Wednesday,
August 12, 2015
URGENT! Send letters to Court of Appeals
IMMEDIATELY!
On August
4th, a 3-judge panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals in District III
(Grand Rapids ) issued a 2-1 decision denying Rev. Edward Pinkney
bond pending appeal.
This outrageous decision by two of the judges keeps Rev. Pinkney locked
behind bars for even longer than the 8 months he's already served. The
entire appeals process could take many months more. The ACLU of Michigan
wrote in a brief supporting bond pending appeal that the trial court
conviction against Rev. Pinkney is “almost certain” to be reversed on
appeal. That means he's “paying a debt to society” he doesn't owe.
We know that the Berrien County trial court is a corrupt and racist
institution. We had higher hopes for the state Court of Appeals!
Yesterday Rev. Pinkney's attorney filed a motion to the Court of Appeals
for “Reconsideration” of their decision. The Reconsideration motion
points out that the prosecution made a false legal argument regarding
the appeal bond issue that may have misled two of the judges to make the
wrong decision.
YOU CAN HELP!
We need you to write letters immediately to the three Court of
Appeals judges regarding the Reconsideration decision. Please mail a
separate letter to each judge at the District III address listed below.
If you only have time to write two judges, focus on Judges Hoekstra and
Sawyer, the two who decided against bond pending appeal for Rev.
Pinkney.
Below is a sample letter. Copy it to three separate blank documents, add
the appropriate name for each judge, print, and sign. If you wish,
personalize it with your own voice and thoughts.
Letters must be mailed AS SOON AS POSSIBLE in order to reach the judges
before they decide. Ask your friends and family to send letters right
away too.
THANK YOU!
Background information:
Legacy of Racism and National Oppression in
Michigan by Abayomi Azikiwe
No Justice For Rev. Pinkney—Again! by
Philip A. Bassett
Names of the three judges:
Hon. Joel P. Hoekstra (decided against bond pending appeal)
Hon. David H. Sawyer (decided against bond pending appeal)
Hon. Douglas B. Shapiro (would have granted bond pending appeal)
Sample letter text:
[Date]
Hon. [judge's name]
Michigan Court of Appeals, District III
State Office Building
350 Ottawa NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-2349
Re: People
of MI v. Edward Pinkney, COA Case Number: 325856
Dear Judge
[judge's name]:
On August 11th,
defendant Rev. Edward Pinkney filed a “Motion for Reconsideration of the
August 4, 2015, Order That Denied Bond Pending Appeal.”
I am writing
to respectfully request that, in reconsideration, the Court exercise its
discretion and grant Rev. Pinkney bond pending appeal.
Like many in
his community and across the state, I believe that Rev. Pinkney is
innocent of the charges and that his conviction was a miscarriage of
justice. The ACLU of Michigan filed an amicus curiae brief in
which they write that his conviction is “almost certain” to be reversed
on appeal. He is paying a debt to society that he does not owe. He is 66
years old and has already spent eight months in prison. The trial court
judge agreed that Pinkney has significant ties to the community and
poses no harm to the community.
For these
reasons, I believe that anything short of granting bond pending appeal
will be a miscarriage of justice. If the Court denies bond pending
appeal for a second time, I believe that Rev. Pinkney should and must
appeal that decision to the Michigan Supreme Court.
Respectfully,
[your
signature, name, and address]
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