Saturday, January 30, 2016

Day 410 of Rev. Edward Pinkney's Unjust Imprisonment

Today is the 410th day that Rev. Edward Pinkney of Benton Harbor, Michigan sits in prison doing felony time (2-1/2 to 10 years) for a crime he did not commit. Rev. Pinkney and other members of the Benton Harbor community group, BANCO (Black Autonomy Network Community Organization), have lead multiple petition drives to recall local officials who are viewed as supporting corporate dictatorship and the emergency manager system as one strategy of their campaign. Their recent efforts to recall Benton Harbor mayor James Hightower, because he opposed a city income tax that would've forced local corporations like Whirlpool to pay their fair share of taxes, was the latest part of that drive.

Rev. Pinkney was railroaded to jail by a kangaroo court as part of a strategy to stop that successful recall petition drive. However, that strategy only slowed down the inevitable. While there was absolutely no evidence presented in court that Rev. Pinkney had committed a crime, evidence that the community was outraged was shown in the landslide victory of Marcus Muhammed in last November's election in which Mayor Hightower was ousted. The message from corporate dictatorship in Michigan is clear: they will crush leaders of the movement for opposing their rule.

FREE REV. PINKNEY NOW!

Please send letters to:
Marquette Branch Prison
Rev. Edward Pinkney N-E-93 #294671
1960 US Hwy 41 South
Marquette, MI 49855

Please donate at http://bhbanco.org (Donate button) or send checks to BANCO, 1940 Union St., Benton Harbor, MI 49022