Edward Pinkney, a Missionary Baptist assistant pastor, was sentenced June 26 in a Berrien County court to three -10 years on a probation violation for quoting, in King James, several curses from Deuteronomy in an article for The People’s Tribune. Judge Dennis Wiley ruled that it was a “true threat.” Until then I thought the bizarre event of the day was that I was at the hearing as an “expert witness” in Scripture.

At issue, substantially, is a $500 million golf course and condominium project being built by wealthy residents of St. Joseph (a virtually all-white city, headquarters to the Whirlpool Corp.) on waterfront property, including the only public access beach, across the river in Benton Harbor (94% Black and 70% unemployed). Pinkney was on probation for “handling” absentee ballots in an election in which he had successfully worked to recall Glen Yarborough, a City Commissioner prominent in orchestrating the project.

Here’s what Pinkney wrote concerning the judge who presided at his trial:

Judge Butzbaugh, it shall come to pass; if thou continue not to hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God to observe to do all that is right; which I command thee this day, that all these Curses shall come upon you and your family, curses shalt be in the City of St. Joseph and Cursed shalt thou be in the field, cursed shall come upon you and your family and over take thee; cursed shall be the fruit of thy body. The Lord shall smite thee with consumption and with a fever and with an inflammation and with extreme burning. They the demons shall Pursue thee until thou persist.

Full:
https://www.michigancitizen.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=76&twindow=Default&mad=No&sdetail=6336&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1070&hn=michigancitizen&he=.com

^^^^^