BOSTON -- Embattled City Councilor Chuck Turner, who was accused of accepting a bribe, rallied with supporters Monday saying his constitutional rights are not being observed.

Uncut Video: Turner Addresses Supporters | Council President Reacts | Supporters Come To Turner's Defense

Turner was arrested on Friday and accused of taking a $1,000 bribe in exchange for his help securing a liquor license for a proposed club in Roxbury.

Supporters gathered in Boston Monday afternoon and chanted "We love Chuck," and "We stand with Chuck" while holding signs that read "Innocent until proven guilty."

"I had intended today to talk specifically about my defense because I've never been anyone to hide from the truth, however when my wife and I met last night with our lawyers, with our legal team, they said, 'Chuck, you are not the lawyer. We are the lawyers. Give us the opportunity to use our skills.' I think that is the wise and intelligent thing to do today," Turner said.

Turner read a statement that he made on Sunday, saying that after a 45-year career of service, he "finds himself in a very difficult situation," and that while the charges are troubling, he has "only one objective in life and that is the liberation of my people."

"If I find myself convicted for a crime that I did not commit, I can accept that as the will of my creator. My main concern is not my safety and welfare, but that a constitutional right that every American citizen is supposed to have is not being observed," Turner said.

Turner said that he is not being judged by a jury of his peers, but by news organizations whose behavior "has been so obtrusive, so offensive, so oppressive that my wife and I had to call the police department to give us protection from the press."

"I will not sit back silently and allow my reputation that I struggled to build for 45 years to be destroyed by the employees of rich media company owners," Turner said. "I will not be silenced."

Hours before the rally, the Boston City Council postponed a planned meeting at which members were set to discuss the accusations against Turner. Turner, 68, had asked the council to cancel the meeting, and Boston City Council President Maureen Feeney decided to postpone the meeting, saying it was "premature to take any action on Turner's future."

"It has become clear to me that Councilor Turner and his supporters are prepared to turn this session into something that it is not. This body is not, and will not become, a stage for political theatre," Feeney said. "We will take no action based on a mere arrest. Should the Grand Jury issue an indictment the Committee on Rules will appoint a special independent fact finder to submit to the body findings of fact and to make a recommendation on further action."

Turner said that he was pleased that Feeney canceled the meeting, but "the reason that she gave for pulling back was not only demeaning to me, but to my constituents that it hurts my heart."

In a criminal complaint released by the U.S. attorney's office, Turner, who is known for his community activism in one of the city's predominantly African-American districts, was charged with attempted extortion under color of official right and making false statements.

Turner allegedly met with the informant in his Roxbury office in August 2007. According to the complaint, the informant gave Turner the money, saying, "You take your wife to dinner and ... have some fun," while Turner accepted the money, smiling, and saying "OK."

Surveillance photos released by the FBI show Turner allegedly taking the money. If convicted, Turner faces up to 20 years imprisonment, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine on the attempted extortion charge. He faces five years in imprisonment, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine on the false statements charge.

Last month, Former State Sen. Dianne Wilkerson was arrested and indicted this week on charges of allegedly taking more than $23,000 in bribes in exchange for getting the proposed Dejavu nightclub a liquor license and for her aid in a land development deal in her district, which is also Turner's City Council district in Roxbury.

Undercover photos of Wilkerson allegedly stuffing thousands of dollars into her bra at a Beacon Hill area restaurant were released as part of the investigation. Wilkerson resigned her Senate seat this week.