The Antidote For The Apathetic
Dear Supporters,
I thought it would be helpful to bring you up to date on what has been happening since my conviction. On Tuesday, I gave the keys to our district office to Nuestra. While Terri and I regret having to close the office, we feel a great financial relief given the fact that we will not have to continue to take money out of my salary (as long as it lasts) to finance the office. The campaign now owes us over $170,000. We will keep you informed of our "Retire the debt activities".
I have been receiving a lot of comments from friends saying that I should not have testified. I understand and appreciate the belief that if I had not taken the stand, I may have received a not guilty verdict. That very well may be true. However, as I said before I took the stand and after "I had no choice".
Let me try to be clearer in terms of what I mean when I say "I had no choice". As you know, I did not run for office until 1999, approximately 33 years after beginning my activism in
My decision to run in 1999 was driven by three short term operational objectives: 1) To energize organizing in
Given these objectives, particularly number 3, I had no choice except to testify. When Sunshine asked me on the Morning Show on Touch 106.1 F.M on the Monday after my conviction, if I would testify again if I was able to get a new trial, I said yes.
To me, I would be a hypocrite if I didn't testify. How could I look myself in the mirror if as a public official accused of taking money, I told the public that I didn't testify because the law gave me an out. That would make me a weasel mouth politicians like the ones I deplore. That's not accountability in my eyes, that's the political expediency that is destroying this country.
"But Chuck", some have said "Your testimony was lousy". (They actually used harsher words). My response has been that I admit it was lousy but it was the best I could do. In other words, I didn't testify because I thought that I was going to be able to convince the jury, I testified because of my belief that as a public official I had to be accountable. Being accountable to me meant that I had to testify even if it meant that I would be found guilty.
I would urge that as you think about my choice to testify remember Dr. King's words, "If you don't have any thing in your life worth dying for, then you don't have anything worth living for". In other words, we are here on this earth to raise our consciousness through principled living. So to me "winning" by ignoring your principles is suicide. That is, you might as well be dead if you are not going to live your life based on a set of moral values. I rather go to jail than live in denial of my values.
There are other issues to discuss like why I am not resigning. However, rather than overload this email, I will try to send a communiqué each week.
chuck
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-- THE END --
OR, IS IT JUST THE BEGINNING? YOU DECIDE!
( Stay tuned, as the struggle continues. )
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Chuck Turner, District 7
City Hall Office--(617) 635-3510
Chuck.Turner@cityofboston.gov Angela.Yarde@cityofboston.gov Darrin.Howell@cityofboston.gov
Paulette.Tillery@cityofboston.gov Lorraine.Fowlkes@cityofboston.gov Edith.Monroe@cityofboston.gov
ROXBURY: WARD 8, Pcts 3-4, 7; WARD 9, Pcts 3-5; WARD 11, Pcts 1-3, 5; WARD 12, Pcts 1-9
SOUTH END: Ward 4, Pct 4; Ward 9, Pct 2
FENWAY: Ward 4, Pcts 5, 8-9