From the Fenway News

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.

by Jason Pramas (Open Media Boston Staff), Oct-22-10 OMB Editorial

Whatever the outcome of Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner’s trial in federal court over the next several days, I can say as sure as poor DJ Henry was executed in upstate New York by the Mount Pleasant 5-0 a few days ago for DWB (Driving While Black) that Turner was targeted for political elimination for being – first and foremost – an outspoken progressive black politician by former US Attorney (and Republican) Michael Sullivan. These kinds of events are the “exceptions” that prove the rule that we are not living in a “post-racial” society yet. Far from it.

The government’s case against Turner is light on facts and heavy on weirdness. They had to pay their “star witness” Ron Wilburn $30,000 to attempt to entrap Turner – and also former State Senator Diane Wilkerson, who looks to really have done the deeds she’s accused of doing … having pleaded guilty to eight counts of attempted extortion in June. Both Turner and Wilkerson stood accused of malfeasance that still remains totally small potatoes next to the major league corruption that higher level (and significantly paler) politicians commit in here in the Commonwealth on a regular basis.