Marching ‘Vigilante’ through Georgia

If you’ve seen Vigilante: Georgia’s Vote Suppression Hitman, you’ll agree with Black Voters Matter founder LaTosha Brown: “Everyone must see this film!”

Haven’t seen it? There’s no excuse now:  to get the word to Georgia, we are making the film FREE again but only for two weeks up to the Georgia run-off at VigilanteMovie.com.  Spread the word.

And right now, with the December 6 Senate runoff looming, grassroots voting rights activists are asking for our help in quickly setting up screenings with get-out-the-vote events.

In Douglas, Georgia, the town’s first Black Commissioner Olivia Pearson would like your help in holding showings of Vigilante.  When Brian Kemp became Secretary of State, he falsely charged her with vote tampering, earning Kemp the designation by the New York Times as the “pioneer of present day voter suppression.”

Olivia was acquitted, of course, but Black turn-out dropped as voters were not unreasonably fearful of the new Jim Crow laws. Olivia wants to show Vigilante to fortify the township’s renewed courage to vote.

Journalist George Rhynes wants to hold a showing in Quitman, known for “The Quitman 10.” Kemp ordered the arrest of the first African-Americans elected to the school board – school teachers – whom he charged with the felony crime of ballot stuffing!

The 10 teachers were paraded before cameras in handcuffs and orange suits like they were terrorists in Guantanamo.  All charges were dropped, but not until one school board member, Latashia Head, who suffered from lupus, died. Her father said the cause was “stress brought about by Brian P. Kemp.”

Defiantly, Rhynes wants our film’s story of the Quitman 10 shown in Quitman.  He needs your help.

Major Gamaliel Turner was denied a ballot because the local GOP Chairman challenged his vote.

The Major wants to show the film near his home near Fort Benning to prepare African-American soldiers, in fact, every American soldier, to be ready to take on the vicious vigilantes as he did.

Black Gwinnett Magazine is hosting an all-day continuous showing and get-out-the-vote meet on November 30 with Black Voters Matter, NAACP, Transformative Justice Coalition, New South and local church groups.   Gwinnett is the County that rejected 31,000 challenges so far.  They want voters—and local officials—to challenge the challengers in this battleground county, Georgia’s second-largest.

All these screenings and many, many more, take 24/7 organizing – and money. Lots of organizing…but not lots of money.

Help us get the film out with your tax-deductible donation!

The logistics of one screening — these are go-to-the-polls meetings so we also provide food — cost about $500 per venue. Donate what you can, but if you can donate $500, we’ll list you as the sponsor.

And, if we get the resources, we plan to screen Vigilante: Georgia’s Vote Suppression Hitman at one of the Hitman’s plantations where Gov. Brian Kemp’s family, years ago, brought the first enslaved Africans to Georgia.

Note: Events are non-partisan. I don’t tell Georgians how to vote — they make good choices when not blocked by Jim Crow.

I want to thank you for your generosity so far, but we simply don’t have the budget for a run-off and we are still paying off bills. And I’m returning to Georgia, not just to show the film but to update it with new investigative findings.

Let’s get this film into the rural Georgia townships that face the sharp edge of Jim Crow 2.0.

As Rev. Jesse Jackson said of Vigilante: Georgia’s Vote Suppression Hitman:“It’s not a film, it’s a Movement.”So, let’s move. See you at the movies…then to the polls! 

 

You demanded it. You got it.
Watch our film:
Vigilante: Georgia’s Vote Suppression Hitman
We’re making it FREE to get it out in Georgia f
or the next two weeks only at:
VigilanteMovie.comIntroduced by Martin Sheen narrated by Rosario Dawson