In a powerful and emotional conversation with Juandolyn Stokes, Host of On Point with Juandolyn Stokes, Civil Rights attorney Barbara Arnwine and Marcus Arbery Sr., Father of Ahmaud Arbery, expressed their profound disappointment and outrage over the acquittal of former Georgia District Attorney Jackie Johnson on a felony indictment. The decision, made due to technical errors in the wording of the indictment, has reignited frustration over systemic failures in the pursuit of justice.
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Arnwine, President and Founder of the Transformative Justice Coalition, did not mince words when reacting to the ruling. “I’m mad,” she declared. “She was not innocent. She wasn’t found innocent. She got off on a technicality—the same type of technicality that has let lynchers get away and allowed injustice to reign in this country against Black folks.”
Johnson was accused of using her position to protect the men who murdered Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was chased and fatally shot while jogging in Glynn County, Georgia, in February 2020. The former prosecutor was indicted for violating her oath of office and obstructing a police officer’s investigation, but the case was dismissed due to issues with how the charges were written.
“They purposefully hid the tape so they could perpetuate a lie,” Arnwine said, referring to the video footage of Arbery’s murder, which only surfaced months later, sparking national outrage. “This was not an accident. This was an intentional act to deny justice.”
For Marcus Arbery Sr., the court’s decision was another painful blow in his family’s long fight for accountability. “I’m devastated,” he said. “This country will never go forward if we keep allowing things like this to happen.”
Arnwine emphasized that the dismissal of charges against Johnson is a reminder that the fight for justice is far from over. “We need to be in control of our destiny,” she urged, calling for continued activism and legal reforms to prevent similar failures in the future.
The case serves as yet another example of how procedural loopholes can obstruct justice, particularly in cases involving racial violence. While the men who killed Ahmaud Arbery have been convicted, the lack of accountability for those who allegedly helped cover up the crime continues to fuel demands for systemic change.