September, 2006

Voices from Benton Harbor, Mich.

Are you still using a court-appointed attorney?

By Rev. E. Pinkney

The Berrien County court appointed attorneys should be independent from political influence, but they are not. The court appointed attorneys, prosecutors and judges are on the same team. Their job is to convict innocent poor people.

The court appointed attorneys ignore family members, badger you into pleading guilty to a crime you didn't commit to save time and money for tax payers. They work extremely hard to help prosecutors and judges work against your best interest, and if you are in jail, they put off your court date until you plead guilty. The court appointed attorneys never interview the clients before the court day, only in the courtroom. They will not call or subpoena witnesses for the trial. They are never supervised or reviewed for quality and efficiency according to nationally and locally adopted standards, never in Berrien County.

Berrien County, Michigan is in constitutional chaos. The police, prosecutors, politicians, the judges and the machinery of government are inexorably grinding away at the individual liberties guaranteed to all Americans by the Constitution. The government agencies often arrest without warrant, spy without legal authority, imprison without charge, and kill without cause.

We urge our readers to get involved in the struggle for justice sweeping America. Take the Benton Harbor struggle into your community and bring your community into Benton Harbor. In this way, we can build a broader consciousness of what's at stake in America. Either destitution for the majority of us, or a whole new world. The choice is ours.

Attend the Rev. Pinkney trial on Sept. 19. Send tax deductible checks for the Defense to: BANCO, 1940 Union St. Benton Harbor, MI 49022 or donate on-line at http://bhbanco.blogspot.com.