Labor Day Flyer from MECAWI

Wrongfully convicted, jailed for his activism!

The fight continues to FREE REV. EDWARD PINKNEY

The state of Michigan continues to persecute political prisoner Rev. Edward Pinkney. Convicted in Berrien County, Michigan, this community activist has served over 20 months for supposedly altering dates on a recall petition against the mayor of Benton Harbor. Sentenced to 2.5 to 10 years, he is locked up in Marquette Prison, 500 miles from family and friends.

On July 26 the Michigan Court of Appeals rejected Rev. Pinkney’s appeal. The Court heard oral arguments on May 11. Amicus briefs were filed by the National Lawyers Guild and the American Civil Liberties Union. Four issues were raised on appeal.

First was whether the alteration of dates on the petitions was even a felony under the specific law he was charged with violating. The law specifies acts by government officials who violate election laws. However the court decided that in Pinkney’s case it also applies to any individual, not just officials.

In an outrageous argument the court held that “sufficient evidence was presented to support the jury’s guilty verdicts” based entirely on the facts that Rev. Pinkney was “leader in the recall efforts,” “had previously sponsored several recall campaigns,” “circulated 33 of the 62 recall petitions,” spoke at city commission and other meetings about the recall and “demonstrated animosity towards [mayor] Hightower.” The court said this is enough “to find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Rev. Pinkney is African American from a city that is 90% African American but was tried in front of an all-white jury by a white prosecutor and white judge. The court completely brushed off the effect of the prosecutor harping again and again on the defendant’s activist history on the jury, stating “the jury was properly instructed several times that it could only consider the other-acts evidence for motive purposes” and that “jurors are presumed to follow their instructions.”

The Court of Appeals then argued that even if Rev. Pinkney was not the one who altered dates on the petitions, he could be convicted for aiding and encouraging another person who might have done so because Pinkney was “leader of the recall campaign.”

Finally the court upheld the introduction of Rev. Pinkney’s long career as a community activist as “motive” to commit election violations. These included “his radio show,” “his recall efforts in the local community,” “his speaking engagements across the country” and “his search for justice and equality in general.” According to the three judges this “showed that defendant had a motive to alter the dates on the recall petitions, thus providing evidence of the identification of the perpetrator.”

This last conclusion condemns every political activist in the country to be guilty of any political crime just for being an activist. This threat to free speech is one reason for the intervention of the NLG and the ACLU in this case. On July 27 Rev. Pinkney wrote to his supporters: "We are living in a time when the court system and the prosecutor don't need evidence to send a man to prison. I know they don't have any evidence, because I didn't do it. And the prosecutor knows I didn't do it.” It is expected that the case will be appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court in the next months. 

Donations toward Rev. Pinkney’s defense can be made at bhbanco.org. Write to Rev. Edward Pinkney #294671, Marquette Branch Prison, 1960 U.S. Highway 41 South, Marquette, MI 49855. For a speaker at your union meeting or church contact 313-680-5508. 

Issued by: Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice (mecawi.org) 313-680-5508

Marcina Cole Interviewed about Rev. Pinkney at the Green Party Rally in Detroit

Excellent interview with Detroit activist and BANCO supporter Marcina Cole (follow link to facebook video):

https://www.facebook.com/RealProgressive/videos/1656473121348778/

Fighting the Whirlpool Corporate Dictatorship in Benton Harbor, Michigan

Terrance T-Shirt Shurn is murdered by police, a vicious despicable murder. Police violently break up peaceful vigils, creating an uprising. The army is brought in to patrol the streets.

In Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm forms a task force in the year 2003. She says she will help Benton Harbor, Michigan. She has no intention of helping the residents of Benton Harbor. This was the beginning of the take over of the city by the corporation. This was the beginning of the merge of the corporation, Whirlpool, and the city of Benton Harbor government which is known as fascism.

In 2004, led by Whirlpool-backed commissioner Glen Yarbrough, beach-front city property is given away for proposed Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course.

In 2005, the citizens decided to recall Glen Yarbrough. The citizens get enough votes to remove Glen Yarbrough, but the judge set aside elections to keep Yarbrough's seat. Rev. Pinkney is arrested and falsely charged with voter fraud.

In 2007, to keep Yarbrough in office, Rev. Pinkney is arrested and falsely charged with voter fraud. Trial ends in a hung jury. A new trial with an all-white jury convicts Rev. Pinkney. He is placed on probation. Then Rev. Pinkney is sent to prison for probation violations when quoting the Bible. The Court of Appeals orders Rev. Pinkney's release. He spends nearly a year incarcerated.

Gov. Granholm brings in unelected Emergency Financial Manager under Public Act 72 to run Benton Harbor. The residents of Benton Harbor take control of the city commission away from Whirlpool and young black men in Benton Harbor are increasingly found dead under questionable circumstances, and this continues while Sheriff Paul Bailey says no foul play.

In 2011, Whirlpool puppet Mayor James Hightower becomes mayor in Benton Harbor. Gov. Snyder put Public Act 4 in place to change Emergency Financial Managers to Emergency Managers and gave them absolute power over all aspects of city government. The Emergency Manager continues giving away public land to Whirlpool.

In 2012, Michigan citizens vote to repeal Public Act 4 Emergency Manager Law, and then Gov. Snyder signs into law Public Act 436. It is almost identical to the original law, but stronger against the residents.

In 2013, a recall of the corrupt Mayer James Hightower begins. The petitions are turned in with the required number of signatures.

Sheriff Bailey investigates petitions at the request of the mayor, prosecutor, and judge to stop the recall election. The Sheriff Department started to intimidate the residents, who signed the petition.

In 2014 April 24, a SWAT Team surrounds Rev. Pinkney's home. He is charged with voter fraud, five felonies, no direct or indirect evidence. Rev. Pinkney is convicted by an all-white jury that was motivated by something other than the truth.

Rev. Pinkney needs your help. We must confront the corrupt and rigged system and fight back together!

Police Must Stop Killing Black Men Or Else!

Racism has wreaked havoc on black men. It is something difficult to determine, which are the deepest. They physical wounds or the psychological wounds, only a black man can understand the social disease that racism inflicts upon him. The suppressed fears and resentments, and the expressed anxieties and sensitivities make each day of life a turmoil. Every confrontation with the police, the court system, and everything else, and with the restrictions imposed is another emotional battle in a never ending war. the black man is shackled in his waking moments to tiptoe stance. Never quite knowing what to expect next and in his subconscious the black man wrestles with this added demon, better known as the system.

Is there any argument to support the withdrawing of life-quality from groups, because of the color of their skin, or the texture of their hair or any external characteristic, which has nothing at all to do with life quality? Certainly not on the grounds of morality, justice, or religion. Nothing can be more diabolical than a deliberate attempt to destroy in any man his will to be a man and to withhold from him that something that constitutes his true reserve. Desegregation, then is not enough for it travels a part of the distance, it does not complete the whole cycle. The lack of restriction against one's freedom, but it does not prohibit the blocking of his total capacity.

I may do well in non-racist society, but I can never know what my total capacity is until I live in a non-racist society. I cannot be free until I have had the opportunity to fulfil my total capacity untrammelled by any artificial hindrance or barrier. I demand that we recognize that racism is a denial of freedom and is denial of life itself.

Before we can understand, all the police killing today and the police officers, not being changed, we must go back to the root of the problem. The system, which also includes the criminal justice system. Black people continue to live with racism every single day of their life. It doesn't matter where we are individually in the scheme of things or how near we may be either to the top or the bottom of society. The cold facts of racism slap each one of us right in the face.

The lacking of sufficient access to television, radio, newspaper publications, and broad forums, blacks have to write their most persuasive essay with the blunt pen of force of the marching ranks. The killing of black men will continue, it is the Shame of America and this country must face the aspect of it, direct action will continue to be a significant source of power until it is made irrelevant by the presence of justice. We must confront this system until police officers are sent to prison for killing black men.

Jim Crow, Toliver, & Hightower Must Go for Corruption to End

Berrien County, Michigan  

The New Jim Crow, Election Clerk Carolyn Toliver, and Former Mayor James Hightower Must Go To Stop the Corruption

The battle is in our hands, just like in 1960, in Mississippi and Alabama, and all over the United States. I must admit to you there are still some difficult times ahead.

The latest saga in the pursuit of corporate rule that is gripping the city of Benton Harbor is led by Whirlpool corporation puppets former Mayor James Hightower, County Clerk Sharon Tyler election Clerk Carolyn Toliver, sheriff Paul (Eugene Bull Conners) Bailey, prosecutor Mike Sepic, and judge Sterling Schrock.

The recall election of Mayor James Hightower was scheduled to be held on May 6, 2014, but at the request of Whirlpool Corporation, James Hightower is working for Lakekland Hospital under Loren Hamel and the election clerk Carolyn Toliver, who broke the law and gave the recall petitions to the Sheriff's department without a subpoena, a warrant, or a court order. The recall petitions were taken out of the county without the permission or the authority. The corruption rolls on!

Prosecutor Mike Sepic takes pleasure in poisoning the Black community of Benton Harbor, which has the fourth largest prison population in the state of Michigan and is the tenth largest county. Prosecutor Mike Sepic is sworn to search for the truth, he does not know the truth. He is corrupt from his head to his toes.

This was a vindictive prosecution. I was singled out by the corrupt Berrien County elected officials because I had exercised my constitutionally protected rights. The prosecutor Mike Sepic egregious practice of failing to seek the truth to prevent the actual innocent from suffering a gross miscarriage of justice. There is no justice to blacks in Berrien County. Our broken judicial system in Berrien County continues to rear its ugly head by wrongfully imprisoning innocent black people.

I was convicted on Nov. 3, 2014 by an all-white jury that was motivated by something other than the truth. The jury of Jill Olsen, Maria Cordona, Carolyn Davis, David Dill, Allen Persk, Scott Rose, Carlia Witz, Sharlie Phillips, Mikala McCoy, Gail Freehling, Catherine Rohmer, who was a personal friend of Judge Sterling Schrock. This rogue jury that ignored the law and evidence in reaching a capricious verdict. The rogue jury based their verdict on revealed, deeply held prejudices, and was not based on a desire to achieve a just, fair or a moral outcome.

We must come to see the roots of racism in Berrien County are very deep, and there must be something positive and massive in order to get rid of all the effects of racism and the tragedies of racial injustice.

It is an unhappy truth that racism is a way of life for the vast majority of White Americans spoken and unspoken acknowledge and denied subtle and sometimes not subtle, the disease of racism permeates and poisons a whole body politic and I can see nothing more urgent than for America to work passionately and unrelentingly to get rid of the disease of racism. We must confront racism, not just in Berrien County, Michigan, but around the world.