Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis fired back at an Atlanta TV reporter after he asked whether the YSL prosecution had been a waste of taxpayer money, pointing to the lack of murder convictions in the sprawling case.
Video of the tense encounter between Willis and 11Alive reporter Chase Houle after a news conference on June 5 has since gone viral after an Instagram user reposted it last week, with a majority of the voices responding to the post praising the veteran prosecutor for going on offense after Houle’s questioning.
The reporter faced sharp responses from Willis as he questioned her about recent career moves.
“Could we maybe talk about—you relied heavily on getting those murder convictions in the YSL case, but no one was convicted in this,” Houle asked Willis as she made her way back upstairs. “What’s your message to taxpayers who may say that this was a waste of taxpayer money and their time?”
But Willis was in no mood for media spin, or what she saw as an attempt to hijack the narrative. Instead of addressing taxpayer concerns, the DA complained about media bias—accusing the press of relying on voices who, in her view, are disconnected from the real experiences of the communities most affected by the crimes she’s prosecuting.
“What I want to say to you as a reporter — and I want your other reporters to be responsible — is you keep going to defense attorneys who put their children in private schools, in communities that are not our communities, and really don’t care about the African-American community,” she spoke. “What you need to understand is there were 19 convictions. Seven, I decided to not prosecute, mostly because they were serving life sentences on murder. Just yesterday, Channel 2 and an affiliate covered a YSL murder of a 21-year-old mother in front of her 2-year-old child. Go look at the statistics — crime is down.”
Several people who viewed the video online said they saw Willis look the reporter “up and down” after she heard the question.
As Willis moved through the media gaggle, she defended her track record, pointing to last year’s electoral outcome as evidence of continued public support.
“What my constituents say, who just voted me in with 68 percent of the vote—is she’s doing an amazing job,” Willis stated. “We are making sure that this community is safe, that crime is the lowest here of most places in the United States of America. I think we’re like number three, and it’s because of the efforts I have made against gangs.”
The sweeping prosecution, which centered on Atlanta rapper Young Thug, ended the week of June 9 with the final defendant pleading guilty — closing a historically lengthy trial that began with Willis’s vow to use Georgia’s RICO statute to dismantle the alleged YSL gang.
In 2022, Willis declared the gang’s activity “created violence like Atlanta has never seen” and promised justice for homicide victims like Donovan Thomas. But by last month’s conclusion, no murder convictions were secured, and the final defendant in Thomas’s shooting pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In hindsight, Willis’s early promises seemed to stand in stark contrast to the final outcome.
Yet, she remained steadfast, pointing to falling crime rates as proof that her strategy worked.
Willis drew a straight line between media bias and the voices the mainstream press tends to spotlight — which she defined as defense attorneys who live in gated communities and send their children to private schools. She argued these figures are generally disconnected from the violence and systemic challenges facing much of Fulton County’s Black community. But in doing so, she sidestepped the reporter’s actual question about taxpayer concerns.
“Stop glorifying violence and stop acting like some victims don’t matter, because victims of all races, of all socioeconomic status, matter. So stop talking to attorneys that don’t live in Fulton at all,” Willis responded, even though the reporter hadn’t mentioned defense attorneys at all. Still, Willis leaned into the strawman. “They live in safe neighborhoods. Their children go to safe schools. My children in these communities — they matter too.”
Ultimately, Willis changed the subject rather than directly address the potential for complaints about potential waste of taxpayer dollars. She tried to move on, but Houle wasn’t satisfied with the answer she gave, even though he was careful not to step out of line with the DA.
“Respectfully, Ms. Willis … as I asked you about the two murder convictions that never came through—what’s your message to taxpayers?”
“And to the taxpayers—my message is, it was an amazing time. We had 19 convictions. The community is safer. We made sure that we got the resolutions we wanted. If they’re unhappy with sentencing, they should elect other judges.”
As Willis kept walking, the question kept coming.
“And you also relied heavily on the RICO law—”
Willis: “That’s right. I had to, and I’m going to continue to rely on it, because it works, it’s effective, and it tells the full matter.”
“But other people may say it wasn’t effective—”
Willis signed off with: “Other people weren’t elected as the DA.”
The internet wasted no time weighing in with pointed jabs and one-liners overwhelmingly aimed at the reporter. Most people took sides with Willis despite her obfuscations. One Instagram post suggested the reporter never had a chance: “If there’s one thing Fulton County, Georgia DA Fani Willis is gonna do, it’s read TF out of you if she feels she’s being treated unfairly.”
Another voice in the comments section needled the reporter for trying Willis. “Tag him… he needs reminding that he got chewed up.”
One person offered a balance take, “Other people weren’t elected DA” She shut that down! There’s plenty of criticism to go around, but to focus on two acquittals versus the 19 convictions is disingenuous at best.”
Someone else believed Houle wouldn’t have that kind of “audacity” with a white DA, “The level of disrespect! He would have never tried to come for a Caucasian DA like this”
Another added, “Why did he feel so comfortable talking to her that way omg”
One even implied Willis was at risk from the reporter’s initial approach, “Baby when he said “it’s about to be tho” WHERE WAS SECURITY to pack his ass up??!!! AINT NO WAY and YES IM TEAM FANI!!!!”
Great Job A.L. Lee & the Team @ Atlanta Black Star Source link for sharing this story.
