The Justice Initiative Launches BarnhillMustGo.Com Website
Site to serve as one-stop-shop for volunteer, fundraising and other updates
July 13, 2020, Waycross, GA – On Friday, July 9th, dozens of South Georgia citizens gathered on the steps of the Ware County Courthouse to share two important messages.
Encircled by concerned citizens, Rev. Fer-rell Malone, Sr., founder of The Justice Initiative and prominent community leader Oneida Oliver-Sanders provided an update on recall petition efforts and announced the launch of the BarnhillMustGo.com website and social media channels.
“Even before the world became aware of the sloppy review Ahmaud Arbery’s case received, South Georgia citizens knew we had a problem with District Attorney George Barnhill. Since he was sworn in, he has been inconsistent in his commitment to provide equal justice. Last month, we declared enough is enough,” said Rev. Malone.
Barnhill has been in office since January 2015. Over the last five and one-half years, his judgement and handling of judicial matters have drawn the concern of residents. His delayed recognition of a conflict of interest and his rush to judgement in the Ahmaud Arbery investigation prompted citizens to organize and call for a change. Since then, the State Attorney General, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, National District Attorneys Association, SCLC, NAACP and other organizations have called for an investigation into his inappropriate handling of the Arbery case.
In late June, Malone and Oliver-Sanders led a multi-stop caravan of cars more than 200 miles to the State Capitol. In Atlanta, they filed paperwork with the Georgia Secretary of State’s office to launch recall efforts against Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Barnhill.
Per Georgia’s guidelines, recall organizers have 45 days from the filing date to collect approximately 22,000 signatures of registered voters in the Waycross Judicial Circuit District. The Waycross District is comprised of voters residing in Bacon, Brantley, Charlton, Coffee, Pierce and Ware counties. The signature threshold is equivalent to 30% of eligible voters at the time of Barnhill’s last election.
As of July 12, 2020, thousands of concerned citizens have signed petitions across the six-county district. While recall organizers have worked around the clock, they recognized the need to keep citizens and supporters from outside the Waycross Judicial Circuit District informed. These efforts led to the creation of the BarnhillMustGo.com website and social media pages.
“We designed the website as a one stop shop to update the community about key developments, how to donate, volunteer and share key messages. The website also tracks the days remaining to collect signatures and provides ways to share images and messages on popular social media sites,” added Malone.
As a companion to the website, recall organizers also established a companion Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
Continued Malone, “We are calling on those that have expressed an interest in joining us in this important journey to ask your South Georgia friends to sign the recall petition, follow our website and social media, sign up to volunteer and donate to our efforts. Your support and prayers continue to provide us with the strength we need to stay focused on removing Barnhill from office. We deserve better.”
About the Justice Initiative. The Justice Initiative (Initiative) is an outgrowth of the call for justice in the Ahmaud Arbery case. The Initiative formed from citizens from the Waycross Judicial Circuit to recall District Attorney Georgia E. Barnhill Sr. because of his violation of his oath of office and obstruction of justice. The Initiative’s leader, Rev. Fer-Rell M. Malone Sr., has a long history in civil rights and economic justice issues with a proven corporate and governmental background. He has also served as president of NAACP and SCLC Chapters.
Last updated on July 20, 2020