Edward Pinkney speaks with David Sole of MECAWI last May 14, after he was sentenced to house arrest. He was jailed the day after Cynthia McKinney came to speak on his behalf. Photo: Abayomi Azikiwe

Deputy Hooks went into Pinkney's cell, threw his legal papers all over the bed, and stole his notes and calendar. These contained information about all the incidents in the jail since he's been there.
Last Monday the deputy had removed a Black man from Rev. Pinkney's cell and placed him in the hole, while allowing two white men to remain in their cell. Rev. Pinkney wrote to Sheriff Bailey about this racist move, and the very next day he was locked down. Racism is out of control in Berrien County.

"A tireless activist, Pinkney successfully engineered a recall of a commissioner using absentee ballots, but accusers claimed he paid others to vote and handled some of the ballots personally," explains the Kalamazoo Voice. He had been offering five dollars to poor and homeless people to pass out flyers explaining the February 2005 recall election, but the prosecution twisted the facts to suggest he was paying them five dollars to vote.

At trial, however, "the prosecution failed to produce a single fingerprint on any of the envelopes that Rev. Pinkney supposedly handled. Ditto for DNA from any spit used to seal the envelopes." Nevertheless, this esteemed civic leader, founder of Black Autonomy Network Community Organization (BANCO), was convicted - by an all-white jury.

This is a classic case of the people's struggle to keep and control their community. The recall of the commissioner had threatened to block plans by Whirlpool, the multinational appliance manufacturer that runs Benton Harbor like a colony, to replace a city park with a $500 million upscale development and golf course that would give no benefits to the overwhelmingly poor Black population of Benton Harbor.

Please flood with phone calls the Berrien County Jail at (269) 983-7111, ext. 7231; Gov. Granholm at (517) 373-3400 or (517) 335-7858; Sheriff Paul Bailey at (269) 983-7141; and Rep. John Conyers at (313) 961-5670.

Send donations to cover legal expenses to: BANCO, 1940 Union St., Benton Harbor, MI 49022. Write or send current events articles to Rev. Edward Pinkney, #10017670-IS04, Berrien County Jail, 919 Port St., St. Joseph, MI 49085.

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