Poverty Comes With A Price In St. Joseph, Michigan

PHOTO /LENETTE EVANS

Cordell Price is man in his late 40s who lives at the River Watch Hotel in Benton Harbor, Michigan. He is kind-hearted, outgoing, motivated, and always greets you with a warm and friendly smile and the utmost respect. He is loved by many who know him in the St. Joseph area. St. Joseph is across the river from Benton Harbor.
Every day for the past 15 years, Cordell has walked throughout the streets of St. Joseph picking up bottles and cans at many of the local businesses down at Silver Beach, and is seen at Harding’s, Rooster’s, and Martin’s grocery stores cashing in the bottles and cans he has collected. The first time I met him he was crawling out of a trash dumpster, and I have helped him many times with money and rides to the store.
But EVERY DAY THE POLICE FOLLOW HIM EVERYWHERE HE GOES. They track his routes and harass him any chance they get, going through his bags and accusing him of things he is not doing.
The people at the BP gas station at Niles and Napier Ave. know Cordell personally, but one afternoon a police officer saw him there with his oversized trash bag of cans, and assumed that a grocery cart he was using had been taken from Harding’s. That grocery cart had been at BP for over a month, but the police officer threatened Cordell Price. “You have a half an hour to get the cart back to Harding’s or else I will arrest you,” he said.
Recently he was at Silver Beach when a white woman yelled a racist comment at him, saying, “NIGGER WHY DON’T YOU GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM ACROSS THE BRIDGE.” He has been told this by three different women at the beach and around town.
On other occasions, Cordell has been harassed and falsely accused while recycling at residential homes in downtown St. Joseph, where owners had given him permission to take the bottles and cans they left for him. He was once at Rooster’s talking to a good friend, a white lady who asked him if he wanted some bottles and cans that she had in her car. Suddenly the police showed up, again giving him a hard time.
This is a vendetta. Cordell is not a criminal and does not steal. He is a good man who walks the streets of St. Joe trying to earn a living with what little he has.
Our officers need to change their attitudes, stand behind justice not injustice, and STOP BEING RACIST. This is not a black or white issue. This is about acceptance. Jesus said we are to love all people. Let’s have compassion for people no matter what their color or race is.
The police need to go after real criminals and leave our homeless and poor alone. One day you too may be picking up bottles and cans on the streets to make a living. Would you want someone to harass you, follow you, and make racial slurs at you like they do to Cordell?
Why don’t the police help Cordell get a good paying job? He does more to clean up the city than the officers who ride around in police cars wasting gas all day. GET OFF YOUR BUTTS AND GET TO WORK finding real criminals instead of harassing people like Cordell who are only trying to make a living.
Lenette Evans, Saving Souls Ministries, Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, MI 269-876-1848
http://www.peoplestribune.org/PT.2009.09/PT.2009.09.04.html#two

“Now if you want to know what Rev. Edward Pinkney of Benton Harbor Michigan has in common with imprisoned Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma, Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Mohandas Gandhi, India, Esmeralda in the 1939 movie Hunch Back of Notre Dame, Joan of Arc, Ceaser Chavez, Martin Luther King, Eleanor Roosevelt, or the people of Honduras now fighting an evil Terrorist Coup d’ ‘etat, well, they were all persecuted for standing up for justice and speaking truth to power!” — Dorothy Pinkney

“Of course the religious community can be relieved that quoting scripture, even against ‘the powers and authorities,’ may still be considered protected speech. When Mary, the peasant mother of Jesus, proclaims that God has done great things.scattering the proud in their conceit, casting down the mighty from their thrones and lifting up the lowly, filling the hungry with good things and sending the rich away empty, she is virtually quoting Hebrew scripture. We can rejoice, but we must continue to resist any silencing of the prophetic voices among us. Many of us remain shocked at the outrageous arrogance of the Berrien County courts. With their rulings exposed and overturned, they continue to hold Rev. Pinkney tethered and on house arrest. He must be freed and his voice heard.” — Bill Wylie-Kellermann, Pastor, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Detroit

http://www.peoplestribune.org/PT.2009.09/PT.2009.09.12.html

THE APARTHEID IN BENTON HARBOR, MI

By Mrs. Dorothy Pinkney

The apartheid conditions in Benton Harbor still continue as my husband, the Rev. Edward Pinkney, continues to fight for justice for the people. The power brokers of Whirlpool, Cornerstone Alliance, Harbor Shores and the Benton Harbor city commissioners have attempted to silence his voice and shackle his legs with their 24/7 house arrest.

My husband is not allowed to speak at any church or even attended a church meeting. My husband expressed his political opinion in a newspaper article stating that GOD and only GOD would curse Judge Butzbaugh unless he hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy GOD to do all that is right. It is obvious that this Judge Butzbaugh is doing a lot of wrong in his life. If he were doing the right things he would not be afraid of GOD. It must be because of this fear of GOD that Judge Butzbaugh and his partner decided unconstitutionally to give my husband 3 to 10 years in prison for quoting the Bible. My husband is the first preacher in the history of mankind to be sent to prison for quoting the Bible.

History and those who write it often leave out important facts. Therefore, I have a problem when I hear the term the first black president or first preacher. It makes me nervous because of what distorted picture the powerful may be painting. On January 20, 2009 at 12:05 in Washington D.C. Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the 44th President. According to the media, Obama is the first black President of the United States of America. I am here to tell you he is not the first black president. Obama is the second black president. John Hanson was the first (1781-1782). John Hanson was one of the greatest men who got lost in history. President Hanson was elected by Congress not only as the first black President but as the first President under the Articles of Confederation. He established the great seal of the United States, which all presidents since have been required to use on all official documents. He also established the first treasury department, the first secretary of war and the first foreign affairs department. President Barack H. Obama was definitely not the first black President of the United States. He is the first black President of the United States under the Constitution we follow today. By not recognizing John Hanson, the powerful slave owners and traders could continue their unjust ways.

Another first that isn’t listened to by many preachers today is Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. What would Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., the first black minister to win the Nobel Peace Prize, say to the ministers today? He would say we need all of you. Who is it that is supposed to articulate the longing and aspirations of the people more than a preacher? Somehow, the preacher must have a kind of fire burning within his bones and whenever injustice is around he proclaims it to the world. Somehow, the preacher must be an Amos and proclaim that when GOD speaks who can but prophesy? A preacher must proclaim the word as Amos, to let justice roll down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream. Somehow, the preacher must say that the spirit of Jesus is upon me because he has anointed me to deal with the problem of injustice. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. would say I want to thank all of them and I want you to thank all of them because so often preachers are not concerned about anything but themselves most of are just too selfish. I am always happy to see a relevant ministry. We need all of you to take a stand for the poor and for injustice.

Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. would say that Whirlpool is imposing a manifest brutal siege against the people of Benton Harbor similar to the Israeli siege of Gaza. The modalities and circumstances may be somewhat different but the mentality of hatefulness and vindictiveness are undoubtedly the same. Then he would say in the end we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our pastor.

Rev. Pinkney Transferred to Jackson Prison

On Thursday, 11/20/07, Rev. Pinkney was moved from Ojibway Correctional Facility (CF) across the Michigan Upper Peninsula to Kinross CF. The following Tuesday, 11/25/08, he was moved again to Cooper Street CF in Jackson.

Rev. Pinkney has received much attention in recent weeks--at the frustration of prison officials--due to: media attention on his Green Party candidacy (BTW he received 3500 votes!), the recent press ban by prison authorities against interviews, the ACLU motion filing with the Michigan Court of Appeals, and the on-going clemency letter drive and online petition.

We're hopeful that this latest move to a facility closer to Benton Harbor means that he is on track for a decision by the courts. In the meantime, please continue to send letters for clemency to Gov. Granholm. According to Attorney Buck Davis, Rev. Pinkney's clemency petition has been transferred from the corrections dept committee to the Governor's office. She can decide whether or not to hold public hearings for clemency. Please push the Gov. Granholm to hold a hearing for Rev. Pinkney!

Please send your letters of clemency to:
Honorable Jennifer Granholm
Michigan Department of Corrections
Office of the Parole Board
Pardons and Commutations Coordinator
P.O. Box 30003
Lansing, Michigan, 48909
Include your name and address.

Read more about the ACLU Michigan motion and brief. Listen to Atty Davis, Mrs Pinkney, and BANCO member Belinda Brown speak about Rev. Pinkney and Benton Harbor on KPFK Pacifica Radio in SoCal.

(For the KPFK interview, go to show "Sojourner Truth with Margaret Prescod," Tuesday, 11/25/08. After the introduction, Davis begins at 5:30 min, Mrs. Pinkney at 22:00 min, and Brown at 38:30 min)

Rev. Edward Pinkney: ‘Too much influence’ for one man!

by Dr. Lenore Jean Daniels

Wednesday, 02 July 2008, sfbayview.com Rev. Edward Pinkney, Judge Dennis Wiley said to the courtroom, has "too much influence."

Rev. Edward Pinkney’s “crime” is leading a successful effort to unseat a city powerbroker and resisting corporate development of his community of Benton Harbor, Mich. – 90 percent poor, 70 percent unemployed, 94 percent Black – located on prime Lake Michigan waterfront property coveted by developers, a town of 11,000 “owned” by the giant Whirlpool Corp. Unless we act, this great freedom fighter will remain locked up for many years to come. We hear echoes of a past time. It’s so relevant to know our past. A man had been beaten by the New York police. Malcolm X appeared at the police station. He wasn’t alone. Surrounded by members of the Fruit of Islam (FOI) and a crowd from the Harlem community, Malcolm asks to see the young man. Leaving the scene is not an option. Malcolm is allowed to see the injured man and, afterward, demands that this man receive medical treatment. The police agree. But the police are concerned about the FOI and the community people outside. An officer asks the crowd to disburse. The FOI and the crowd stayed still. Malcolm tells the officer that this crowd will not move for him. Then Malcolm waves his hand, and the FOI and the community folks disburse. The office tells another: That’s too much power for one man. “One man” didn’t mean “one man”! The one man wasn’t under the influence of city authorities in Harlem. The one man represented the many invisible and made them visible. So it is with Rev. Edward Pinkney, organizer and activist – a man feared because he has “too much influence.” You may recall that Rev. Pinkney organized people to protest the privatization of Benton Harbor, a depressed area, where Blacks have suffered layoffs from the auto industry and by Whirlpool Corp. For Whirlpool executives, politicians, judges and financial brokers, tackling unemployment and poverty in the predominately Black Benton Harbor meant removing the dispensable people! Did I mention that Benton Harbor has nice beachfront property? The billion dollar Harbor Shores project includes a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, a multimillion dollar resort, condominiums and control of the water treatment plant. “The project does not include Blacks,” Dorothy Pinkney, wife of Rev. Pinkney, told the San Francisco Bay View (May 21, 2008). Thursday, June 26, 2008, Rev. Pinkney was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison for “‘threatening’ the judiciary, according to Pat Foster’s report (bhbanco.blogspot.com). Rev. Pinkney was immediately transferred to Charles E. Egeler Reception and Guidance Center in Jackson, Michigan. Mrs. Pinkney told me by phone that she is not allowed to see her husband for 30 days! Dorothy Pinkney thought her husband was coming home. “We were prepared for him to come home,” she told me. But the deciders have other plans for the human rights fighter. Fearing his power to organize resistance to what amounts to ethnic cleanings, their campaign against Rev. Pinkney includes charges that he cited a verse from Deuteronomy – no joke! According to Foster’s report, a minister from the United Methodist Church in Detroit “was questioned on the stand regarding this passage. He stated that the meaning of the passage was ‘that God would bring down either blessings or curses upon a person based upon their actions.’” Judge Wiley also admonished Rev. Pinkney for stealing an election! “When judges abuse their authority, we are all victims,” Mrs. Pinkney told the San Francisco Bay View. But some "victims" of this ethnic cleansing have been quick to collaborate for personal gain. The Black city officials are "deceiving the people," Mrs. Pinkney said. They are suggesting that the facelift, the urban renewal, the revitalizing project, whatever you want to call it, will improve conditions for Blacks in Benton harbor! We live now in an era where Blacks collaborate! For a salary and a position in the "big" house, on a block near Master, they will throw their own people to the wolves. Will the unemployed Black really benefit from this land-grab? Will they practice a hole-in-one at the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course or move into a condominium on the lakefront? Or do the deciders think employment for Blacks in Benton Harbor means work as a caddy or as a maid at the resort? This, too, we know, follows a familiar pattern: Whites live the "good life" at the expense of Black Americans by dividing the "elite" and middle class from the working class. Even those Rev. Pinkney dared to represent are in hiding, fearful of retaliation from the deciders if they speak up on behalf of the Reverend. Is this the 1950s? Don’t be fooled! The pattern and operation of white supremacy hasn’t weakened. It’s improved to include the collusion of the victims and the punishment of authentic community leadership. Mrs. Pinkney is “trying to stay focused and strong for him.” In the meantime, the “one man” with too much influence is behind bars. This is a crime that goes unpunished. And progress for Blacks, Latino/as, Asians, the working class and the poor is here! Every day Rev. Pinkney isn’t free, we participate in his confinement. Write a letter on behalf of Rev. Pinkney, ID 294671, to Charles E. Egeler Reception and Guidance Center, 3855 Cooper St., Jackson, MI 49201-7517. Lenore Jean Daniels, Ph.D., is an Editorial Board member and columnist for www.BlackCommentator.com and a columnist for City Capital Hues.

THE TRUTH BEHIND THE PARK STRUGGLE

Mrs. Pinkney's mail is not being delivered to her husband. This is harassment by Sheriff Paul Bailey.

* *

THE TRUTH BEHIND THE PARK STRUGGLE
By Pastor Mary Gault

http://www.peoplestribune.org/PT.2008.06/PT.2008.06.12.html

The opinions written by citizens of Berrien County in the local newspaper reveal how few understand the real issues at stake in the Jean Klock Park struggle. They don't see the larger picture -- that the take over of the park is but one issue surrounding the Harbor Shores project. Do these citizens realize what was the first thing to happen when Rev. Edward Pinkney was accused of tampering with the votes for the recall of City Commissioner Glenn Yarbough? It was the invalidation of the whole election when there were still enough valid votes for the recall.
This dangerous precedent set by Judge Maloney (now a Federal Judge) opens the door for any judge anywhere to throw out any election they desire regardless of the votes of the people. It is about a system that allows the rich to get anything they want even if at the expense of the majority. This is a story of the system continually bulldozing over the rights of the citizens in the name of progress and jobs. The hundreds of jobs for Benton Harbor citizens highlighted as a reason to support the project by our Gov. Granholm has now been narrowed down to nine seasonal jobs that fall in the minimum wage category.
The high priced condos will only benefit the rich by increasing their property values (this includes U.S. Representative Fred Upton, Whirlpool CEO Jeff Fettig, and Judge Butzbaugh) while the poor will be forced out by high taxes and increased expectations on upkeep of their property -- expectations that can lead to condemned property and loss of homes.
Rev. Pinkney was right about the negative impact the Harbor Shores project will have on the citizens of Benton Harbor and the United States. He has paid the ultimate price for trying to stop the rich from taking over Benton Harbor through organizing the recall election of Glen Yarbough. He now sits in one of the filthiest, most inhumane county jails in the country, a jail where Berrien County prisoners are harassed, where the food is substandard, and contracting a lethal staph infection is highly possible.
This is all for the crime of seeing Whirlpool's land grab coming, and speaking truth to power. Rev. Edward Pinkney has repeatedly stated that Harbor Shores will provide few jobs or benefits for Benton Harbor residents. He said that fascism is the merging of the corporations (business interests) with government. No starker example than Berrien County can be found.

* *

Re: Harbor Shores: "Perhaps some of you do not own a foot of ground.
Remember then, that this is your park, it belongs to you," said John Klock,
a local newspaper publisher, when he gave the land to the city of Benton Harbor
in 1917 in honor of his daughter.

My husband, the Rev. Edward Pinkney, is still sitting in the Berrien County Jail

San Fransisco Bay View Wednesday, 21 May 2008

Dorothy Pinkney points to where her husband, Rev. Edward Pinkney, is jailed as Maureen Taylor and Marian Kramer of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization look on during a demonstration outside the Berrien County Jail. I want to personally thank the Bay View for the many articles you have published in reference to my husband, Rev. Edward Pinkney, who is truly a man of God and who has made the supreme sacrifice, not for himself, but for the people. We share the Bay View with many residents in Benton Harbor. Once again, we need your help to get the word out. What makes my husband’s fight so courageous is the Goliath he faces. Whirlpool, the world’s largest producer of home appliances and the economic force here in Benton Harbor, is a pioneer in designing new ways to rip off the poor. The takeover of Jean Klock Park and the city of Benton Harbor Jean Klock Beach Park, located on the shore of Lake Michigan, was left to the residents of Benton Harbor, Michigan, which is 96 percent Black. Whirlpool is attempting to steal all the beautiful lakefront valuable land in the city for a whites-only $1 billion project called Harbor Shores. This project does not include Blacks. My husband, being the man he is, chose to fight this manipulation at whatever cost or level he could. There is no documented evidence of the KKK in St. Joseph, Michigan, where most of the judges and prosecutors live, but it is a fact that the KKK is there, right across the river from Benton Harbor, a city that is almost entirely populated by Black people. Looking at the perfect, sterile beauty of St. Joseph and the boarded-up broken promises of Benton Harbor, it’s hard not to wonder what force keeps them separated. If you consider some out of place actions by the government, such as overturning a legitimate recall election, firing a competent city clerk and jailing my husband, the Rev. Edward Pinkney, activist church leader, then things get even more strange. Judge Alfred Butzbaugh, the racist and corrupt judge who sentenced my husband to a year in jail, stands to make a huge profit from the development of Harbor Shores. He and Judge Paul Maloney knew the only reason for the phony recall election trial and my husband’s criminal trial was to legitimize the illegal overturning of the election recalling Benton Harbor City Commissioner Glen Yarbrough. The recall couldn’t be allowed to stand, since point man Glen Yarbrough would then be gone and the whole Harbor Shores deal would fall through: the Jack Nicholas signature golf course, the fabulous multi-million dollar resort, condominiums and control of the water treatment plant. All that is included in the sweetest land grab since Manhattan Island, the complete takeover of the City of Benton Harbor by Whirlpool. Judge Butzbaugh is the president and major shareholder of a large real estate brokerage firm that owns land in a planned development. He has a partner in this business who is a member of the family that controls the largest business in town, Whirlpool, which is owned by the Upton family, led by U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, a right-wing Republican. David E. Upton is vice president and Judge Butzbaugh is president and director of the Law and Title Realty LLC, which has numerous aliases, including Ship Street Realty, Counselors Ship Street Realty in St. Joseph and Benton Harbor, the All American Group LLC and four or five others. When judges abuse their authority, we are all victims Judges operate with greater power and independence than any other public official. When judges engage in improper conduct or abuse their authority, citizens suffer. The offending judge or corrupt judge does not. My husband, the Rev. Edward Pinkney, was charged with four felonies and a misdemeanor after a witness was pressured to say he’d been paid $5 for his vote. Rev. Pinkney was also charged with “attempting to influence absentee voters” and helping voters who couldn’t read to fill out their ballots. He never received a fair trial. The trial was riddled with corruption, before a judge who is notorious for his pro-prosecution leaning. The all-white jury was motivated by something other than the truth. Rev. Pinkney is a victim of a frame-up by Berrien County Court and Sheriff Department, which has a national reputation for police brutality and racism. On March 21, 2008, as my husband, the Rev. Edward Pinkney, sat in jail for a crime that was never committed, there was a shakedown of his cell by 10 to 20 sheriff deputies when only one deputy was needed. The sheriff of the county was there. He took legal documents, papers, briefs and notes prepared by my attorney and papers about the horrible conditions of the jail and my husband’s treatment. The sheriff violated Rev. Pinkney’s constitutional right to the First Amendment. Consequently, no matter what writing the sheriff finds in my husband’s papers and so long as they do nothing more than express his opinion about corrupt police and judges and conditions of the jail, even in terms most offensive to the judges, they are protected expressions and cannot be subject to penalty or confiscation. The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable seizures of persons or property. Although constitutional rights are diminished during incarceration, they are not completely abrogated. Under the First and Fourth Amendments, the sheriff has a right to look through my husband’s papers for contraband but not to read them for content. To seize some of them because of the beliefs they express, on the grounds they contain improper content, was a violation of the Fourth as well as the First Amendment. The sheriff copied the notes and delivered them to Judge Wiley, who gave them to the corrupt Judge Butzbaugh. My husband, Rev. Pinkney, had made notes on his thoughts before, during and after his hearing. These communications are privileged and either reading them or seizing them violates the Sixth Amendment attorney-client privilege and right to counsel. Under no circumstances should those papers be submitted to the court without my husband’s permission for any reason. I believe the decision to attack and harass my husband, the Rev. Edward Pinkney, came from Judge Alfred Butzbaugh to attempt to intimidate and harass him. My husband is a true warrior, a knight in every sense of the word. He is my friend and personal hero. He calls me the force on his side. I am completely, unabashedly proud of that. These days I feel like I am never doing enough, because my husband, the Rev. Edward Pinkney, has been sitting in the Berrien County Jail since December. My husband and I want people to know: YOU BETTER KEEP YOUR MIND ON YOUR FREEDOM AND FREEDOM ON YOUR MIND. You can write to my husband: Rev. Edward Pinkney, 919 Post St., St. Joseph, MI 49085. Berrien County Jail A supporter of Rev. Pinkney writes: “Mrs. Pinkney took three white t-shirts and six bars of soap to the jail for her husband. He was given one of each.” Recently, at 3 a.m., Deputy Thompson “awoke Rev. Pinkney for the second time. He asked why the soap was placed in a certain position.” He had awakened the reverend an hour earlier to write him up for an empty potato chip bag set out for trash pickup. “Dep. T. keeps trying and failing to get Rev. P. into a fight. “Deputies are now using the N word in the jail. It seems that Sheriff Bailey has authorized this word usage. Inmates live with continual personal humiliation, intimidation, no tissue, cold and tasteless food, sour and lumpy milk, bugs crawling on the wall, dirty uniforms, no soap, and soiled sheets and towels.” The People’s Tribune writes: “In a waiting room for prisoners’ families and friends at the Berrien County Jail in St. Joseph, Michigan, visitors discuss the condition of the jail – the MRSA virus and the filth. Most disgusting, families say little black worms come out of the prisoners’ shower-head, the shower drain and around the toilet. They say it’s like sewage that was never cleansed. “Everything inside the overcrowded jail is dirty, with poor air ventilation and inmates sleeping on the gym floor, meaning there is no daily exercise for the prisoners. GED degrees and even doctor visits are too costly for the poor who make up the jail population.” How you can help Boycott Whirlpool and all its brands: Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Gladiator, GarageWorks, Inglis, Estate, Roper, Magic Chef, Acros and Supermatic in the U.S. and Bauknecht, Brastemp, Consul and Eslabon de Lujo abroad. Let Whirlpool know that’s what you’re doing: Whirlpool Corp., 2000 N. M-63, Benton Harbor, MI 49022-2692, (269) 923-5000. Make a donation for Rev. Pinkney’s Legal Defense Fund at http://bhbanco.blogspot.com or send a check payable to BANCO, 1940 Union St., Benton Harbor MI 49022. Donations are tax deductible. Call Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey and inquire about Rev. Pinkney’s well-being at (269) 983-7141 or email him at Pbailey@berriencounty.org.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Demand that the governor pardon Rev. Pinkney or commute his sentence: Gov. Jennifer Granholm, P. O. Box 30013, Lansing MI 48909, (517) 335-7858. Demand an immediate investigation into this injustice: Congressional Black Caucus, 2264 Rayburn House Office Bldg, Washington DC 20515, (202) 226-9776.

Harbor Shores: The Rich Get Richer

Sam Thomas of Ann Arbor is another wealthy corporate developer looking to cash in on the Harbor Shores humanitarian and environmental disaster of monumental proportion. On Feb. 28, 08 he applied for permission to build residential property on Lake Michigan just north of the planned Harbor Shores development. He owns Star Development & Financial Corporation. Also, Sam Thomas owns many low income rental buildings in Benton Harbor.

http://www.deq.state.mi.us/lwmpnh/ciwpissubscriberslist.asp?enddate=2%2F29%2F2008

(Sam Thomas, Star Develolpment & Financial Corp., 1900 West Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI 48103)

* * *

Dorothy Pinkney reports that Berrien County jail visitors are not permitted to give anything to the front desk. Upon arrival visitors face a dark glass which they are viewed through. During a recent visit Mrs. P. rang the service bell 3 times and was finally dismissed by an intimidating voice saying, "We're busy." She traveled to the jail and was unable to have $2.90 deposited into Rev. Pinkney's account.

* * *

New Style of Policing in America

http://www.peoplestribune.org/PT.2008.04/PT.2008.04.12.html#NewStyle

A new “military-corporate” paramilitary style of policing has been introduced in American society. As automation eliminates jobs permanently, workers find themselves homeless, denied access to health care, and education and other necessities. The state is responding by reorganizing itself as an unrestrained apparatus of force to control the poor who are considered potentially explosive and must be held in check.
While most sharply and unjustly targeting minority communities, police state tactics are becoming common wherever the poor are found, particularly against homeless populations of all colors. As the jails and prisons become harsher hellholes of terror, and as indigent prisoners are routinely denied due process, conditions are in place for the sacrifice of democracy itself.
These conditions are being instituted by and for the corporations. Corporate interests are taking precedence over the interests of society as a whole. Any social program that interferes with the making of maximum profit is being eliminated....

Attempted Takeover

exerpt from Cynthia's Statement on the Sean Bell Verdict
http://www.allthingscynthiamckinney.com/Statements/SeanBellVerdict

...The "Benton Harbor, Michigan Intifada of 2003" lasted two nights after the murder of an unarmed black motorcyclist by white police officers. Adding insult to injury, the residents of majority-black Benton Harbor are reeling under an attempted takeover of the last "undeveloped" beachfront property on Lake Michigan. The residents are under attack by the Whirlpool Corporation, that wants to develop "Benton Shores" and move all of the residents completely out of the town. The purported goal of the development is to turn Benton Harbor into one of the "hottest vacation destinations in the country," to include a members-only indoor water park, and a Jack Nicklaus golf course. According to Reverend Edward Pinkney, the valiant leader who is trying to save Benton Harbor for the people, Harbor Shores will result in a complete takeover of Benton Harbor, a city that is 96% Black. Reverend Pinkney has been in jail since December 14, 2007 on trumped- up charges including violation of probation, for writing an article calling the chief judge racist. Mrs. Pinkney called the Office of Michigan Congressman John Conyers, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee to ask for justice for the residents of Benton Harbor and for her husband. Shockingly, Chairman Conyers refused Mrs. Pinkney's plea to get involved in this heroic struggle of a 96% Black community in his own state. When I visited Benton Harbor, it was clear to me that Reverend Pinkney has the full support of the area's residents, black and white, as they struggle to maintain the character of their community. Reverend Pinkney is recognized by the people as true hero and occupies a jail cell because of it.

Continued Jail Harassment of Rev. Pinkney

*please forward*

Middle of the Night in Berrien County, Michigan jail

Friday, 3/28, 2am - Deputy Thompson, instead of throwing away an empty potato chip bag waiting for trash pick-up, "wrote up" Rev. Pinkney and ordered him to remove it.

3am - Dep. Thompson appeared again, holding a bar of soap, and awoke Rev. P. for the second time. He asked why the soap was placed in a certain position. Rev. P. informed the deputy it was not his. (There are no rules stating inmates cannot have soap.) Dep. T. keeps trying and failing to get Rev. P. into a fight.

Deputies are now using the N word in the jail. It seems that Sheriff Bailey has authorized this word usage. Inmates live with continual personal humiliation, intimidation, no tissue, cold and tasteless food, sour & lumpy milk, bugs crawling on the wall, dirty uniforms, no soap, and soiled sheets and towels.

Rev. Pinkney is a whistle-blower who became too well-known for truth-telling in a county where wealthy elites are accustomed to operating without it. Can ONLY operate without it. This is another Berrien County innocent incarceration, only this time it's not a random incarceration. The reason is to remove a voice of justice where greed and power have a criminal stronghold. And you can bet Whirlpool makes sure jail deputies try to break down this aging activist.

Mrs. Pinkney took 3 white t-shirts and 6 bars of soap to the jail for her husband. He was given one of each.

Checks to BANCO for Pinkney's legal fees:
BANCO
1940 Union St.
Benton Harbor, MI 49022

BOYCOTT WHIRLPOOL & SUBSIDIARIES

Berrien County "justice"

Rev. Pinkney is sleeping on a small mattress on a cement floor in a 14x12 cell with 6 other men.

There is no hot water in the jail.

Mrs. Pinkney went to the jail on two occasions recently and gave money to the jailers for Rev. P.'s account. Both times the money was taken away from Rev. P. This is now considered money stolen by the jail.

Berrien county jail phone #: 269-983-7111 x7231

Please make as much noise as you can wherever you can about the continuing harassment of this innocent man. This is right up there with the most obvious cases of people imprisoned for political reasons. Meanwhile, Benton Harbor has lost it's major voice for justice.

In jail, Rev. Pinkney was issued a search warrant for his computer last Friday, Dec. 28.
However, his computer was confiscated by the county sheriff without a warrant 2 weeks earlier on Dec. 14.

California reporting on Berrien County, Pinkney, etc.:
http://www.sfbayview.com/News/Main/Rev._Pinkney_in_jail_for_exercising_free_speech.html

This actually happened yesterday in Berrien County Courthouse

[This is exactly why Rev. Edward Pinkney has been a daily court observer for approximately 6 years, and why he's now in jail. Oversight organizations like state gov., the ACLU, the NAACP, the Dept. of Justice, etc. know about this courthouse and do nothing. The media knows also. Organizations and media are just people. People who are busy looking the other way as lives and families are ruined.]

It happened yesterday, Wed. Dec. 19, 07. There were only 2 witnesses in court, Belinda Brown and Dorothy Pinkney, who were waiting for Rev. Pinkney's hearing which was eventually postponed until later today.

Judge Butzbaugh was on the bench as a young black woman (20's) was pleading guilty. Remember that Berrien County judges are accustomed to meting out their brand of justice without anyone watching.

After pleading guilty, the young woman asked if she could say something else. The judge said "yes." (Remember, he had witnesses.) She cried as she began to explain that the court appointed atty. told her that if she pled guilty she could go home and be with her children. But, she said she wasn't guilty, that she was the one who was assaulted.

The atty. began explaining to the judge that he had already discussed all this with her. Then, something totally unexpected happened: Judge Butzbaugh displayed anger and walked right out of the courtroom without adjourning. At this point, the 2 witnesses left the courtroom and decided his anger was motivated by their presence.

This courthouse has the highest rate of innocent convictions in Michigan - Mrs. Pinkney and Mrs. Brown only observed one example. Judges here are known to say, "I know you're innocent, and I'm putting you away." It's also common knowledge that cops are always around town stirring things up, accusing people of things, parking in places where people can be harrassed, making false arrests, and much worse.

Larry Pinkney (no relation to Edward) and David Love will appear on Make It Plain with Mark Thompson on Sirius Radio - Left Channel 146 today (December 20, 2007) at 7pm Eastern Time. They will be discussing the Rev. Pinkney case.

Pinkney's Hunger Strike: Day 5

News flash: Judge Butzbaugh has ordered Rev. Pinkney to
be in court tomorrow (Wed) at 8:30am. We know that this courthouse
is all about making money. Judge B. could decide to "free" Pinkney on
bond. In essence, they falsely arrested him, and may now make him pay
money to return home to House Arrest. This would be beyond imagination.
We'll see what happens - a report will be forthcoming tomorrow.
(The public is welcome to attend his court appearance tomorrow.)

The following is from - http://phillyimc.org/en/2007/12/43725.shtml

Until Friday, Rev. Pinkney was under house arrest –
having to pay $84/week for the court tether he was
required to wear in order to avoid serving time in jail.
He was the only one under house arrest in Michigan
who was being monitored by satellite.

Mrs. Dorothy Pinkney, wife and fellow campaigner for justice, reports that the sheriff's deputies presented a bench warrant to arrest the Reverend for violating the 15th condition of his probation (which she said they were totally unaware of) by being quoted in the Peoples Tribune newspaper as follows:

”The corruption and the deceitfulness continues in Berrien County Courthouse. Judge Butzbaugh has violated his oath. I support the constitution of the United States and the State of Michigan; we are still waiting on this racist corrupt judge to do the same. Judge Butzbaugh has failed the people, the community, his duties and his office."

What about Rev. Pinkney’s right to free speech under the Constitution? And why have they seized his computer? Have the sheriffs of Berrien County, Michigan nothing better to do than to persecute Rev. Pinkney? No violent crimes to solve, no rapists to catch, no people to protect?

The police examining Rev. Pinkney’s computer will find he and BANCO have supporters all over the world. For example, a delegation from the Global Women's Strike representing South America, Europe and the Caribbean visited Rev. and Mrs. Pinkney in mid-November, and are committed to gathering global support for him. “Benton Harbor’s struggle against racism and to survive in their own home city is our struggle,” they said.

Legal abuse and persecution of Afro-Americans in the Jim Crow South is flourishing in Michigan. We must not stand by while the white elite of Berrien County attempt again to silence a man whose only ‘crime’ is to be the voice of Benton Harbor’s Black community, calling out the racism and corruption of local government, police and courts.

ACT NOW. Demand Rev. Pinkney’s immediate release!

Demand that all charges be dropped against him and that he be released from house arrest!

1) Call or write with your objections
Call the Sheriff’s Dept, Berrien County Michigan and inquire about Rev. Pinkney’s well-being.
Sheriff Paul Bailey
Berrien County Sheriff’s Department
919 Port Street
St. Joseph, MI 49085
(269) 983-7141
Email: Pbailey@berriencounty.org.

Copy Letters to: Hugh M. Davis, Constitutional Litigation Associates, P.C., 450 West Fort Street, Suite 200, Detroit, Michigan, 48226. Phone: 313-961-2255; Fax: 313-961-5999; email: conlitpc@sbcglobal.net:

2) Demand Rev. Pinkney’s pardon and immediate release.
Gov. Granholm has the ability to pardon Pinkney or commute his sentence.
All individuals and organizations are urged to immediately write letters or post cards DEMANDING his pardon.
Governor Granholm
P. O. Box 30013
Lansing, MI 48909
517-335-7858

3) Send donations to BANCO
Legal Fee Donations (non-profit so it's tax-deductible):
BANCO
1940 Union St.
Benton Harbor, MI 49022

4) Write to the Editor of the main newspaper of Benton Harbor/St Joseph and say what you think of this outrage against freedom of speech.
Herald Palladium Newspaper (letters to the editor)
P.O. Box 128
St. Joseph, Michigan 49085
800-356-4262

5) Support Rev. Pinkney and Sign the Petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/624471377
bhbanco.blogspot.com

6) Boycott Whirlpool and its subsidiaries, and spread the word:
Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Gladiator, GarageWorks, Inglis, Estate, Roper, Magic Chef, Acros, Supermatic. ABROAD - Bauknecht, Brastemp, Consul, Eslabon de Lujo.

Let Whirlpool know that’s what you’re doing:
Whirlpool Corp. (World Headquarters and N. America Region)
2000 N. M-63
Benton Harbor, Michigan 49022-2692 Tel: 269-923-5000

7) Demand an immediate investigation into this injustice. Contact:

The Congressional Black Caucus. Phone 202-226-9776, mail to 2264 Rayburn House Office Bldg, Washington, DC 20515.

Your Congressional Representative CONYERS. For phone number and address call 202-224-3121.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, Washington DC 20510, demanding a full investigation into the Whirlpool corporate takeover of the city of Benton Harbor. Phone 202-224-7703.

Mrs. Pinkney Speaks Out II

My husband's sentence is 5 years probation and 1 year jail, time as yet to be determined.

His probation restrictions:

1. Not allowed to participate in any campaign or election

2. May not own a cell phone

3. 400 hours of community service

4. Must comply with Berrien County jail and electronic monitoring program

5. Must consent to assignment of wages until court ordered assessments are paid in full

6. Must pay Berrien County for reimbursment of first trial transcript ($2800.00)

7. Court cost & fees: $6405.00


WHERE IS THE JUSTICE?

Dorothy Pinkney

Mrs. Pinkney Speaks Out

To begin, let me say that my husband, Rev. Edward Pinkney, is now being followed by a
special investigator when he leaves home. The financial expenditure to hold all the
hearings and trials, and now to hire this person to follow Edward, could be spent
in ways that might begin to lift our community out of poverty.


On April 15, 2005 justice in Berrien County took a giant step backwards into the darkness of Oxford, Mississippi. I, Dorothy Pinkney, the wife of Rev. Pinkney, am ashamed to claim Berrien County, Michigan as my home - a county that is known for police beating and killing of blacks.

As of April 15, 2005 Berrien County will forever be known as the county where Judge Paul Maloney stole an election from the people of Benton Harbor. Judge Paul Maloney is a well-known racist; the people of Benton Harbor believe it was all about race. I, however, believe it was all about the "haves": Whirlpool, Cornerstone Alliance, and Gov. Granholm.

I attended my husband's "voter fraud" recall trial everyday, and trust me, it was not about justice. There were only three votes that could have been thrown out. The election was won by over fifty votes. The number of alleged fraudulent ballots did not reach the mathematical total to affect the election outcome.

On April 18, 2005, my husband was arrested and charged with four felonies and one misdemeanor, crimes that were created by Berrien County justice system. There was no voter fraud. Berrien County judgement was woefully unsupported by the facts in the case.

My husband went through two trials that were unsupported by any facts. In March 2006 the trial ended in a mistrial, the jury hung on all five counts. There were two blacks on the jury.

My husband had complained for five years about the systematic exclusion and
under-representation of black jurors in the Berrien County court system. When his
second trial had an all-white jury in our city which is 96% black, I knew this would be a problem. The jury was rigged to find my husband guilty. The willingness of the jury to find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and relying on Brenda Fox's testimony was an indication that they had violated the sanctity of their oath and were motivated by something other than truth and justice.

Midway through the trial the judge locked the courtroom to spectators who could only
come in before the session began or on a break. Security was increased well beyond what is
normal in this courthouse. The white jury wanted to make sure that Rev. Pinkney`s lawyers did not have their jury questionnaries. The jury reaction was to retreat into the sort of blind desire to uphold the system as in the south where a black man`s word meant nothing, regardless of how obviously false and fabricated the evidence against him. The polygraph examination my husband passed proved the prosecutor was a liar.

The prosecutor Gerald Vignansky's poisonous behavior had the obnoxious odor of a
racist. This man fabricated and falsified evidence, bribed witnesses, and then threathened
his own witness because he would not perjure himself. Tommie Travis refused to lie for the prosecutor because he was paid only five dollars. Berrien County has always prayed on the black people who live in Benton Harbor. We must stand up and defend democracy.

Week 2 - Day 6 (Tues.): Pinkney's Re-Trial

Closing Arguments Wednesday (tomorrow)! 9am.

Today in court differed little from other days as far as court procedure. Rev. Pinkney's Attorneys Hall and Davis kept trying to ask pertinent questions of the defense witnesses, and Judge Butzbaugh kept blocking them with the same reasons as relevance, meeting the standards of evidence, etc. He told Attorney Davis at the beginning of the day to: "Cool It Down."

Every time Hall, Davis, or a witness mentioned "Glenn Yarbrough", the judge stopped them before the name was fully pronounced. Mr. Yarbrough is pivotal to the case, and yet he cannot be discussed at all. (Keep in mind that yesterday the judge asked the jury to leave when Hall and Davis began to ask pertinent questions of Yarbrough - the only time he has been in the courtroom during the entire trial.

The courtroom was filled this afternoon with spectators and inside the locked doors stood two county sheriff officers. Pure intimidation sending out the message to the jury that we are all dangerous criminals.

The prosecutor in his frustration went fishing for anything from Rev. and Mrs. Pinkney as they took the stand. He tried intimidation by raising his voice a sarcastic tone, and other tactics to try anyones' patience hoping they would respond angrily.