothing. Their lives will never be reversed. It’s a means of genocide against the poor, especially the Blacks. I know a lot of whites are affected also. We must all realize if you are working class, poor, Black, green, or grey, we’re in the same boat. As long as they keep us divided they win.” — Emma Kinnard, Benton Harbor
See these links for more on Rev. Pinkney and Benton Harbor:
“Corporations own America,” says Rev. Pinkney
We encourage reproduction of this article so long as you credit the source.
Copyright © 2016 People's Tribune. Visit us at http://peoplestribune.org

Sunday, March 06, 2016

Successful Protest at MDOC Headquarters in Lansing

Mrs. Dorothy Pinkney speaking at the protest outside Michigan Department of Corrections headquarters in Lansing on Friday:


Rev. Pinkney Speaks from Marquette Prison, better known as the concentration camp of America

In the words of Martin Niemöller, a Lutheran pastor who was imprisoned by the Nazis for eight years because he spoke out against Hitler: First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Socialist; then they came for the unionists, but I did not speak out, because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, but I did not speak out, because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, the Rev. Edward Pinkney from Benton Harbor and there was no one left to speak for me. 
I am not going to ask for justice for Black Americans, but demand the right for justice for all Americans in our broken court system, that the constitution had already given us. To threaten anyone’s liberty is to threaten everyone’s liberty. What the government can do to anyone, they can also one day do to you.
We need tough minds and tender hearts. Many tough-minded thinkers in America today seem to lack heart and courage, yet many of the most tender-hearted among us need to read a book or two. It is in our heart and mind that we find the key to both our personal and our political healing. 
The most important thing for us to consider today is how to harmonize our internal and external thoughts and changes.
If our bottom-line is money, then we have committed to materialistic values, but if our bottom-line is the dream of freedom and justice, then the most important things are not material, and many things are more important than money. 
We are currently living at a time when the needs of the rich are placed so high above the needs of the people.
I am passionate about the fact that one-fifth of America’s children live in poverty, that millions of our children go to schools in which there aren’t even working toilets, in slums, where the social and economic conditions are as dire as during the worst days of the Great Depression. Any time you have a system that refuses to feed, clothe, and house the poor, it must be overturned. We must confront all corporations, including Whirlpool, the blood-sucking corporation that has destroyed Benton Harbor.

Rev. Pinkney

Rev. Pinkney Speaks: Now I Know

I now know, I now believe I know, how the twenty Blacks from the Dutch ship Jesus at Jamestown, Virginia, August of 1619, felt to be brought and sold as human beings, then become slaves.
I now know, I now believe, I know, how it felt to be a slave, tortured, beaten, mentally and physically destroyed, and the country said it was alright.
I now know, I now believe, I know, how the Jews felt in Nazi Germany in a concentration camp on their way to the gas chamber of the death camp. I now know, I now know. I believe I know. I now know, I now believe I know, how it felt when the police dogs tore into the march lines and the high-powered fire-hoses knocked the children along the pavement down, like tumbleweed.
I now know, I believe I know, when I hear of cops shooting up Blacks, I know that’s part of their tradition. They have always shot up Blacks and in fact most of their heroes are somebody who has killed a lot of people. 
I now know, I now believe I know, how it felt to be tortured and there is nothing you can do about it. The torture, the agony of the mind and body. The inflicting of extreme pain mentally and physically. The torture is used as a means of persuasion. 
I am standing in Marquette Branch Prison, better known as the concentration camp of America, where prisoners from various parts of the State are assembled to be tortured. I have been tortured.
I have been tortured, but I am still standing. I have been tortured mentally, but I am still standing. I have been tortured physically, but I am still standing. They wrote me 8 misconduct tickets, but I am still standing. Correctional officers threaten, harass, and intimidate me, but I am still standing. An old woman can sit, a coward can sit, but it takes a man to stand. I am Rev. Edward Pinkney standing for the people.
Lord, I do not know all the things that are wrong here at Marquette Prison, the concentration camp of America. The black mold in the two-man cell is devastating. The black mold is taking over the prison, the black mold is everywhere. We now have asbestos in the middle of the floor. This prison has many health problems with the black mold and asbestos.
I now know, I now believe, I know, how it felt to be tortured. I am being tortured.

Rev. Pinkney

Friday, March 04, 2016

Marquette Branch Prison: Rev. Pinkney is being tortured by a group of thieves

The Marquette Branch Prison, over 500 miles from Benton Harbor, Rev. Edward Pinkney’s home, is located in Siberia, Michigan, better known as America’s concentration camp, a place where prisoners from various localities are sent to be tortured by a group of thieves. 
The State and Federal government give the Michigan Department of Corrections millions and millions of dollars for a program called MPRI. This program at Marquette Prison has never been in operation. They have a sign on the door that says MPRI, but there is no such program in operation at Marquette.
The MPRI program is designed to get prisoners prepared for the world outside the prison system, a system that is designed to destroy the prisoner.
Let the truth be told. All the programs the Department of Corrections claims to have, such as Substance Abuse, Smoking Cessation, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, only last long enough for the prisoner to sign in, and the class is already over, and the Department of Corrections receives the fat paycheck. The bottom line is that the tax payers are paying for this unchecked discretion.
The GED program is the biggest joke going. It takes a prisoner 2 to 3 years to get a GED diploma and very few ever get a diploma, only because the instructor is only working to get a paycheck, a free paycheck.
There are millions and millions of dollars being misused by the Michigan Department of Corrections. The tax payers are sleeping. They must stop sleeping and watching NCSILaw and OrderBlue ShieldPerry MasonCops, etc. These programs are designed to keep you in fear. The government is always right, and they always get the right man, who committed the crime. We all know that is not true. 
The Michigan Department of Corrections has been stealing money from the tax payers for years. The tax payers must stand up and stop the real thieves, the Michigan Department of Corrections, at all cost. We must hold them accountable for their action and inaction.

Rev. Pinkney

Can a Minister Be Arrested and Sent to Prison for Quoting the Bible?

Let the truth be told. Can you answer the question: How can a minister in America be arrested and imprisoned for quoting the Bible? It may seem strange, but this very thing had happened to Rev. Edward Pinkney in Benton Harbor, Michigan!
Judge Alfred Butzbaugh declared that Rev. Pinkney’s quoting the Bible amounted to a personal threat against him, and removed himself from the case. Judge Dennis Wiley found Rev. Pinkney guilty of violating his probation and jailed him. Judge Wiley then sentenced Rev. Pinkney to 3 to 10 years in prison, double the recommendation of the probation department and the prosecutor.
All across Michigan and the US, thousands of people and institutions rallied to Pinkney’s defense, including community, labor, religious, and other activists, attorneys, the People’s Tribune, other newspapers, and other media. As a result of this fight, the Michigan Appellate Court ordered Rev. Pinkney released to house arrest pending a review of his case, and the court eventually overturned the lower court decision. During this process, Rev. Pinkney had spent nearly a year in prison. 
Let the truth be told. Now I sit in prison, facing 30 months to 120 months for election fraud. I have learned a very valuable lesson. The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in another, it increases your own mediocrity. Any time you tolerate bad behavior, it increases your bad behavior. An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people. As you grow, as you become a better person, your associations will change. Some of your friends, some of the members of your organization, will not want you to go on. They will want you to stay wherethey are. Friends that don’t help you climb, will want you to crawl. Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dream. Those that don’t increase you, will eventually decrease you.
I want to tell the city of Benton Harbor, the State of Michigan, I want to say to the people of America and the world: we are not about to stop now! Until judgment and justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream, how long will injustice blind the vision of so many? We are on the move, we are not about to turn around. We must stand against poverty, injustice, and let us all boycott! It is not one thing, it is everything. Let’s stand together!

Rev. Pinkney

Thursday, March 03, 2016

Berrien County Corrupt System led by Judge Sterling Schrock and Prosecutor Mike Sepic

The United States media has largely ignored the corruption that exists inside the justice system, especially in Berrien County, Michigan. The community newspaper The Herald Palladium is owned by the Paxton family who built their fortune on the backs of slaves.
During the trial of Rev. Edward Pinkney, The Herald Palladium was present every single day, and refused to report the action that was taking place in the courtroom.
The Herald Palladium refused to report whether evidence that Pinkney presented during his defense may be considered, when Pinkney made a motion for a direct verdict at the end of the prosecution’s case. There was no basis for this evidence to allow for an affirmative finding of guilt, even if the jury disbelieved Rev. Pinkney, because he was black and the jury was all-white.
The standard of review in relation to some of the Acts evidence, when the prosecution did not provide the required notice under MRE 404 (b) (2), and the defense counsel made objections before and throughout the trial in relation to the evidence. This was prosecutorial misconduct by Prosecutor Mike Sepic, and The Herald Palladiumnever reported it. 
The prosecution’s remarkable statement in its brief, that Rev. Pinkney’s First Amendment activities were not evidence of other crimes and could not be prejudicial in nature, because they involved things like the fight for freedom, justice and equality for all, and “to provide food, clothes and shelter for the needy,” were contradicted by their actions at trial. The prosecution argued that the jury should come to conclusions about Rev. Pinkney’s activities, which clearly indicated the prosecution had an improper and prejudicial purpose in admitting the other Acts evidence. This was truly prosecutorial misconduct, which The Herald Palladium never reported. 
The only way corruption can continue to breathe in Berrien County is with the help of The Herald Palladium, and the people who are truly corrupt, like Judge Sterling Schrock, Prosecutor Mike Sepic, County Clerk Sharon Tyler, Election Clerk Carolyn Toliver, Sheriff Paul Bailey and the liar-of-the-year juror Gail Freehling.
I want to say a short prayer.
Dear God: I know not where to go to stop the corruption in Berrien County, but you do. I know not what to do to stop the corrupt Judge Schrock and the corrupt Prosecutor Mike Sepic. I know not how to change Berrien County, Michigan, or just the corrupt court system, but you do. Lord, please show me, for I will do my part to stop the corruption in Berrien County and around the country.  Amen.

Rev. Pinkney

Rev. Pinkney Speaks from Prison on Martell Hadley

Rev. Edward Pinkney's Statement on the Death of Martell Hadley in Berrien County Jail:

It is very difficult to believe that Mr. Martell Hadley committed sucide. I have known Mr. Hadley for several years. I have never known him to be suicidal.

I believe Mr. Hadley did not commit suicide. Anything that Sheriff Paul Bailey touches must be questioned. The hypocrisy of the Berrien County Sheriff Department has no limits.

I am requesting a complete investigation by the United States Justice Department into this possible murder of Mr. Martell Hadley.

I have experienced the presence of the Divine as I have never before experienced God. It seemed as though I could hear the quiet assurance of an inner voice saying, "Ladona*, stand up for righteousness, stand up for truth, God will be at your side forever." Ladona, stand tall, God is with you.

-Rev. Pinkney, March 2, 2016

*(Ladona is Mr. Martell's mother.)

#Justice4Martell
#Justice4Pinkney

Wednesday, March 02, 2016

Aubrey McClendon, Saugatuck Township developer, indicted for bid rigging in Oklahoma

Fred Upton's cousin, McClendon, indicted.  Upton was named worst for the environment out of the entire US congress by the LATimes.  McClendon pushes ahead with land development in Saugatuck where he will destroy prime Lake Michigan shoreline against the majority of residents' wishes.  Many public meetings had absolutely no effect on McClendon who takes what he wants.  Same way his cuz took Jean Klock Park.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2016/03/aubrey_mcclendon_saugatuck_tow_1.html#incart_river_home_pop

For the People, by the People: Not in Berrien County

America’s first principles are inscribed not only in the Declaration of Independence and in our Constitution, but also in Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. President Lincoln said at Gettysburg that “this nation… Shall have a new birth of freedom, justice and the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Unfortunately, in Berrien County, Michigan, Judge Sterling Schrock, Prosecutor Mike Sepic, County Clerk Sharon Tyler, Election Clerk Carolyn Toliver, Sheriff Paul Bailey and their best friend Gail Freehling the juror, do not believe in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, or Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. Berrien County is the most corrupt county in the nation, and it is led by the Whirlpool Corporation. 
The radical concept that is government of the people, by the people, for the people is corrupt. It means, of course, that not only will the government consist of our citizens, elected by our citizens, but that its mission shall be to serve our citizens. Unfortunately, Berrien County’s leaders Judge Sterling Schrock and Prosecutor Mike Sepic have no respect for the citizens of Berrien County.
If our government in Berrien County were for the people, wouldn’t our children receive the best education in the world? Wouldn’t the people have the greatest justice system in the world, wouldn’t the people be able to send corrupt elected officials to prison?
We should take a good look at “for the people” and ask ourselves, if we have decided to be the generation to repudiate Lincoln’s words. President Rutherford B. Hayes once lamented that we were becoming a government “of the corporations, by the corporations, for the corporations.” So what’s new?
The great issue of our time is not taxes, a balanced budget, Social Security or Medicare. Those are all elaborate red herrings. The great issue or question that confronts us, as it confronted Jefferson’s generation and Lincoln’s generation, and every generation to some degree, is this: Is America to be ruled by all of us and for all of us, or has the American government in fact become a government of, by, and for, the few.
In a society where selfishness and greed have become the accepted ethos, a commitment to social justice is a rebellious mode of being. What is happening in America today is that there is not enough spirit of true rebellion. The government, obsessed with corporate mentality, lords over us like a new ruling class. One cannot dream the American Dream as long as one is sleeping. In order to dream the American Dream, the dreamer must be AWAKE!

Rev. Pinkney