[wvns] Chuck Turner: Why I Won't Resign
Chuck Turner: Why I Won't Resign + Rally/Hearing Wed
November 30, 2010
To: supportchuckturner <SupportChuckTurner@masslists.org>
SupportChuckTurner@MassLists.org is an announcement list supporting due process and fairness for Councilor Turner. Visit www.SupportChuckTurner.com for updates.
Chuck Turner Announcements
1. Chuck Turner Statement - "Why I Won't Resign"
2. Chuck Turner Rally & City Council Hearing (Wed 12/1, 2:30-4:30pm)
3. Send Letters to City Council Now! http://www.iacboston.org/chucktcouncilpetition.html
4. Help Chuck Retire His Debt
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1. Chuck Turner Statement - "Why I Won't Resign"
This statement by Councilor Turner will appear in Friday's edition of the Fenway News.
Why I Won't Resign
Reporters keep asking me why I won't resign since I have been convicted of the crime of extortion of $1000 and three crimes of lying to FBI officials. I appreciate the Fenway News giving me the space to explain in detail why I think it would be absurd for me to resign from the City Council.
The first reason is that my constituents elected me last year, after I was indicted, with a larger plurality in my district than the Mayor received in the City and despite my conviction they have continued to support me. While the Boston Globe and Mayor Menino have tried to coax people in my community to stand up and speak out against me, they find themselves virtually standing alone.
The second reason that I would never resign is that I was found guilty of a crime that was planned by US Attorney Sullivan and executed by his paid agent, Ron Wilburn. Even though Sullivan tried to convince the public that there was a conspiracy between the Senator and me. At the trial, it became clear that the conspiracy was between Sullivan and Wilburn as they conspired to take me down.
Some may ask "Why". That is, what was Sullivan's purpose in using Wilburn to create the picture that I was a corrupt elected official? He knew there has never been even the hint of me being corrupt during my 33 years of activism and 11 years on the Council. Obviously, he did it because he and others wanted to silence me in my advocacy for the working class and poor of Boston.
At a time when the rich are getting richer in Boston and the working class and poor of all races are getting poorer, it is dangerous to have some one like me with my skills and experience urging people to stand up and fight back. Any doubt that Sullivan's objective was to silence me was wiped away on January 5, 2008.
On that date, Sullivan's protégé, McNeil, requested from the court and eventually received a gag order that said that if I accepted the evidence the feds had against me I had to stop talking about the case. Because of the order which I refused to sign while running for reelection, my lawyers didn't receive any of the evidence until a year after I was arrested. Since I know that the governmental attack on me was not about justice but about attempting to take me down, why would I cooperate by resigning,
The third reason, I would not resign is that I am innocent and the fourth reason is that I believe the jury's acceptance of the picture set up by the US Attorney can not eliminate the fact that during my eleven years on the Council I have been a pillar of moral and political integrity. I'm the only Council who finances from his salary and donations an office in his district that is open a minimum of 40 hours a week. Records at the Office of Campaign Political Finance will show at the end of the year that my wife, Terri, and I have loaned my campaign, $180,000 to maintain the district office.
In addition, Felix D. Arroyo and I were the only Councilors to vote against a pay raise in 2006. In 2008, after failing to persuade the Council to investigate Arthur Winn's machinations with the Columbus Center project, I voted against the project. This year, I was the only Councilor to vote against giving bond money to Liberty Mutual. I thought that it was absurd for us to help a corporation build a building in Boston when it had made a profit of 31 billion dollars ($31,000,000,000) the year before. I also was the only Councilor to vote against paying Boston Fire Department employees for taking drug tests when the Administration was about to lay off hundreds of low paid City workers in libraries and schools.
The fifth reason is that by not resigning I am forcing the public to continue to look at the corruption perpetrated in this case by former US Attorney Sullivan. It is amazing to me how quickly the public forgets. Remember the fact that Bush's Attorney General Gonzalez, after Ashcroft, had to resign because of his involvement in the firing of 8 U.S. Attorneys because they wouldn't use their legal power to attack political enemies. Sullivan wasn't fired; in fact he received a promotion.
After the dust cleared, Sullivan was appointed to be director of the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms unit, in addition to being the US Attorney. I also find it very interesting that former Atty General John "Patriot Act" Ashcroft, opened an office of his national law/lobbying firm in Boston with Sullivan as its operating partner.
People seem also to have forgotten that in January of last year, Sullivan was told by the Chief Justice Mark Wolfe of the Massachusetts Federal Court that he was tired of Sullivan's protégés lying in his court, causing cases to be thrown out based on the defendants not receiving fair prosecution. In fact, he demanded an affidavit from Sullivan explaining why he shouldn't censure him.
Have people forgotten that Wilburn's partner received through Sullivan's largess seven years probation for selling 200 grams of cocaine while the person who bought it from him was given ten years in prison. Interestingly, Wilburn signed his contract with feds four months after his partner received probation.
Fifty five years ago, Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955 refused to give up her seat in the front of the bus rather than submit to the tyranny of the discrimination of the South. Fifty five years later on December 1, 2010, I am refusing to give up my seat on the Council rather than submit to the prosecutorial tyranny of former US Attorney Sullivan.
Boston District 7 City Councilor Chuck Turner
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2. Chuck Turner Rally & City Council Hearing (Wed 12/1, 2:30-4:30pm)
On Wed, December 1st, the Boston City Council will hold a hearing and vote around removing Chuck Turner as District 7 City Councilor. As supporters of Chuck, we must make our voices heard by other Councilors to vote against his removal.
Chuck Turner Supporter's Rally
Boston City Hall Plaza
Wed, 12/1
2:15-3pm
Chuck Turner City Council Hearing
Boston City Hall, 5th Floor Hearing Room
Wed, 12/1
3pm start time
All Chuck Turner supporters are asked to help spread the word and be present at this vital moment. Chuck has asked the City Council to defer his removal at least until his sentencing hearing on January 25th. If he is not sentenced to incarceration in January, he would like to finish his term that ends in 2011.
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3. Send Letters to City Council Now!
If you support Chuck Turner and have not sent a letter to the Boston City Council, now is the time!
Send a letter to the Boston City Council and other key officials by following the link:
http://www.iacboston.org/chucktcouncilpetition.html
Or send a letter or email directly to the City Council - find the list of Councilors Emails at: http://supportchuckturner.com/2010/chuck-turner-statement-11-1-10-2/
Message from Chuck:
"All Councilors received an email from Council President Ross saying that he will schedule a Council meeting to take place on December 1, 2010 at 3 p.m. after the Council meeting to vote on the issue of my removal from the Council. Since I believe I should have the right to stay on the City Council until the completion of my term, I would urge you to send letters to the Councilors urging that they vote against any motion to remove me from the Council. If they follow your request and Judge Woodlock agrees to put me on probation, then there would not seem to be anything blocking me from completing my term on the Council."
Please write your City Councilor and send a message today! Be seen and be heard - we will not let at attack on Chuck happen without resistance from the community.
http://www.iacboston.org/chucktcouncilpetition.html
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4. Help Chuck Retire His Debt
http://supportchuckturner.com/donate/
For over 40 years Chuck Turner has been giving selflessly to his community – as a community organizer, civil rights activists and a member of the Boston City Council. Since his election as a City Councilor his has financed hisoffice in Dudley Square through his own
resources. The only community-based district office is now closed because of the costs. The campaign costs are over $160,000 for the support of the office to date.
Now Chuck who has been an inspiration to so many of us, needs our help.
Please assist in retiring this campaign debt.
Help spread the word far and wide! Follow the link to get to Chuck Turner's donations page: http://supportchuckturner.com/donate/
Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner has been a community organizer and civil rights activist in Boston, Massachusetts since 1966. Referred to as one of the best-known agitators in the city, he was elected to the Boston City Council in 1999.
His accomplishments in office are many. A few current ones include:
Maintaining an office in Dudley Square for the last 7 years, financed through my own resources;
Maintaining monthly District 7 Roundtable Board Roundtables where District 7 residents come together with others to strengthen our political consciousness and strategies;
Initiating the development of The New Majority Coalition, which has brought together activists of color together in Boston to strengthen our political base as well as ability to act collectively;
Initiating the development of Work-4-Equity which led the fight to stop the return to neighborhood schools in 2003-2004 and continues the fight for educational justice and equity; and
Initiating the development of the Boston Workers Alliance, an organization of unemployed workers in the Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan areas to fight discrimination against those with criminal records, to strengthen collectively their individual employment opportunities, and to form businesses which they can own cooperatively.
His impact is still necessary in community organizing efforts. While Councilor Turner will not appeal the recent verdict, he will not resign from the City Council. His intention is to fight to finish his term of office ending December 31, 2011, since there are a number of projects that need more work.
Help Chuck retire his $160,000 debt resulting from maintaining his District Office.
Please donate today: http://supportchuckturner.com/donate/
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Chuck Stands With Us, We Stand With Chuck
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