Whirlpool: a poverty pimp
February 2018
A cold snap during the beginning of the year took a toll on the homeless and the poverty-stricken in the city of Benton Harbor …
Pinkney case: Will the Michigan Supreme Court rule on the side of justice?
December 2017
The case of Rev. Edward Pinkney went before the Michigan Supreme Court on November 7, 2017. While supporters came from various parts of the country …
Charlottesville: We must organize the people
September 2017
While I feel very good that there has been a quick response by some to denounce the intimidating, harassing, threatening, violent behavior of the …
Welcome home Rev. Pinkney
August 2017
After 30 months of his life stolen by imprisonment for his leadership in the community’s fight against Whirpool’s takeover of their town, Rev. Edward Pinkney is home in Benton Harbor! Also, the Michigan Supreme Court’s recent request for oral …
How I became a political prisoner
July 2017
I am Reverend Edward Pinkney, a national and community activist, who tragically, became a political prisoner in the state of Michigan on December 15, 2014. I was sent to prison …
The battle for democracy in Benton Harbor, MI
May 2017
Rev. Edward Pinkney, incarcerated for fighting the corporate giant Whirlpool on behalf of the poorest workers of Benton Harbor, has without fail written a monthly column for …
“Benton Harbor city income tax must pass,” says Rev. Pinkney
May 2017
We are in life or death struggle in the city of Benton Harbor. Our living conditions (and the planet) are being assaulted by the capitalist system from all directions …
Brokenness but still winning the war
April 2017
I read Bryan Stevenson’s book, “Just Mercy,” and the story seems very similar to mine. I would like to quote you from his book. “My main years of struggling against …
Soldier of Truth
March 2017
Phillip A. Bassett‘s new book, Soldier of Truth, is about the author’s eyewitness account of the persecution of Rev. Edward Pinkney for his leadership in a fight against …
Whirlpool Corporation closing Benton Harbor, MI schools
March 2017
Let the truth be told. Capitalism generates inequality and wealth, status and power. You must recognize the unfairness of a system …
“Whirlpool is a dictator in Benton Harbor, MI,” says Rev. Pinkney
February 2017
The Whirlpool Corporation has committed genocide in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of a group of people, especially of …
“This is too dangerous to let go,” says Rev. Pinkney
January 2017
I was given a potential death penalty—30 months inside the prison system. This with absolutely no evidence, no confession, no witnesses, no crime scene …
“When a corporation can own a town, we’re in trouble”
November 2016
Rebecca Fritz, with one of her children, is sounding the alarm about fascism. She fights poverty every day, trying to raise a family on her own. She joined the bus …
A Great Read: “Soldier of Truth, The Trials of Rev. Edward Pinkney”
November 2016
“This book gave me a new perspective on what my stepfather has been called by God to do. It gave me insight on what was done, what was said, some insight on what …
Free Rev. Edward Pinkney!
October 2016
The People’s Tribune met Rev. Edward Pinkney of Benton Harbor, MI, just after the 2003 rebellion. The police murdered a young man in a high-speed car …
Voices from Benton Harbor
October 2016
“I know we all live, only to die, but no mother should ever lose a son the way I lost my son, Martell Walker-Hadley. He died in police custody, at the Berrien …
“Mr. Colin Kaepernick, you are my hero,” says Rev. Pinkney
October 2016
Mr. Colin Kaepernick, you are my hero. I will take a knee with you. Mr. Kaepernick, by not standing during the singing of the national anthem you have exposed …
Fighting the Dictatorship in Michigan
September 2016
The dismantling of democracy is wreaking havoc in Michigan. A corporate dictator law passed in 2011 authorizes the governor to dispatch Emergency Managers …
“The Pinkney’s have done so much for so many,” says supporter
February 2016
On Dec. 15, 2014 two people were actually sentenced by the Berrien County courts—Rev. Edward Pinkney, who was railroaded, and his wife, Dorothy. The first thing I take issue …
Free Rev. Pinkney!
February 2016
Defender of the poor and a political prisoner—Rev. Pinkney sounded the alarm early on about the threat of the iron fist of the emergency manager system of corporate …
We demand the real criminals go to jail
February 2016
In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King shared a prophetic speech to millions of people called, “I Have A Dream.” In it, he quoted the Old Testament Prophet Amos: “But let justice …
Greetings from Rev. Pinkney!
February 2016
Over New Year’s, we drove from Chicago to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (near Canada) to visit Rev. Edward Pinkney. Isolated in a prison that looks like a 19th century castle …
Benton Harbor rally for Rev. Pinkney
December 2015
On Nov. 24, 2015, Benton Harbor activists gathered in front of the Berrien County Court House to rally for Rev. Ed Pinkney’s freedom. He has been …
“So many young people are involved now,” says Dorothy Pinkney
December 2015
“I was four-years-old when my parents moved to Benton Harbor’s countryside. When we moved to the city, I saw a different side to Benton Harbor. I remember walking …
Benton Harbor votes out mayor!
November 2015
I think the election process was really good. Mayor James Hightower was voted out! Marcus Muhammad won. It shows that people are awakening. …
Pinkney case: corporate dictatorship tries to silence movement
November 2015
Rev. Edward Pinkney was recently moved by the Michigan Department of Corrections from Lakeland prison, near his home, to Marquette prison, almost …
On Benton Harbor
October 2015
Benton Harbor, MI is ground zero in the corporate privatization of all things public and the outright theft of government of, for and by the peoples …
Benton Harbor: “You deserve to be heard!”
October 2015
I’m running for Commissioner at Large in Benton Harbor, MI. Mary Donald, the previous commissioner passed away. Up to then I had no …
Mass incarceration! We must unify to stop it
October 2015
You better keep your mind on your freedom and freedom on your mind. You may think you know how the criminal justice system works. But TV is …
Rev. Pinkney jailed for being a spokesperson for the poor
July 2015
Rev. Edward Pinkney, convicted without evidence of changing dates on petitions in a recall election of corporate-backed Mayor James Hightower, is filing a motion to be …
“We are all here together” says Benton Harbor activist
July 2015
In 2012, Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams from Cleveland, Ohio, were driving in their older model car, in need of repair, when it backfired. …
“Build a society where the people, not corporations, make the decisions”
July 2015
The vicious, cowardly attack on democracy in Benton Harbor, Michigan, shows that the corporate power structure is determined to crush anyone …
“Let’s join together and fight this monster,” says Rev. Pinkney from prison
June 2015
Today I am speaking from Lakeland prison. If we assume that life is worth living and a man has a right to service, I will say that the …
Rev. Pinkney and the struggle for a new society
May 2015
On the morning of his April 14 hearing, Rev. Edward Pinkney entered the courtroom in prison garb, handcuffed and shackled. His attorney asked the judge to remove his handcuffs, but the judge commented that it was up to the guard …
“We have to educate the people,” says Rev. Pinkney from prison
May 2015
I want to talk about the hearing on April 14. It was a major victory for us. We exposed a corrupt system. It showed they will do anything to crush you. They will lie, cheat, even kill, if necessary. We, …
Voices from Benton Harbor, MI
March 2015
“I was subpoenaed by the Prosecutor, but I flipped the script on them and I defended Rev. Pinkney. In early February, I took part in a march organized by Andrews University …
Rev. Edward Pinkney speaks out from prison
March 2015
It is our constitutional duty as American citizens to hold our elected officials accountable for their work, action and inaction of wrongdoing, which includes judges. …
Community leader jailed for challenging corporate rule
March 2015
The ruling class has always gone after the leaders of the movement. But we must remember that when they first tried to arrest Rev. Edward Pinkney they surrounded the block where he lives, blocked off his street to traffic and …
Voices from Benton Harbor
February 2015
“They dismissed the latest mayoral recall because the mayor can’t be recalled in his last term. The recall effort was because the city is operating …
Michigan and the country: The struggle is for life itself
February 2015
Babies in America go hungry while 442 billionaires wallow in wealth. A powerful movement for food, housing, water and other necessities is arising …
“This is a fight for us all,” says Rev. Pinkney
January 2015
“My case represents a direct attack on democracy. This is an issue around the world, and especially here in the U.S. It shows what the corporate …
Voices from Benton Harbor
December 2014
“They wrongfully convicted a man who did no crime. This is like a set up. They don’t ship people off that fast to prison. They took …
Imprisoning our leaders will not stop the movement
December 2014
On December 15, Rev. Edward Pinkney of Benton Harbor, Mich. was sentenced to 2 1/2 to 10 years in prison on a trumped-up …
Rev. Edward Pinkney’s statement to the Judge
December 2014
“I’ve committed no crime. In fact, if I was anyone else, I would not be here. I can’t say if anyone changed the dates on the …
Stop the corporate assault on Benton Harbor, Mich.
November 2014
The attack on democracy and the conviction in March of Rev. Edward Pinkney on phony charges symbolizes an entire process under way in America. …
On the significance of the Rev. Edward Pinkney trial
November 2014
It was a sad day for justice in America. Rev. Edward Pinkney, a staunch leader in the struggle for justice and for the needs of the poorest workers in the community of …
Standing together for a new America
October 2014
The USA proclaims itself the “land of freedom,” but the reality is we live under the world’s most corrupt legal system. It has rigged courts, bribed judges, phony trials, extortion …
Whirlpool rules a town through its corporate puppets
September 2014
Gentrification has tremendously changed the city of Benton Harbor. Many in this former industrial town—that at one time had plenty of jobs— are now living in dire poverty. Over the …
Victory for the people!
September 2014
A Berrien County judge ruled that the contested Benton Harbor recall election against the corporate allied Mayor James Hightower will go forward! But we can’t let up. Rev Edward Pinkney, a …
Judges rule evidence is not needed to bring activist to trial
August 2014
The good ol’ boy club in Berrien County, MI Courthouse, is usually male, white, of European descent, and lives in St Joseph, Michigan. Judge Charlie LaSata, Judge Sterling Schrock and …
Fighting the corporate dictatorship in Michigan
June 2014
Benton Harbor, MI has become ground zero in the struggle against the corporate dictatorship sweeping across our country. Rev. Edward Pinkney has been fighting …
Benton Harbor is becoming a police state
May 2014
The Berrien County Sheriff’s department has created a police state surrounding the legal recall of Benton Harbor’s Mayor James Hightower. A Benton Harbor resident, …
Benton Harbor under the new face of Jim Crow
April 2014
The new face of Jim Crow is all across the county of Berrien in Michigan. The prosecutor, sheriff, County Clerk’s Office and the Mayor, James Hightower of Benton Harbor, are making it harder and …
State of Michigan forces greater debt on Benton Harbor
March 2014
The State of Michigan forced a $2.3 million loan down the throat of the citizens of Benton Harbor. The loan will keep them in debt. If you make a loan to pay off debts you …
Unsolved murders, Karrington Penny, and corporate power
February 2014
The Public Safety Department of Benton Harbor, Michigan, is in need of citizen input, an independent evaluation of its services and employee practices. Public works of Benton Harbor …
Should Whirlpool pay taxes?
January 2014
The question is: should Whirlpool pay taxes and water bills? Benton Harbor residents must pay taxes and water bills. Why shouldn’t Whirlpool, with its annual 2012 …
Recall Benton Harbor School Board members
November 2013
The Benton Harbor School Board’s key function is to be flexible and responsive, to provide leadership, policy development and communication to the community. Three school board members, Willie …
Benton Harbor schools in shambles; School Board called “crooked.”
October 2013
Benton Harbor is under misguided leadership, corrupted from the top to the bottom. The schools are in shambles. The school district has it own dictator, Leonard Seawood, …
Positive news from Benton Harbor
September 2013
A city income tax will help restore the city of Benton Harbor. A Michigan-based research group, citizens research council of Michigan, says city income …
Gentrification Is Alive In Benton Harbor
July 2013
Benton Harbor, Detroit, and other cities—a total of six, plus three school districts—no longer have voting power in the state…
Say no to corporate control of Benton Harbor
July 2013
We must say no to the dictator and slave master, Whirlpool. They are destroying the city of Benton Harbor by stealing land and by driving the people completely out of the city to build a …
Whirlpool and Emergency Manager move to take control of Benton Harbor Parks
June 2013
Every American ought to have the right to vote and their vote should mean something. Everyone ought to have the right to clean air and clean water, to integrity and transparency in a democracy …
Benton Harbor Schools are in Shambles
February 2013
The Benton Harbor School system is in shambles. Some schools do not have heat. Others have no books. Test scores are the lowest in the history of the state. There is no order. When fights break out, the school …
Benton Harbor’s Emergency Financial Manager Should Be Terminated
January 2013