Chuck Turner blasts media, City Council

Posted by Jeremy Jacobs at PolitickerMA. Excerpt:

BOSTON – In an emotionally charged press conference, embattled City Councilor Chuck Turner said Monday that he is innocent and stridently criticized the press and his fellow city councilors for presuming his guilt before he has had an opportunity to defend himself in court.

Turner’s remarks came at a highly anticipated press conference on the steps of City Hall. Flanked by supporters and in front of a crowd of about 200, Turner emphatically denied allegations that he accepted a $1,000 bribe.

Turner, a Roxbury member of the Green-Rainbow Party, said that he is being tried by the media and the City Council before defending himself in court.

“Obviously, the press is working to publicly destroy my reputation before I even have an opportunity to have a day in court,” he said. “Since I am being tried by the media and my fellow councilors, I have made the decision to publicly defend myself. That is, I will act as my own lawyer in this media trial in which I find myself. Some argue that I should keep quiet for fear that I may make some statement that can be used against me. So be it! I will not sit back silently and allow my reputation to be ripped to shreds.”

Turner was particularly hard on the press, and his audience frequently booed. In particular, he criticized reporters for staking out his house and said he eventually called the police to ask the reporters to leave.

“They are criminals,” Turner said of the reporters and cameramen at his house.

Turner was also critical of City Council President Maureen Feeney. On Friday, Feeney stripped Turner of his committee assignments and called for the City Council to convene on Monday to discuss how to proceed. Feeney, a Dorchester Democrat, cancelled that meeting earlier Monday, saying that she believed Turner and his supporters would disrupt the meeting.