Game Changers: The Conscious Culture Volume 1 Issue 5 | Page 21

will only be eligible if they
have never gotten a felony
conviction and if they are
nonviolent.
and expertise into the office
to handle those specialized
things. If you are a parent
of a child who has been
victim-
Kameelah: Are the percent- ized,
ages of special women’s
would
and children’s cases high in you
Henry County?
only
Pattillo discusses the
want
percentages of special
some-
women's and children's
one
cases. "It is a problem ev-
who
erywhere, so of course that has
includes this county. These han-
cases are unique and tech-
dled
nical in a lot of ways. It is
bur-
my belief that every coun-
glaries
ty that has a substantial
or car thefts? Or would you
growing population such as want someone who can
ours needs a unit like that.
come in and say, "This is
Most metropolitan District
all I do."
Attorneys’ offices have
"Darius Pattillo is the
something similar. Fulton
District Attorney for ev-
and DeKalb have one,
erybody", he says. What
so why shouldn't Henry
people want in the criminal
County have one as well?
justice system is fairness.
We want to protect the most I'm committed to making
vulnerable people in our
sure that people feel that
community and that's why
they were treated fair.
I thought this program was I want everyone to un-
so important. It’s filling a
derstand that when I am
need that we have. I feel it’s making a decision it will be
very proactive. For exam-
on the case’s merits, facts
ple, if this office gets a seri- and evidence. As it relates
ous rape case or aggravated to Henry County, in partic-
child molestation case, it
ular, I think people need to
is less than ideal to have
understand that if we want
that case prosecuted by
a fair system, we have to
someone who has a nomi-
participate in
nal amount of prosecution
the system.
experience. Yes, it can be
That means
done and has been done,
as the pros-
but why would we have
ecution, de-
that situation? So, if I can
fense, bench
bring a person in that has
or juror. We
ten years of experience han- must all work
dling serious child abuse
together. We
cases, I think that would
must go out
be more ideal. I believe the and vote and
D.A. should have the type
we cannot sit
of vision to bring programs on the side-
lines and complain. Many
times, specifically in the
African American commu-
nity, we have to recognize
the
people
who
are
com-
mitting
crimes
are do-
ing it
in their
own
com-
muni-
ties.
What
that comes down to is
defendants against vic-
tims. That means African
American defendants are
committing crimes against
African American victims.
People tend to victimize
people who look like them.
When I’m asked how can I
possibly put people of color
behind bars that look like
us, I respond by saying,
I'm protecting people who
look like us. You can never
lose sight of that because it
matters to me that Grandma
can go to the corner store
without worrying about
being carjacked or that you
can be safe in your home
and not have to worry about
someone coming into your
home or stealing your car
or selling your kids drugs.
I believe that it’s not incon-
sistent to be a fair prosecu-
tor and at the same time be
a tough prosecutor. We are
in the schools and will be
going into more schools in
Henry County and it mat-
ters, because young people
don't really know what the
DA does specifically. This
gives us an opportunity to
explain to the youth what
we do, what role we play,
and how we intend to make
a difference in their neigh-
borhoods. It also lets them
know that this could be a
career path for them. They
can be a lawyer or prosecu-
tor or investigator. It opens
their world up to a whole
profession that they may
not know much about, as
opposed to what they only
see on television. Young
people also need to know
that the DA's office is not
against them. When we
have this conversation with
the youth they get it. They
can now put a name to the
face and will realize they
are also able to achieve this
despite the odds. We basi-
Continued, page 22