ATLANTA—Over one year and two months. That’s how long Deacon Johnny Hollman’s family has gone without justice. Now, a new documentary, “What About the Deacon?” is calling people to action.
The nearly 22-minute documentary was produced by JustEldredge Media. It tells the story of the year-long fight for justice for Deacon Johnny Hollman Sr., a 62-year-old Black man who was killed by former Atlanta police officer Kiran Kimbrough, who is Black, during a minor traffic accident in August 2023.
The deacon’s family has been calling for the arrest and indictment of Mr. Kimbrough and Eric Robinson, a Black tow truck driver who reportedly helped to restrain Deacon Hollman. (See The Final Call, Vol. 43 No. 10 and Vol. 43 No. 17)
“Most of our stories in Atlanta don’t go to the big platforms. Our stories don’t go national, and that’s for a reason,” Eldredge Washington, founder and CEO of JustEldredge Media, said, as he introduced the film. “We have the reputation of being the ‘Black Mecca.’ We have a reputation of being Black excellence. And because of that, we do not hold our legislators, our officials accountable.”
He called the deacon’s story “the George Floyd of Atlanta.”
Viewers gathered in one of the city’s Black churches for the documentary’s premiere on Oct. 22. It was the first public screening of the film. The family viewed it in private on a previous occasion.
Mr. Washington expressed how hard it was for his team to edit the documentary. There were times during the editing process when his post editor would pause.
“I’m like, why is he pausing? And then I looked up, he’s crying,” Mr. Washington said. “Because,” in the production process, “you have to watch something over and over and over again to tell the story.”
The film takes the audience back to the night of Aug. 10, 2023. News clips and body camera footage are interwoven with voices from attorneys, family, activists and church leaders.
At the end, the message comes up: “The family is still waiting for District Attorney Fani Willis to press charges against former officer Kimbrough and the tow truck driver.”
He said the film is a call to action and has issued a challenge: 1. Watch the documentary. 2. Sign the petition on whataboutthedeacon.com. 3. Share with a friend.
He told The Final Call that he hopes the documentary will bring feelings of shame across Atlanta.
“Shame on all of Atlanta that this could happen in our city and we not do anything about it. Shame and justice,” he said.
The producer plans to do many more film screenings in the city. The documentary is available to watch on YouTube.
—Anisah Muhammad, Staff Writer
