Free Reverend Pinkney

Latest

pt.2016.05.12_pinkney
CHICAGO, IL — May Day, May 1, 2016 marks the 503rd day that Rev. Edward Pinkney has spent in jail for a crime he did not commit. No evidence against him was presented in court. Witness testimony that should have exonerated him was ignored. Based on the “evidence” presented, it seems clear that no crime even took place. The real crime is what has been happening to the people of Benton Harbor, MI, for the past three decades.
Like other Rust Belt cities, Benton Harbor was once a thriving community full of jobs. The Whirlpool Corporation, the main employer in the area, began cutting back assembly line production in the 1980s, making Benton Harbor the poorest city in Michigan. Police terrorized the community and the people rose up in rebellion.
The governor promised to address the city’s problems but instead sent in an emergency manager dictator who cut corporate taxes and sold off the city’s assets for pennies on the dollar. Whirlpool is now attempting to kick out the poor people it created and turn Benton Harbor into a haven for the rich.
It is Rev. Pinkney who has been a consistent and courageous voice for the growing poor in Benton Harbor and against the corporate dictatorship. He was the first to warn the American people about the dangers of the emergency manager system. His message has been that if they can do it to the African American town of Benton Harbor first, then it won’t be long before they’re doing it to the rest of the working class, no matter what color you are. That warning came true in Flint.
The facts in the Pinkney case speak for themselves; trumped up charges, a SWAT team sent to his house to arrest him, no evidence, a prejudicial judge, a rigged jury none of whom were African American or from Benton Harbor and felony time for a misdemeanor crime. Bond has been denied to Rev. Pinkney while he appeals his conviction. He has been moved from jail to jail, put in solitary confinement and cut off from the outside world. These are the lengths the fascist merger of corporations with government in Michigan will go to in order to silence a message and messenger whose time has come.
The persecution was only the beginning of the attack on those who stand up to the Michigan dictatorship. Now those who stand up for water rights for the poor in other cities are under attack too.  Join the fight to Free Rev. Pinkney as part of the fight for democracy for all. Contact bhbanco.org or justice4pinkney.com/

PT Logo collage
+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

Pushing People into a Really Bad System Will End Really Badly

President Trump's executive order fuses drug use and homelessness, ignoring that homelessness can cause or exacerbate substance use because people use drugs to cope with pain. Forced institutional settings rather than housing will not help the ill or unhoused.

Chicago Resistance Speaks: ‘Until All Are Free, None Are Free’

An uprising is growing as the government tries to impose a dictatorship. Chicago resistance leaders recently offered their thoughts in public remarks made at demonstrations and press conferences.

Los Angeles Continues to Rebuild and Resist

Angelinos, suffering from the profit over people economy, continue to rebuild after the fires and to protest immigration raids, while also experiencing joy in such difficult times.

Chicago Teachers Union Says: Trump, Stay Out of Our City

Chicago Teachers Union rejects any unlawful federal occupation of their city, while welcoming federal leadership that fully funds public education, restores SNAP, and expands Medicaid to healthcare for all.

Journalist Says Why ‘I Can No Longer Work With Reuters’

A photojournalist says why it is impossible for her to maintain a relationship with Reuters "given its role in justifying and enabling the systematic assassination of 245 journalists in Gaza."

More from the People's Tribune