Tragedy in Berrien County

The hypocrisy of Berrien County, Michigan has no limits. I am an invisible man, like the body-less heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows; it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard distorting glass. That invisibility to which I refer occurs because of a peculiar disposition of eyes of those with whom I come in contact.

In Berrien County I have been treated, and the blacks are treated, as if they are a thing instead of a person, above all things they have denied me a fair trial. We have got to show the world we are determined to have a fair and just trial not only in Berrien County, but around the whole country.

I was convicted by an all white jury that was motivated by something other than the truth. A rogue jury that ignored the law and evidence in reaching a capricious verdict. The rogue juries include those that base their verdicts on unrevealed, deeply held prejudices. This rogue jury verdict was not based on a desire to achieve a just, fair, or moral outcome for me, but I am saying to you my friends that often the path to freedom will carry you through prison.

I was entitled to ad Direct Verdict based on the evidence presented in prosecutor Mike Septic's Case in Chief. Pinkney made a motion for a direct verdict at the close of the prosecution case in chief. Whether the prosecutor met its burden of proof must be evaluated only in reference to evidence admitted at the point. Assessing a motion for a directed verdict of acquittal, a trial must consider the evidence presented by the prosecution to the time the motion is made. The evidence presented during the defense phase of the trial has no bearing on whether Pinkney was entitled to a directed verdict at the close of the prosecution's case, just because the prosecutor questioned the validity of the claims regarding Venita Campbell made by Rev. Pinkney and three defense witnesses. This was not affirmative proof that could support the prosecution. The prosecutor had to say this to save his case, evidence does not lie, but judges and all-white juries do.

The all-white jury was led by Gail Freehling of Three Oaks, a known racist.  If we are ever going to have fair trials we must shed ourselves of fear and say to those who oppose us:  you can't stop us by shooting us, you can't stop us by killing us, you can't stop us by brutalizing us, because we're gonna keep on keeping on until we receive justice for all!    -Rev. Pinkney