On a warm Monday morning outside Big Bethel AME Church on historic Auburn Avenue, Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis received the endorsement from an assortment of Georgia’s faith leaders. By all indications, Willis will easily win the Democratic Party’s nomination on May 21st. Her lone challenger in the primary is Christian Wise Smith. Smith is a former Atlanta solicitor and prosecutor in the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.
Willis says during her tenure as Fulton County DA, those leaders stood by her when the times were hardest, when she felt alone, and when she needed a helping hand.
“These men are the men that lead our community,” Willis exclaimed. “They are the men that pray for me. They are the men that offer me and my family protection. For me, that’s starting to be a real thing in the last four years.”
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad once said that the most vulnerable person in this nation is the Black woman. And with that in mind, the faith leaders met with Willis pledging to support her while she’s in this fight.
There was a heavy security presence during the press conference. The watchful eyes of armed guards and snipers perched along nearby rooftops were keeping watch of the proceedings. It is the new normal for Willis. On May 3rd, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia announced chargees against Mark Shultz, 66, of Chula Vista, California. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in Atlanta on charges of transmitting interstate threats to injure the Fulton County DA because of her prosecution of former President Donald Trump. Shultz appeared in federal court in San Diego to answer to the charges. Shultz will be arraigned in Atlanta in June.
Since prosecuting Donald Trump for his phone call requesting Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger find 11,780 missing votes in 2020, Willis was thrusted into the public eye of the mainstream media. Willis remains focused on the programs that have helped bring down crime in the City of Atlanta and in Fulton County. She touted her pre-indictment diversion program which is free to the participants who may be on the precipice of a life of crime.
“We’ve been able to curtail that gang problem and bring crime down [by] more than 25%,” Willis explained. “Homicides are down more than 21%. That’s real. Those aren’t just numbers, those are mommas that get to go home and still hug their baby.”
Fulton County versus Georgia Republicans
Monday’s press conference comes after Georgia State Senator Bill Cowsert sharply criticized Willis for spending money on prosecuting former President Trump rather than clearing the backlog of cases. Willis said there were 101 police cases that were not adjudicated before she took office. She says the backlog has been cleared.
“When I took office, there were 2000 unindicted cases going back seven years – and we still don’t have the right resources and because I’ve fought some Republican commissioners — we’ve been able to get rid of that massive backlog,” explained Willis.
Willis also advocated for Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat and his job he’s done with the Fulton County Jail, despite the battle for funding for a new jail and being understaffed.
“However, for more than 20 years Fulton County has needed a new jail,” Willis said. “They need a new jail right now. The position that they have put my sheriff in is absolutely disgusting. There are doors at the jail that don’t have appropriate locks on them. He doesn’t have the appropriate manpower. They are asking him to be a magician, not a sheriff.”
The group endorsing Willis includes Georgia AME Bishop Reginald Jackson, Rev. Timothy McDonald, Dr. John Foster, Dr. Cynthia Hale, Dr. Jamal Bryant, Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, Rev. Dr. Gerald Durley, Rev. Shanan Jones, Rev. Andre Osborne and others.
“I want to give a caveat that this is in fact, a ecumenical gathering of preachers,” said Bryant. “And I need you to see light behind me with symbolism and with substance, that they are all men. That is not out of misogyny, it is out of clear messaging: the responsibility in this election is for Black men to step up to the plate. This will not even be a debate, it won’t even be a question. It won’t even be contentious.”
Willis left those in attendance with one salient point, in direct opposition to those that have directed threats at her.
“No one is above the law,” Willis said. “I don’t care how rich you are, how powerful you think you are, who your daddy is, what your political party might be, how much money you think you got, and how evil your supporters are. I don’t care how many times they threaten me. I will gladly leave this place knowing I did God’s work.”
