Benton Harbor native fights injustice
BENTON HARBOR, Mich – Friday, October 29th, saw the opening of the Sharp Foundation.
Sharp which is the newest foundation in Benton Harbor stands for Society Harmonizing Against Racial Profiling, is a nonprofit that will fight against injustice and work with organizations to create jobs for people in the community.
The foundation was created by Benton Harbor native and Benton Harbor High graduate Yvette Swanigan.
Swanigan says she saw racial injustice when her son was wrongly pointed out as the suspect of a 2007 crime and charged with first degree murder.
The charges were eventually dropped against Swanigan’s son Franklin Smith and his friend Devin Plummer.
Correction: A Friday October 19th broadcast said “A young white man who got shot incorrectly pointed out the two boys as the ones who pulled the trigger before he died.”
The young male in fact was handcuffed and incorrectly pointed out the two men after his mother was shot.