CASE
Case Docket Number:88-CR-746-001
United States of America
Vs.
Delroy Edwards
Judge: The Honorable J. Dearie (He was a United States District Judge)
The Assistant U.S. Attorney AKA Prosecutors were:
1. John Gleeson ESQ.(who later prosecuted John Gotti among others, and who is currently a Judge now)
2. Jonny Frank ESQ. Deputy Chief Criminal Division
INDICTED COURT DEFENDANTS
1. Hugh Goldson
2. Kenneth Manning a/k/a Bud
3. David Sergent
4. Patrick Lloyd Williams
5. Fitzroy Gunter
6. Eddie Davis
7. Milton Cooper
8. Sharon Tonge
9. Winsome Lorde Edwards
10. Leeford Williams a/k/a Dicky
11. David Moncrieffe a/k/a Woody Boy
12. Stanley McCall
13. Paul Taylor
14. Conroy Green a/k/a Tony
15. Raymond Louis Remington Edmonds
16. Victor Francis a/k/a Rickie
17. Collen Francis
18. Maxwell Townsend a/k/a Little Nose
19. Townsend a/k/a Big Nose
20. Erroll Thorpe a/k/a Chronicles (deceased)
21. Richard Nelson (deceased)
22. Norman Allwood (deceased)
23. Johnny Trewick (deceased)
24. Devon Steer (deceased)
25. Dane Trail (deceased)
26. John Jonathan McArdle (deceased)
27. Stonewall a/k/a Stonewall Jackson (deceased)
28. Shabby a/k/a Tek Life (deceased)
29. John McFarland (deceased)
The U.S. Government Submits the following list of possible UN-indicted co-conspirators:
1. Ian Harris a/k/a "Blondie" or "Rider"
2. Orville Cephas a/k/a "Rennie" a/k/a "Bigger"
3. Mark Lewin a/k/a Mark Lewis
4. Mike Taylor a/k/a Kinney
5. Andrew White
6. Leroy Biggs a/k/a "Chipso"
7. Michelle Minotti "Susie"
8. Wayne Millein
9. Robin Jones a/k/a "Crazy"
10. Scotty Gatling
11. Delford Brooks
12. Patrica Burkette
13. Evans Mortimer a/k/a "Elvis"
14. Clive Lawrence
Together with individuals using the nicknames and aliases "Apple" "Bigger" "Blacker" "Candy" "Ugly Man" "Jigger Boy" "Pumpkin" "Scotty" "Strawman" "Junior" and other known and unknown co-conspirators.
At the time of my arrest and court procedures I was financially incapable and intellectually disabled of defending myself.
My personal attorney at the time Simon Greenaway was being investigated and constrained, so I was appointed a public defender. A so-called defense counsel named David Gordon ESQ. by the trial Judge: Judge Raymond J. Dearie.
CHARGES
According to the complaint filed. I was charged with 52-counts. And during a trial that was not just in its procedures, I was convicted on 48 of those counts and the remaining counts were dismissed.
The main counts I was convicted on were:
#1-Count: 18 U.S.C. 1962(c). RICO Class-C-Felony
#2-Count: 2.1 U.S.C. 848(A). continuing criminal enterprise
#3-Count: 2.1 U.S.C. 848. Conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Class C-Felony
#20-Count: 18 U.S.C. 1952B(A) (2) Violent crime in aid of Racketeering Activity. Class B-Felony.
There were 48 other counts including: unlawful possession of fire arms; the use of firearms during trafficking; unlawful possession of a firearm by illegal Alien; Use of a telephone in an attempt to distribute cocaine & crack.
Use of a passport obtained by false statement; Inducement to possession with Intent to distribute marijuana; Inducement to possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine; Financial transaction with proceeds from narcotics trafficking; Unlawful interstate shipment of firearms by illegal Alien; Unlawful possession of Molotov Cocktail; Murders; Shootings; and a whole lot of other unlawful shit. A conspiracy charge against a poor/target individuals is where the U.S. government could (and can) enframed what one accuser did to another: their target/accuser.
THE BEGINNING
My demise began in Jamaica. During the 60s and 70s, when I was a kid. The United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or Soviet Union were heavily invested in Jamaica's Political affairs. This was during what was called the "Cold War"
There were actually a civil war going on in Jamaica: A proxy war between the United States supported and heavily invested, Pro-democracy/C.I.A.-linked Jamaica Labour Party (later) headed by the American born Harvard-educated (CIA armed) Edward Seaga Vs. the leftwing;(Cuban and Soviet backed); Socialist Government of Mr. Micheal Manley in what then was one of a series of bloody Proxy-Wars fought all over the world during the Cold War between the United States of America and the former Soviet Union(the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or USSR) and their political ideological expansionism.
The United States of America and its Allies supported these wars to undermined both the communist Soviet Union and its client states influence and policy.
The Americans and their Allies supported the Civil War in Jamaica and backed the right-leaning Jamaica Labour Party to replace the Socialist Government of Mr. Manley; and to replace Mr. Manley's Government with their Pro-Democratic Government led by U.S. born/CIA linked Mr. Seaga.
USED: SYSTEMATICALLY EXPLOITED
In the midst of these Proxy-Wars reality, there were conspiratorial acknowledgements by the aforementioned players that there were danger that those covert wars themselves will become the reality for some of the people being exploited, and my life was one of those sad reality.
During this time, many young people like myself were systematically institutionalized and indoctrinated into disposal youth soldiers in the(se) wars of ism and schism.
During those years, many parts of Jamaica had dissolved into political and tribal warfare. We in Jamaica ____ at the time ___ lived in a bitterly polarized country divided on party lines and ruled by government armed groups who were frequently at war with their politically opposed neighboring communities.
During those years it was incredibly dangerous and made that much more dangerous in an ongoing chaos by the continuous Foreign lethal aid: the arming and training and corrupting of political foes.
The reality was that the economics of warfare had exposes the Jamaican politicians to corruption and had exposed them and the folks who supported them to war lord-ism.
AFTER THE ATROCITIES '70s AND '80s
After the atrocities in Jamaica, that claimed the lives of thousands and thousands of our fellow citizen that only abated with the election victory of the American-born Harvard-educated, CIA-trained, U.S. backed candidate Edward Seaga in 1980. A lot of the former Prime Ministers' beneficiary dignitaries and their disenfranchise and disgruntled cronies, included many young distraught-ed, combat-fatigued individual ____ suffering and struggling with combat related anxiety ____ from both political parties, migrated to the Unites States, Canada and Britain where some pass their time exacting revenge. And others suspected to the drug trade.
NEW YORK CITY 1970s - EARLY '90s
During this time, the early 1970's and early 90's, New York City that most think was one of the most liberal city in the country was rooted in raw racism; racial tensions straddled the city.
New York City was a city that did not shy away from its racial brutalities and injustices toward people of color.
Injustice and racial violence and police brutalities such as "the Central Park Five;" (where 5-minority young men was wrongly and vigorously prosecuted and convicted for allegedly raping an innocent white female); the 1986 death of Michael Griffith in Howard Beach; the police brutality case of Michael Stewart; and the shooting death of Mrs. Eleanor Bumpurs by a NYPD officer who, according to reports, was promoted to Grand Marshall at that year New York city's St. Patrick Day Parade.
Law enforcement culture in New York City was intrinsically criminal and racist: the 62nd ___ and 77th precincts among others operated some of the most efficient murder and drug-robbery rings.
The 77th Precinct was so poisoned by police misconduct that it was raided by the Justice Department and many officers were removed.
Many, there and then, considered most in the New York City Police Department as paid bigots: (many who are now seniors in law enforcement agencies with leadership responsibilities); criminal with badges; the gatekeepers of the privilege; and the protectors of the Semites social order.
ETHNIC-CLEANSING
This was expedited later in wake of the Crown-Heights up-rise. For that, Mayor David Dinkins was vigorously denounced and reprimanded, and ultimately removed by the New York Supreme elites who felt like he (the mayor) had failed the New York/ America litmus test of not being a good representative when ___ according to them ___ he did not do enough to protected and defended them and their consistency during the up-rise.
So, disgruntled New York City locals(in their desire to regain control of what they considered their city and state ___ and sometime country) and their wealthy colleagues with strategic interests who had amassed litanic political power ___ not only in New York city and state, but in the U.S. Capitol, Washington D.C. ___ with malice orchestrated a bipartisan coup-d'etat(support by preeminent democrats which included his democratic predecessor, Mayor Edwards Koch to undermined and ultimately wrested the mayor ship from the historically first African-American democratic elected ___ Mayor of New York City, David Dinkins, at the time, in a 8-to-1 democratic majority city that had traditionally voted democratic and replaced him the incumbent Mayor David Dinkins, with an elected wink-wink-nod, White supremacist, hostile, anti-black and brown immigration, extremist-conservative-republican operative-puppet by the name of Rudolph Giuliani who shared a collaborating partnerships with an equally or even worse hostile/corrupted police force and court whom had became a catalyst for him to utilized.
To prove his loyalty, he Gialiani, the then selected mayor, and his allies, then moved aggressively and with malice to waged a campaign of ethnic cleansing that persisted until this day.
The aggressive campaign: (illegal and discriminatory and genocidal practices) included; racial profiling; the unconstitutional "stop-and-frisk" program; the excessive, unlawful seizing, seizure and forfeiture; and expeditions deportations.
These predatory and deliberated and systematic racist actions started by the pandering, obedient Rudy Giuliani administration and, operatives, in the wake of the Crown-Heights up-rise soared: expanded and facilitated, under the authoritarian, attentive, oligarch , Mayor Michael Bloomberg's fierce support.
This aggressive form of systematic and ethnic-cleansing and the use of power to oppressed and intimidated, ultimately caused devastation; and the intended ethnic homogeneity decreases the percentages of "majority-minority" populated African-American and other African origin/ Caribbean dominated communities in New York city like "Bedford-Stuyvesant", "Crown-Heights","Lefferts Gardens", "East Flatbush", "Bushwick", "Fort Greene"; and of course, uptown "Harlem".
After his predatory actions, Giuliani earned plaudits ___ and was even awarded the distinguished title of "America Mayor" by his employers, admirers and people of his like ____ for his transgression and racist and genocidal actions.
THE RUSE FOR THE GOVERNMENT SANCTION GENOCIDE
During this time, 1970s and 80s, there was a drug-epidemic in New York City and the United States; specifically, crack cocaine.
There were also a lot of corruptions and exploitations. Many would come to believe that the CIA and the Republican Administration led by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan had actually created the crack epidemic in America and was truly responsible for this government sanction Genocide by allowing (or turning a blind eyes to) massive shipments of cocaine into the country. The profits from which went to arming so-called Rebels fighting a Latin American elected leftist Sandinista-communist Government; Another regime disfavored by the U.S. Government and its allies in another of those proxy wars being fought during the 1970s and 1980s between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
DRUG TRADES
During those corrupted days, which sometimes led to some imprudent decisions, a lot of people were making a lot of money: lawyers, polices,judges, car dealers, and manufactures and real estate agent/realtors.
In fact, any ordinary street dealer could stand on Wall Street ___ site of the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan, during the early '80s ___ among dozens of other crack/cocaine dealers ___ and easily sell/moved 1-to-2 kilograms per day selling 25-50 dollars pieces of crack-cocaine. As in the Americas the drugs trade was(and is) the influential financial interests that drove the U.S. economy. Many were complicit in the agony and benefit of the drug trades.
Ironically, back then there weren't any criminal charges or criminal statues that govern, regulated or criminalized the selling or possession of crack-cocaine. Most police officers didn't even know what crack/cocaine was, they would find it and just throw it away; or worse, the offenders charges would be a misdemeanor: possession of drug paraphernalia, and that was the allure; the trap!
CULPRITS
During those corrupted days, a lot of people were making a lot of money. Of course, out of the addiction and misery of other people. And I was one of those culprits. This was not the right (or good) decision: But it was a mad time. And during mad times the ignorants made mad decisions.
Those days many of us, disenfranchised young immigrants were "bold", reckless, and irresponsible. Amongst the Jamaicans there were a lot of Partisan spirit, (Rivalries), and selfish ambition and bitterness expressed against rivals for personal position; And in our greed, a lot were swift to shed innocent blood for self gain.
This means a form of continuous Partisan/Tribalism and cannibalism; Jamaican killing Jamaican in the United States and back home in Jamaica, as they vie for (still) political power and honors.
MAYHEM AND MADNESS
Both in the United States and in Jamaica there were a lot of corruption, murders and mayhem. My dad was murdered in Brooklyn, New York. I was shot-up twice; and many of my friends and comrades were murdered or maim.
Crimes in New York, Maryland, California, Washington,D.C., Florida and many other U.S. states and U.S. cities with Jamaican population surged. But even though 99% of Jamaicans living the United States were hard working, law-abiding members of the U.S. society and were paying their taxes, and were supposed to be living in a country that can not denigrated a race of people, that's exactly what was being systemically being done to them.
Jamaican/Rastafarians were blamed for most of the drug problems and violence. At this time, we Jamaican immigrants living in the United States began to experienced a lot of state sponsored oppression.
We were increasingly viewed with suspicion; and we were racially stereotyped as drug smugglers, gangstas and undesirable that threatens the status quo. We were disproportionately targeted for investigation and enforcement.
These states sponsored oppressions, endured across the political spectrum of United States, and were systematically done in the name of security: fighting crime; the crack epidemic, and the over all war on drugs.
TARGET LIST
In an effort to track members of the so-called drug posses, law enforcement officials across the United States and in New York City kept a special list of all Jamaicans ____ The list was used by (the then) Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau's Office and at least two other law enforcement agencies to stage their war.
Many condemn the list included the executive direct of New York Civil Liberties Union who said "Such lists amounted to a Stigmatization of Jamaicans" and Rocksley Comrie President of the Jamaica Progressive League a New York group (at the time) affiliated with the People's National Party that runs the government in Jamaica, who stated "We feel this is reminiscent of Nazi Germany and it is very dangerous." Others charged that keeping such a list was discriminatory. Norman Siegel, the executive director, stated, "The district attorney should disband this practice; and any other law enforcement agency using it should stop it also. It is at odds with equal protection of the laws." There had been no evidence of such practice had halt.
The intentionally discriminate implemented drugs war was a ruthless and a racist policy relentlessly targets communities of colors, particularly against minorities included Jamaicans and other West Indians who were less likely to have the form of money and/or the legal awareness required to defend themselves in U.S. Courts.
Thousands of Jamaicans and hundreds of thousands of other poor minorities were swept up in mass in the aftermath of the New York draconic Rockafeller Drug laws of early 1970's; the federal Anti-Drugs Abuse Act of 1986 ____ supported by democrats ____ and after the aftermath of the Crown-Heights up-rise.
Amid the crisis, former New York Governor Cuomo #1 and N.Y. Demagogues started the country's most extensive states prisons most of which became our Auschwitz(s).
State-sponsored prosecution of minorities had become a reality in the form of the new Jim-Crows-Justice.
Many African-American and other young minorities were herded, batched/arrested; given systemic-instituted prosecutorial titles ____ mines was the ridiculous "Edwards' Gang" because they could not prove my connection to no gang or to their indicted alleged gang ___ processed/prosecuted. i.e., tried under the draconic Rico Act, quickly convicted for en-framed, presumed crimes or offenses, with deficient due-process of law; and given the stiffest sentences that provided little or no hope of release.
This was the context in which I was arrested and tried.
ARRESTED
I was arrested on March 9, 1988, at the young age of 27 years old by an army of NYCPD ___ Brooklyn Homicide Officers, DEA, ATF, HNS in conjunction with a brigade of U.S. Marshalls.
And my case was prosecuted in the Southern District of New York(Brooklyn, New York), by an ambitious, overzealous, malicious, bigot U.S. attorney whom claimed that his office(agents) had been gathering evidence against me and other suspects targeted in what they claimed was a five-year crack down on Jamaican so-called posse members.
SHOWER POSSE
According to the U.S. Attorneys, and other U.S. government officials, I was the biggest target at the time____ I was trained in Guerrilla Warfares and I was a so-called member and ring leader of the notorious "Jungle Lite" branch of the "Shower Posse." (something to this day they haven't proven because their claims weren't true).
The facts simply did not support the claim beyond a reasonable doubt. Yet, I was indicted on those accusations. Then the Judge allowed the prosecutors to freely roam at large: shifting its theory and positions after the indictment to take advantage of each passing vicissitude of the trial conveniently reinterpreted and re-branding me: and arguing(instead) that I was the leader of my own established "Edwards organization"; an organization that was never once mentioned by any of its so-called members or any confidential-government-witnesses, but was an organization _____ a gang ___ that was methodically constructed by the U.S. Attorney and its agents.
(How can one be convicted for running and leading a methodical organization/gang that was created by the prosecuting team?)
Fact was, I and the co-indicted defendants charged were not a gang as the public was led to believed, and did believed.
WE WERE NO GANG
I led no gang. There was no "Edwards Gang." I or none of the co-indicted/ co-defendants in the aforementioned case were not apart of any gang together.
There was no testimony or evidence of any "Edwards Gang" before it was methodically created by the prosecutors and unconstitutionally and pre-judicially allowed by a bigot Judge.
There was no testimony or evidence of any rule books; no testimony or evidence that there was any simultaneous allegiance oaths; or that there was any code of conduct or morality.
There was no testimony or evidence that the so-called conspirators/cooperated-witnesses/co-defendants were organized, or that any of the so-called co-conspirators made a million dollars or even a hundred thousand dollars doing together any of the crimes they were accused of or convicted for. The government did not prove any of this.
The offenses alleged, (and that I was convicted of ) were spontaneous acts of criminality perpetrated by individuals, with individual personalities, most of whom I had no knowledge about their social lives or either their criminal activities; nor was I complicit in their criminal actions.
The "Edwards Gang" was a myth: an unfounded, unevidentiary-verifiable ,imaginary, false notion that was methodically constructed by the U.S. government and its agents.
Fact was my so-called co-indicted, co-defendants/governments cooperated witnesses were not a gang as the public was led to believe; The common thread running through most of us was the possibility of us being Jamaicans or descendant of Jamaicans.
And for most of the(se) young immigrants ____ some as uneducated as I was ____ the drug life:(or rather drug hustles) offers an enticing escape from the (exploitations and) grinding poverty they had faced back in Jamaica and/or the cyclical unemployment that have long gripped them since arriving in the U.S.A. We weren't a gang as the prosecutors were allowed to unconstitutional asserted; most of the individuals were more like a "swarn."
In biology, "a swarn"(according to P.S.) is a collection of individuals that manifest complex behavior without a leader calling the shots.
But at the time none of that matters to the U.S. Government or the New York prosecutors, they wanted a scapegoat and I was systemically chosen and made that scapegoat; the dreaded Jamaican that was the object of irrational hostility.
I became the face for _____ the scapegoat of _____ the dreaded Jamaican posse. I was vilified in the U.S. major mediums by a convenient stream of sensational, one-sided, prejudicial leakages from the U.S. attorney's offices. And I was quickly rendered powerless when I was placed in solitary confinement; in a hostile environment where I was subjected to acts of abuses; and at times, forced to defend myself.
I was housed in city jails and other extremely isolated environment with inadequate law-libraries where I could not receive person to person assistance or conduct my own research on my case. All in violation of my due process rights under the U.S. _ _ _ and a violation under the eight Amendment to be free of cruel and unusual punishment.
PENDING MY TRIAL
Pending my trial, the U.S. Government went "above and beyond' in their effort to distance me from their men in Jamaica, Edward Seaga. I was conveniently demonized by the mass media; there were conspicuous attempts to disassociated me from the(ir) United States political operatives in Jamaica, particularly, their CIA link/operative and U.S. supported Jamaican former Prime Minister, at the time, Edward Seaga and the real creator of the "Shower Posse"
According to the top U.S. _ _ _ Agent based in Jamaica, at the time, James A. Williams, there were no evidence that there was any link between Jamaican Posses in the U.S. and Jamaican politicians. Of course that would later be proven false. SEE: SCAPEGOATED.
CONTROL EXCEPT
Before and pending my trial, I was often placed in extremely restricting conditions of total isolation and extensive control excepts. And whenever I was moved or was escorted from the confined cell location, the whole jail or detention center would go on lock down; when commuting to court hearing I was transported in shackled by myself and escorted by an Army of hundreds of heavily armed law-enforcement officers in military like combated armored gears.
I once counted over 15-trucks and armored vans and radio-cars, not to mention the many bike officers and the always present law-enforcements' helicopters hovering overhead. They would blocked-off the highways exists and entrance-ramps; closed the bridges and sealed off entire areas during commutes: trips to court hearing and to hospitals.(I was still being treated for gun-shots wounds.) Those demonstrations of massive security ___ which were all recorded ___ were in all senses prejudicial.
RATS/COOPERATING WITNESSES/CO-DEFENDANTS
In the aftermath of the 80s Jamaica election, during those days in America, associating and or hanging out with men from opposite or rival political division/communities was prohibited.
One of the cordial rules in Jamaica was "one does not allied or associated with rivals." I broke that rule; and that was the biggest and most damaging mistake I made in my life.
None of my so-called co-defendants/co-conspirators/turn-coats/governments cooperated witnesses ___ except for two ___ came from or have connection with or have ties to the community in Jamaica; Southside/Central Kingston, where I was born and Raised. We were not delineated by geography.
And that was one of the reasons why many of the aforementioned individuals decided to cooperated with the U.S. Government days after being arrested.
COMMUNITY TIES
In Jamaica, community ties and family ties have camaraderie. Community ties and family ties created a relatively permanent defensive system; it prevented dis-loyalties and treacheries; and it deterred treasons.
In Jamaica back in those days, community's ties and family's ties created a sense of tribal consciousness and loyalty, that not even the U.S. would have been able to break.
RATS
Within weeks of the arrests and the continuing probe in this so-called Jamaican Posse-Organization, even though a defendant has a constitutional right not to be tried before a judge who: (1) biased in fact or (2) subject to influences that are likely to render, an ordinary person in that position biased, according to court documents, the prosecutors and Judge in their relentless pursuit for convictions, systematically created incentives(for the witnesses) to lie; They offered, in essence, bribes ___ not by money, but by something way, way more valuable: Freedom and life.
And many of the people who had once been "bold" and reckless and irresponsible, and who had shedded so many innocent blood for self gain (and ghetto's fame) had now became dreaded and feared of the prosecutors and the time they were facing; and had become false to me.
None was willing to sacrifice or be sacrificed; many of whom should have taken their own lives rather than face dishonor.
None showed the sense of duty or the ancient warrior code I was taught as youth; none showed the sense of loyalty and obedience that was ingrained in Jamaican culture or in the era I grew up in.
I had grown up in a different era. I was from opposite ends of the Jamaica social spectrum than they were from.
I grew up internalizing the thought that you never ever, ever rat on people; and in a Jamaica run on the ancient warrior code "death before dishonor." "Informa Fi dead" was a phrase inculcated in the mind of every ghetto kid. However, none honored those codes.
Each and every one of my so-called court defendants; or according to the U.S. Attorneys my posse members, seeks his or her own gain. So they all eagerly and selfishly and shamelessly made packs with the U.S. prosecutors and those whose ambition was to seek high office, and to use me as the stepping stone to get there. They all cooperated in some way or another.
INCENTIVE TO LIED
The now flipped co-defendants and cooperating witness were all offered a chance to cooperate with the U.S. Government Prosecutors. The government gave them every incentive to lie; to testify against me for endorsed lenient out come in their sentencing.
And under(threats of the death penalty and/or of deportations) duress all testified; and many confessed (or was coerced in confessing) to crimes they did; claiming I told them or encouraged them to do it.
Most began secretly cooperating ______ helping the federal prosecutors/U.S. government gathers evidence against me and other suspects targeted ____secretly recording conversations and gathering evidence for investigators.
The(se) now cooperation witnesses ____ rats____ in their weakness; in their treacheries, exploited me with stories they made up mixed with the truth. Their tongues muttered wicked lies against me and my loved ones, and family. I was crucified.
MOTIVE TO LIE
Many or rather most of the witnesses the prosecutors put on the stand to testified against me were themselves facing life-sentences; some ____ like myself ______ were facing even the death penalty, which gave each one of them the motive to lie in order to gain freedom and leniency. Most, subsequently perjured themselves with impunity and without reprimand from the U.S. government.
HANDICAP DEFENSE
At the time of my arrest and subsequently trial, I had no substantial income or resources; my lacked education and inexperience in federal laws and procedures, and me being held in a hostile environment, were a major handicap to my defense; and it limited my ultimate utility to effectively represented and defended myself against: (1) A right-wing Judge with ideological bias who demonstrated a lack of neutrality. A judge who during my trial made material misrepresentations; made material omissions and did so willfully and with specific intent, consciously ignoring the laws, my constitutional rights; and in many ways the presiding juries. During the trial he often made faces, and rolled his eyes to my lawyers remarks; shouted down and complained bitterly in the present of the juries while my defense attorney engages in cross-examinations; openly nodded in agreement with the prosecutors, during their cross-examinations and presentations: actions which subsequently had a profound effect on the juries. A judge who was determined on seeing me convicted.
Each of the(se) behaviors, taken separately is an example of a judge of some standing, whether in the courtroom in front of the presiding juries or in his chamber, exhibited the kind of behavior(s) that would increasingly and nobly, considered unacceptable and discriminatory in our courts and country.
Put them ___the trial Judge's behaviors _____ all together; however, they painted an ugly portrait that causes direct and significant harm and denied me(and poor defendants like me in similar predicaments) the constitutional rights to due process of law and to a fear, detached and unbiased trial proceeding.
It is constitutionally important that a Judge demonstrated impartiality and not appeared to be bias in his courtroom___That a sitting Judge demonstrated: no personal interest in the outcome of the case; a relationship to a party; a pecuniary interest; or a bias especially in front of the presiding juries.
A standing Jury should not be able to take from a judge's action whose side he or she is on.
It defies credulity to think a judge's actions in his or her courtroom does not influences juries, or affect outcomes.
The court is not permitted, for example, to prejudice the jury in any way. either for or against a witness or the accused.
With my deficiencies, it limited my ultimate utility to effectively represent and defend myself against. (2) a well powerful, ambitious, resourceful U.S. attorney who committed abuse of the Grand Jury(and trial jury) by; (a) deliberately withholding material and exculpatory evidence of which they had knowledge favorable to the defendant and would have helped my defense; (b) Unjustifiable threatening and intimidating(and subsequently deporting) witnesses for the purpose of undermining their credibility; influencing their testimony and deliberately creating false impressions with the jury; (c)by failing to correct testimony given to grand jury which the government knew was false and misleading _____ the government purposely created these false impressions and then failed to correct them; (d) committed prosecutorial misconduct by obstructing my access to at least one key government witness by hiding information from the defense and hurried deportation of witnesses(and identified murder suspect) who could have negated other prosecutorial witnesses provided consistent testimony and could have help won my acquittal; and (3) with my deficiencies, it limited my ultimate utility to effectively represented and defend myself against the supreme super power of the United States of America.
SUPPORT
I had no support. No one was sympathetic to my defense. No one pleads my case with integrity. And as a foreign national ___ a citizen of Jamaica ____ in a clear violation of Geneva Conventions and U.S. laws, I was never visited, not once by, the Jamaican consular, or was I represented by, the Jamaican counsel,(27years later, despite numerous of requests, still , I haven't had a visit from the Jamaica Counsel representative), as required.
INADEQUATE DEFENSE
In a case of such magnitude, where I , the defendant, was charged with nearly 50-counts allegedly directly linked to ____ and charged with ____ seven homicides and allegedly ordered and/or took part in seventeen other homicides/shootings. In preparing my defense, the in-proficient/ineffective public defense-attorney the aforementioned Judge appointed to represented me visited me for less than 45-minutes. He visited me for a total of approximately 45-minutes.
And during those visits(two in all) he did not offer a cogent and elaborate account of the charges lodged against me, nor did he spend anytime with me canvassing the matter with me to make sure I had an understanding of what the charges against me were or the connotes of their consequences.
If I did not know what was going on, (and what I had been charged with) either because I did not have direct access to information or because the attorney wasn't able to provide me with access to timely information about what the U.S. Government is doing, its impossible for me ____ with my lack of education or resources ____ to exercise any sense of informed defense; it undermined my ability to adequately defend myself. I was powerless.
Of course, the United States of America is a country with a dual system of Justice: one for the powerful and the other for the poor and those without power. But to agree that any defense attorney could prepare with his or her client, an adequate defense in 45-minutes is absurd and laughable ___ substantial planning and preparation in a high profile case as my case deserved more than 45-minutes.
REQUESTING NEW ATTORNEY
Before the start of my trial, upon noticing the incompetency of my appointed attorney, I objected vociferously about the inadequate representation; and requested postponement; and a new attorney be appointed. I also refused to oblige and give a requested voice sample _____ citing my constitutional rights against incrimination; my requests and objections were (unanimously) overruled and rejected. And I was threatened and coerced to complied and to give the voice test by Judge Dearie in complicity with my attorney.
INADEQUATE DEFENSE STRATEGY
Compared to the prosecutors, I was dwarfed. As in many trials, the defense strategy figures to binge on attacking the evidence and assailing the credibility of witnesses. Those two elements are what made up a good adequate defense.
The un-resourceful/ incompetent public appointed attorney I was given by Judge Dearie applied neither of those strategies; He did not meet those obligations.
He didn't even have a private investigators to examine evidence and interview witnesses. He interviewed none of the prosecutors witnesses or any of the accusers prior to them taking the stand(to testified against me) to debunk their claims; nor did he interview any of the prosecution witnesses.
My appointed attorney made no attempts to discredited the claims or to vet the credibility of my so-called co-defendants whom had turned witnesses against me; prosecutors witnesses such as Richard Nelson and others that would have shedded light on my innocent.
AMBUSHED
For security reason's claims, we (my appointed attorney and I) were given each prosecution's witnesses Grand Jury testimonies the night before (or hours before) they took the stand in my trial to testify against me.
They (the Judge and his prosecutors) said this was precaution done because (and for) security reasons.
Many of the witnesses that testified against me, I knew of and saw for the first time when they came in the courtroom; and when I asked my defense attorney who was that person taking the stand, and what was he or she is going to testify about. My defense attorney would then probed through the pile of documents he just received from the U.S.Attorney(while we sat in court) or through a pile he had in front of him, and told me who it was and what he or she would be testifying about.
My appointed deficient/complicit attorney did no investigation on any of the prosecutorial or defense witnesses; and in the all-so-familiar "complicitous/collaborative move" that most incompetent/complicit U.S. appointed Public Attorneys do to poor ignorant defendants,(which is usually uneducated minorities/ African-American or other black minority defendants in the United States Justice system) he at the detriment of my freedom and life, he stipulated not to call any witnesses on my behalf. Accordingly he opted instead to leave the burden of proof on the prosecutors.
SOLD OUT
This way of presenting client instead of rightfully representing client is very prevalent in the U.S. Justice system ___ even til this day ___ it is a systemic method they, (the(se) appointed public attorneys and government) systemically use in the United States when they are unconstitutionally inline with the U.S. attorneys and is systemically selling out the(ir) client but wanted to make it seems to the ignorant like they had adequately and professionally represented their clients.
Public records will show ___ if any one cares to look ___ that the common thread running through all the cases that is handled in this manner, with this method, is that the defendant(s) never win or got fair justices.
And in most, if not all, the cases where they, (the ineffective defense attorneys), exhibited this blatant complicity method of misrepresented his or her clients, the judges in those cases in a preemptive attempt will immediately level praises(for the record) on the defense attorney for doing a "great defensive job". This too is apart of the scheme, which in a systemic discriminatory way give the appointed/sell-out/ineffective lawyers and the court a potent incentive: a legal cover-up against responsibility and liability on appeal for what they had done.
In the United States of America regardless of what the constitution may assumed, in a criminal procedure (criminal cases), the burden of proof is on the defended accused; You're assumed or rather considered guilty of the crime charged; especially if that accused is poor or black.
For my defense attorney to not interview potential witnesses or accusers and/or put up a defense in my case, but opted instead to leave "the prosecutors to prove their case" was a breached obligations. My attorney breached his obligations when he failed to adequately represented me. He did not adequately protect my rights safety and welfare.
BREACHED OBLIGATIONS
Metaphorically, that passive approach by (my) attorney_ _ _ is like being stung by a poisonous deadly rattlesnake and dying and the doctor appointed to represented you to remedy the poisonous secretions by immunizing you, instead of him or her representing you and remedying the situation/problem, he instead opted to let the poison prove if it has the poisonous-properties to effect your immune system. When its an already know fact, and had been proven over and over and over in the past that, that technique doesn't work. And if (as in my case) the defense attorney does not put up a defense and not remedy effectively the contaminated bite(poisonous secretions) that poisonous secretion will eventually kill the client.
Like I said this dereliction/passive-defense tactic is a systemic method U.S. public attorneys in association with the U.S. District Attorneys/Judges used when they are presenting you for a slaughter: a conviction, instead of them constitutionally representing you as they were nominated to do. To not put up a defense in any cases is no formula for success.
To elaborate, this is a systemic practice that had been done to poor defendants for decades and decades in New York City and many parts of the United States where a certain controlling elites class of locals who are associated with, and politically connected to the aristocrat or wealthy demagogues are given the power to oppress, depress, repress and discriminate against (an) other class of people and to suck the blood out of the poor/black communities in the name of fighting crime.
They are given the power to prosecute us and deprive us in a converted sophisticated systemic form of ethnic-cleansing.
(Read the book: "The New Jim Crow" and/or see the historical documentary called "Slavery by Another Name")
What's true now is that my appointed attorney was either ineffective or an accomplice ____ because I was never constitutionally represented. My appointed defense attorney was either an accomplice or he was simply not constitutionally qualified to litigated such a case.
SCAPEGOATED
As far as the Shower Posse goes, I was never a member of that gang or organization. I was only systemically made the scapegoat and threw under the bus; CRUCIFIED!!! If I was a "Shower Posse" member, or was a part of that organization, I would have been proud to say I did. We Jamaican have a tradition to be proud of what we choose to be without apology or fear.
What the American public does not know or did not know at the time of my trial was that the "Shower Posse" was a product of and creation of the American Government and its CIA American operative, the former Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga: The Shower Posse was led at the time by the infamous Jim Brown, Mr. Seaga under boss. I was only made the symbolically scapegoat and ceremonially prosecuted to satisfy rational and deserving hostilities.
I was uprooted and blamed for all the ills of America ___ the U.S. Government representative even stated in court filed documents that I was a pioneer; the person who introduced crack-cocaine into New York and the Eastern United States ____ and I was declared the so-called leader of the Shower Posse.
I was made the scapegoat silent and exiled; And my family and many, many of my loved ones lives ruined.
While I was being scapegoated and made an object of blame, Mr. Seaga's underboss, the indisputable larger than live, constituency boss of his "Shower Posse", as described by uncorrupt Jamaican and U.S. officials, the Honorable Jim Brown who had been in U.S. custody in the United States of America at the time and was facing imminent Judgment on over one dozen pending murder charges and conspiracy to kill Americans ____ which, according to media reports, included one massacre-count involving five murders in Maryland,U.S.A., and another five-murders massacre in Coral City, Florida; where, according to officials papers, surviving eye-witnesses and arrested perpetrators and government's informers who were poised to testified against him _____ was secretly and swiftly released from U.S. custody and sent back to Jamaica without any media coverage, and set free. Even thought he (Jim Brown) was indicted by U.S. attorney in Miami in a quintuple homicide and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Reich, at the time, said he wants to put Brown on trial.
This was conspiratorially done with the help of U.S. Government Bureaucracies; they undermined the integrity of the U.S. Judicial system and twisted existing criminals laws to circumvent the(ir) need to have him (Jim Brown) extradited back to Jamaica on fabricated warrants and subsequently set free.
The United States Government and its Jamaican operatives orchestrated this action because he Jim Brown was well politically connected(a friend of a friend or operative) and had been in the middle of sensitive operational discussion(s) ____ during the height of the Cold War's proxy war in Jamaica ____ between CIA operatives and their agent Mr. Seaga in Jamaica.
If he (Jim Brown) was tried and convicted in the United States he could have exposed the CIA covert operations in Jamaica and through out the region that resulted in the death of thousand and thousand of innocent people, especially in Jamaica during the 1970's and 80's.
He (Jim Brown) could have exposes damaging important information on the U.S./CIA relationship with his (Jim Brown) boss ____ at the time ____ Prime Minister of Jamaica and the creator and the real head of the Shower Posse and its criminal activities, at the time, Mr. Edward Seaga. Such exposure at that time during my trial or appeal would have created doubts in the U.S. Government claims and provided evidence that pointed away from my guilt.
THE UNCONVENTIONAL AND PRECIPITATED EXTRADITION OF JIM BROWN
The extradition of Jim Brown to Jamaica during my arrest and court procedures was extraordinary and set a precedent; it was completely out of line with logic; and it was never done like that before.
No one had ever heard of the U.S. Government, pending investigation of suspect in custody, extraditing that accused to his country of origin on warrants while that accuse is wanted by other U.S. authorities for allegedly murdering of over a dozen U.S. citizens, NEVER!!
That had never happened before in any judicial procedures in the United States of America.
Why did the U.S. Attorney conspicuously and precipitately extradited Jim Brown to Jamaica during my judicial procedures, while they have me locked down tight in solitary confinement; accusing me; indicting me; and proceeding to labelled me and tried me for being the leader of a posse that I knew nothing about or being apart of. WHY?
JIM BROWN MURDERED
He, Jim Brown, was later allegedly ordered killed in Jamaica by Mr. Seaga(and possible the American Government) to silence him when he was again arrested on an unrelated charge in Jamaica and was about to be extradited back up to the United States, where he threaten to divulge secrets and sensitive information. It is believed that he was killed to prevent him from talking.
I AM NO SAINT
I am not asserting that I was (or am) a saint because I was no stranger to crime and violence. But to be blunt, while it maybe true that I was a relatively low-level drug dealer who got in a little over my head because of fast money and because I was naive,deficient in informed judgement and because I wanted to impress people who were a little older; better educated; more successful and wealthier; However, I was no murderer or leader of any "Edwards Posse", or any "Shower Posse".
MURDER CONVICTION
I was no murderer, or leader of any "Edwards Posse". I was convicted for six-murders I did not committed. I was convicted on evidence based exclusively on false police reports, outrageous lies, unreliable hear-saying; and. most devastatingly, on the testimony of coercive or coerced felons.
Except for the U.S. Government's cooperating witnesses__ co-defendants who the U.S. Government had granted favorable lenient outcome in their sentencing-the prosecutors had no physical evidence tying me to any of those killings, and no collaborating evidence or independent witnesses placing me at any of the crime scenes.
There were no collaborating evidence(s) other than cooperating witnesses who themselves were charged with committing the aforementioned crimes. There was a questionable firearm but that was it.
When former co-defendant and key prosecution witnesses with conflicted grand-jury testimonies, such as Richard Nelson, Erroll Charlton and others who were arrested and charged and scheduled to testify, were conspiratorially silence: one by endorsed leniency and the other, respectably by swift deportation, even though other government witnesses/accomplices placed them both at the murder scene and would have testified (and did testify) that they participated in murders that I was wrongly accused of committing, something is wrong.
Once I was arrested, I was just another uneducated illegal-immigrant ___ a Jamaican, at the young age of 27 ___ to be used and abused; diddled and discarded.
Back in the year 1988, at the young age of 27 years old, I did not choose to be the face of "the dread so-called Jamaican Posse"; it was systemically decided that since I have neither personal nor financial nor political support; and nothing to tell or exposes like Jim Brown or most of my assigned co-defendants, that I would be the guy; Therefore, and apparently, I was systemically made the fall guy, the scapegoat; the face of the "dreaded Jamaican Posse" and leader of gangs I knew nothing about; and was thrown under the bus, to fill a void.
The U.S. public via the highly prejudicial publicity/media were easily convinced that I was a monster/gang leader; and I(at the time), intellectually disabled, and not knowing or aware of how vulnerable and disposable I really was, played the(ir) part to the hilt. And based on the presumption of guilt, ____ at a staged trial ____ the jury assumed the worst facts against me without objective evidence. I was convicted and have been lock in, entombed in solitary confinement, in total isolation, in dire conditions, for almost the entire time in both of the two United States most notorious super-max federal oppressive facilities: U.S. Marion and The ADX-Florence.
The reality was that Judge Dearie, and key players in the U.S. Government in conjunction with the Seaga's Administration in Jamaica at the time wanted a conviction, which they knew also meant violating me and other defendants rights. Their facts did not support their prosecutorial adventurism, so they concealed some facts and invented others in order to advance their objectives.
As recent events and high-profile trials confirmed and spotlighted what many people world over believed and what many under-represented U.S. defendants had been saying, respectively, for years: most U.S. politicians are racist: endorses occupation and apartheid policies. And that the U.S. Justice system is corrupt: Judges and U.S. prosecutors perk for criminals who they could used or who cooperate with their authorities from tough penalties and create incentives to lie.
WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND ITS HYPOCRISIES.
INCURSIONS
Until the United States and its allies and adversaries incursion and culpability in war-crimes in Jamaica and the region, where poor, uneducated, black kids, like myself, were duped, exploited, and conscripted into furthering the interest of the United States of America and its western led allies under the ruse that we were fighting communist and helping our country(Jamaica), I was a good innocent kid in school with aspiring dreams and working toward being a productive citizen of my country.
The United States and its allies and adversaries were responsible for most ___ if not all ____ of my exposures. The "Cold War" shaped the world I inhabited.
This is not an unique story; there are thousands of us ___ from both political parties who are now buried(and forgotten) in U.S. prisons. Men and women who were born during the '50s,60s,70s or even the early 80s who had lived and/or raised in any of the many created slums AKA Garrison/Barricaded communities in Jamaica who were used(and exploited as youth) who had the same experiences and who could tell you this same story, only in their own words.
This was my experience(s) and was told in my words. WE WERE ALL USED!
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, under the current circumstance, I am not seeking litigation. This story was about systemic abuse and hypocrisies.
Nothing will make right the wrong that was done to us or our victims: no settlement: no apology from the culpable governments and politicians; no punishment of these governments and men for their crimes against humanity. Nothing!!
What I hope for is to raise awareness; (and if possible make a difference.) I also wanted to make sure this story was told and I was the one telling it ____ to whomever cared to know.
I do not worry about the presumptions that maybe made of me, or how I might be perceived by the critics; nor am I terribly optimistic that I'll see justice.
After nearly 30-years in pain, I am a man who has adapted to my circumstances with conviction; grace and courage. And have accepted the reality that here, at ADX(in this tomb) or a place of similarity is where I will die.
Thank You for taking the time to read this story. If you have questions about my experience(s) or anything pertaining ___ Please write me by email Delroy Email or best by standard snail mail(refer to the right of this blog).
Please provide your mailing address and/or phone # if you want a response.
With sincere appreciation and deep Gratitude.
Mr. Edwards
BE POSITIVE & RESPECTFUL
