Monday, October 31, 2016

The Court of Hell in Berrien County, Michigan!

By Rev. Edward Pinkney
10.29.16
A court is a permanently organized body with independent judicial powers defined by law, meeting at a time and place fixed by law for the judicial public administration of justice. According to Black Law Dictionary, this is untrue. There is no justice in Berrien County, Michigan. 
We no longer have a constitutional court. Today’s courtroom is no longer a place where justice is served. More and more often, courts are becoming crime scenes. Innocent people are being kidnapped and held captive. They are given enhanced sentencing by corrupt judges after being convicted by, too often, all-white juries that are motivated by something other than the truth. They have no motivation to do the right thing. There is no justification for the wrongdoing behind the record number of wrongly convicted minorities by all-white juries. The blindfolded Lady of Justice, who holds the scales of justice, no longer exists in Berrien County, Michigan. 
A jury is a group of people that have no opinions about a case at the start of a trial and bases its verdict on competent legal evidence (you can also use the term fair and impartial) but, unfortunately, this does not describe juries in Berrien County. The Berrien County juries are always white, rogue juries. A rogue jury is a jury that ignores the law and evidence in reaching capricious, incomprehensible verdicts. Rogue juries include those that base their verdicts on unrevealed, deeply held prejudices.
The problem is that strict procedures are used to prevent innocent people from showing they are truly innocent. The courts and the all-white juries are being used as a weapon against the innocents. Take a look at the exonerations report and you will see a pattern of prosecutors and all-white juries putting innocent people in prison. There are many innocent prisoners who have been buried alive in these prisons by this pattern of deceit and corruption. 
I was convicted on November 3, 2014 by an all-white jury, a rogue jury that was motivated by something other than the truth. The rogue jury consisted of: Jill Olsen, Maria Cordova, Carolyn Witz, Sharlie Phillips, Mikela McCoy, Gail Freehling, Michelle Harris, Scott Rose, Carolyn Davis, David Dill, Allen Prysky, and Catherine Rohmer (who was a personal friend of the presiding Judge Sterling Schrock). 
We must come to see the roots of corruption which run deeply in Berrien County, Michigan under the influence of the Whirlpool Corporation, which has its corporate headquarters in Benton Harbor. There must be something positive and massive in order to rid Berrien County of all the effects of corruption and the tragedies of racial injustice. 
It is an unhappy truth that racism and corruption are a way of life for the vast majority of whites in Berrien County. Tragically, it is both spoken and unspoken, acknowledged and denied, subtle and sometimes not subtle truth. The disease of racism permeates and poisons a whole body of people. 
Judge Sterling Schrock, prosecutor Mike Sepic, sheriff Paul Bailey, county clerk Sharon Tyler, election clerk Carolyn Toliver, juror Gail Freehling, and the remaining jurors – I can honestly not see how these people sleep at night; these individuals have no consciences. Some have built their careers on the backs of the poor. 
My question now to you is: What do you do about the court of hell in Berrien County, Michigan? What do you do about the corruption in courtrooms all around the country? How do we proceed? How do we fight back? Will you fight back with me? Will you stand up for what is right and just and fair no matter what?


Sunday, October 30, 2016

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

For my 68th birthday, I received well over 100 birthday cards from around the country and the world! The words of support, encouragement, and even love are so appreciated, believe me! 
My birthday was wonderful, considering where I am at this point in my life. I was visited by my beautiful wife Dorothy. What could be better than that? 
My heart is full of gratitude for the support of so many dedicated people who visit me, talk to me, write to me, allow me to be on their radio shows, hold fundraisers, help me in numerous ways, and carry on the fight as never before! From the bottom of my heart, thank you family, friends, supporters, everyone!
Never give up. Never give in. 

Rev. Edward Pinkney

Thursday, October 27, 2016

"A Great Read" - Soldier of Truth by Philip Bassett

by Latoya Williams
October 25, 2016

This book gave me a new perspective on what my Stepfather has been called by God to do. It gave me insight on was done, what was said, some insight on what happened in court. It also gave me insight on what happened when he first heard the voice of God. He truly has a purpose and it is bigger than Benton Harbor. He's truly a fighter and has always stood up for what was right. Many people said negative things but if these same people were to walk in his shoes and do what he's done and continues to do, they wouldn't last an hour let alone a day. Maybe it's because of fear or not being people's favorite. But I stand to say that I'm truly proud of him and all that he has accomplished and continues to accomplish! A real soldier is what he is to me!
Good job Philip Bassett. This is a great read.


https://www.amazon.com/Soldier-Truth-Trials-Edward-Pinkney/dp/0997781505/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1477572057&sr=1-1&keywords=soldier+of+truth

Monday, October 24, 2016

Another Nail in the 4th Amendment's Already Rotten Coffin

Today at 3:00 p.m. on Stateside (Michigan Radio), there will be a segment on local police agencies’ use of StingRays (cell phone tower simulators) to surveil people.

Listen in live, or listen to a transcript tomorrow via michiganradio.org.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

VP Candidate Ajamu Baraka Meets Privately with Rev. Pinkney!

On Wednesday afternoon, October 19, Green Party Vice Presidential candidate Ajamu Baraka visited Michigan’s political prisoner Reverend Edward Pinkney at the West Shoreline Correctional Facility in Muskegon Heights. 
This visit was highly anticipated by Rev. Pinkney along with his wife Dorothy, friends, activists, and supporters. Anyone who knows the facts about Pinkney’s egregious injustice foisted on him by the corrupt Berrien County criminal justice system will recognize this visit as a highlight in the struggle to free Rev. Pinkney. 
Not only was Rev. Pinkney excited about Mr. Baraka’s visit, but the other inmates, the prison officers, basically everyone at the facility, were looking forward to this event. According to the Reverend, “Everyone was excited and respectful.”
The private meeting found Rev. Pinkney answering the VP candidate’s questions, and Pinkney knew that Mr. Baraka had done is homework and had studied on his case. Rev. Pinkney was impressed with Mr. Baraka’s preparation and he described the meeting as “tremendous, respectful, exciting.” Rev. Pinkney felt comfortable and at ease with Mr. Baraka, a man who calmly “looked me in the eye” and discussed everything about Pinkney’s case: inhumane prison conditions, unhealthy quality of the food, the outrageous, false charges, not only of the forgery of dates on petitions, but also the attempts by the Michigan Department of Corrections to silence the Rev. (by accusing him of smuggling and misuse of phone privileges) to isolate him (by moving him to multiple prisons during the 22 months he has spent in incarceration), and to intimidate, harass, and abuse him.  
Reverend Pinkney wants Ajamu Baraka to know that he is “deeply honored” by this meeting. He knows the Stein/Baraka campaign is in full swing and crisscrossing the country in a valiant effort to educate, inform, and convince Americans that the Green Party is the only choice for America. Pinkney has been a long-time Green Party member and ran for Congress several years on the Green Party ticket. Dr. Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala have been friends and supporters for many years, and Rev. Pinkney publicly thanks them for their steadfastness in pursuing justice and equality for all, no matter what color, gender, race, or religion. He shares the Green Party’s values and, now, Pinkney is humbled to have witnessed firsthand what a great choice Dr. Stein made in choosing her running mate Ajamu Baraka. According to the Reverend, “For a moment, I forgot I was in prison; that’s how meaningful and compelling this meeting was to me.” 
After the meeting, Mr. Baraka held a press conference that was covered by WZZM13 of Muskegon. 

P. Hughes

Baraka, Green Party VP Candidate, Visits Rev. Pinkney in Prison

On Wednesday, October 19th, Ajamu Baraka, the Vice Presidential Candidate on Jill Stein's Green Party ticket, visited Rev. Edward Pinkney at West Shoreline Correctional Facility in Muskegon Heights, Michigan. Rev. Pinkney said they had an excellent visit discussing many important matters.

Green Party Vice Presidential candidate Ajamu Baraka.
Photo: Jill Stein campaign website
Read this news report for more.

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Rev. Pinkney transferred out of ‘hell hole’

By David Sole posted on October 8, 2016 at Workers World

The Rev. Edward Pinkney, political prisoner, was transferred on Sept. 7 from the Marquette Branch Prison in the far north of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Some 11 months after arriving at that prison and suffering months of threats and abuse from guards, he was sent to West Shoreline Correctional Facility outside of Muskegon. His new location is only 90 miles from the home of his spouse, Dorothy Pinkney. The distance to Marquette, in comparison, was 500 miles.

Rev. Pinkney has now served 22 months of his 30-month minimum sentence. On Dec. 15, 2014, he was given a 2 ½ to 10 year sentence for supposedly altering dates on a recall petition against then Mayor James Hightower of Benton Harbor, Mich. Rev. Pinkney was convicted with no evidence, simply for being the leader of the recall effort and a well-known activist in his home town. His case has drawn the support of the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Lawyers Guild, as well as many groups and individuals across Michigan.

Attorney Tim Holloway filed an “Application for Leave to Appeal” with the Michigan Supreme Court on Rev. Pinkney’s behalf on Sept. 3. This reporter visited Rev. Pinkney at his new location on Sept. 30 and asked him about his long sought after transfer. He acknowledged the efforts of his supporters, who worked tirelessly to draw attention to the mistreatment, harassment and abuse he faced every day in Marquette Prison.

This campaign included picketing the Michigan Department of Corrections in Lansing, protesting across the state, including outside Marquette’s prison gate, contacting state legislators to intervene for Rev. Pinkney’s safety and telephone barrages to Gov. Snyder and Heidi Washington, MDOC director.

‘They wanted to get rid of me’
According to Rev. Pinkney, “What I think was the final straw was when state Rep. Dave Pagel showed up at Marquette Prison during the last week of August. He is the chairperson of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of Corrections. And the first thing he did was to ask to see me! This kind of blew the minds of the prison officials.

“I talked with Pagel in the law library for quite a while,” explained Rev. Pinkney. “After he left, my prison counselor wanted to know how I had so much ‘juice.’ I asked her if she wanted me to get her a raise or, maybe, a promotion.”

Less than two weeks later, Rev. Pinkney was told to pack his things because he was leaving the next morning. “They wanted to get rid of me and all the scrutiny that comes with housing a political prisoner,” he stressed.

Even with a possible appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court, which will take many months, Rev. Pinkney is looking for his earliest release to occur in June 2017. He is enjoying many more visitors already — and his supporters are not letting up on their organizing.

Detroit activists from the Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice (MECAWI.org), the Moratorium Now! Coalition Against Foreclosures, and the Detroit Active and Retired Employees Association joined together on Sept. 23 to carry out an all-day fish fry fundraiser for Rev. Pinkney’s defense. It raised hundreds of dollars.

Plans are also in place to distribute leaflets about Rev. Pinkney at a regional conference of Amnesty International in Dearborn, Mich., on Oct. 8.

Send birthday greetings
Rev. Pinkney will celebrate another birthday behind bars. Oct. 27 is his 68th birthday. A campaign is underway to have hundreds of people send hundreds of cards and letters to him to express support — and to let the West Shoreline prison administration know they are being watched by Rev. Pinkney’s supporters around the country, who are paying attention to how he is being treated.

Send cards and letters to The Rev. Edward Pinkney #294671, West Shoreline Correctional Facility, 2500 S. Sheridan Drive, Muskegon Heights, MI 49444.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Convicted With No Evidence: a Very Dangerous Precedent!


I am Reverend Edward Pinkney, a community activist who tragically became a political prisoner in Michigan on December 15, 2014. On July 26, 2016 the Michigan Court of Appeals rejected my appeal. I was convicted in Berrien County, Michigan by an all-white jury that was motivated by something other than the truth.
I have already served over 21 months as a result of a Jim Crow trial that had me accused of altering dates on a recall petition against then Benton Harbor Mayor James Hightower. The prosecutor and judge both instructed the jury they could convict me “with no evidence.” Indeed, there was no evidence. I am an innocent man, threatened, charged, tried, convicted, and sentenced in an effort to isolate and silence me against the power of the land-grabbing, job-outsourcing, criminal Whirlpool Corporation that has its headquarters in Benton Harbor. My unusually harsh sentence was imposed by county judge Sterling Shrock.
On September 7, 2016, the Michigan Supreme Court denied me bond while accepting my application for leave. It will take up to a year for the Supreme Court to reach its decision on my Appeal. The corruption inside the courtroom and the justice system today must stop.
The Court of Appeal decision is published and sets a very dangerous precedent for the people of the State of Michigan and all around the country. The decision indicates that there is sufficient evidence to convict even when there is absolutely NO evidence at all! The prosecution’s case rested on the idea that since I was an outspoken organizer, active in political and social matters (both related to and unrelated to any election), I must have been motivated to alter dates. The prosecution offered no witnesses, no confession, no proof, no evidence of guilt; yet, I was convicted and sentenced to an unusually lengthy sentence of 2.5 to 10 years. 
Continue reading:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/10/11/convicted-with-no-evidence-a-very-dangerous-precedent/

Thursday, October 06, 2016

Mr. Kaepernick, You Are My Hero

Listen to Rev. Pinkney's voice on Prison Radio!

His latest report: "Mr. Kaepernick, You Are My Hero"

Birthday for the Rev!


Rev. Pinkney's 68th Birthday 

~~~ 

October 27

🍰

Send him a birthday 
greeting~address above

Monday, October 03, 2016

PHONE ZAP, October 3-7: No Retaliation against Kinross (Michigan) Prisoners!

***Call to Action!***

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/520841798114661/

October 3 through October 7, 2016

On September 10, over 400 prisoners protested peacefully at Kinross Correctional Facility in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, following the September 9 nationwide prison workers' strike. While details are still emerging, we know that prisoners met with the wardens to peacefully communicate their demands. These demands included better wages, better quality and quantity of food, and no retaliation for the peaceful protest. Yet about 150 prisoners were accused of being instigators and were transferred to other facilities. In at least some cases, they were accused of "incite to riot" and placed in higher-security levels and disciplinary isolation.

Please call Michigan Department of Corrections director Heidi Washington as well as some of the facilities where prisoners formerly at Kinross may be facing punishment (see numbers and script below). Call every day this week: Monday, October 3, through Friday, October 7. 
After calling, please let us know what happened by either commenting on the Facebook event for the phone zap (https://www.facebook.com/events/520841798114661/) or sending an email to miprisonabolition@riseup.net.

Sample script: "Hi. I'm calling about all the prisoners who were transferred from Kinross after their nonviolent demonstration on September 10. I demand that all charges against them be dropped, that all of them be removed from disciplinary segregation, that they be returned to their previous security levels and the general population, and that there be no further retaliation against them of any kind." 

Here is a detailed "how-to" video for calling prisons, if you feel nervous about phoning: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=251DPVDQ17A 

MDOC Director Heidi Washington: 517-241-7238 (if there's no answer, leave a message on her assistant's phone, Sandra Simon)

MDOC facilities with levels IV and V, where Kinross prisoners may have been transferred (ask for the office of the warden or deputy warden): 

Alger Correctional Facility (LMF)
SECURITY LEVELS: IV and II
TELEPHONE: (906) 387-5000
Warden: Catherine S. Bauman

Baraga Correctional Facility (AMF)
SECURITY LEVELS: I and V
TELEPHONE: (906) 353-7070
Warden: Shane Place

Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility (IBC)
SECURITY LEVELS: I, II, and IV; Protective Housing and Administrative Segregation
TELEPHONE: (616) 527-2510
Warden: Tony Trierweiler

Carson City Correctional Facility (DRF)
SECURITY LEVELS: I, II, and IV
TELEPHONE: (989) 584-3941
Warden: Sherman Campbell

Chippewa Correctional Facility (URF)
SECURITY LEVELS: I, II, and IV
TELEPHONE: (906) 495-2275
Warden: Jeffrey Woods 

Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility (LRF)
SECURITY LEVELS: I, II, and IV
TELEPHONE: (231) 773-9200
Warden: Shane Jackson

G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility (JCF)
SECURITY LEVEL: I, Secure Levels I, II, and IV 
TELEPHONE: (517) 780-5000
Warden: Shawn Brewer

Gus Harrison Correctional Facility (ARF)
SECURITY LEVELS: I, II, and IV
TELEPHONE: (517) 265-3900
Warden: Paul Klee 

Ionia Correctional Facility (ICF)
SECURITY LEVELS: II and V
TELEPHONE: (616) 527-6331
Warden: Willie Smith 

Kinross Correctional Facility (KCF)
SECURITY LEVELS: I and II 
TELEPHONE: (906) 495-2282 
Warden: Duncan MacLaren 

Macomb Correctional Facility (MRF)
SECURITY LEVELS: I, II, and IV 
TELEPHONE: (586) 749-4900
Warden: Randall Haas

Marquette Branch Prison (MBP)
SECURITY LEVELS: I and V
TELEPHONE: (906) 226-6531
Warden: Robert Napel

Michigan Reformatory (RMI)
SECURITY LEVELS: II and IV
TELEPHONE: 616-527-2500
Warden: Carmen Palmer

Oaks Correctional Facility (ECF)
SECURITY LEVELS: II and IV 
TELEPHONE: (231) 723-8272
Warden: Thomas Mackie

Saginaw Correctional Facility (SRF)
SECURITY LEVELS: I, II, and IV
TELEPHONE: (989) 695-9880
Warden: Thomas Winn 

St. Louis Correctional Facility (SLF)
SECURITY LEVEL: IV
TELEPHONE: (989) 681-6444
Warden: Mark McCluuick 

Woodland Center Correctional Facility (WCC)
SECURITY LEVEL: IV
TELEPHONE: (734) 449-3320 
Warden: Jodi DeAngelo-Kipp