Demand Transparency in Berrien County: Mickey “Adam” Tennison Deserves Answers
The Issue
This petition started with something simple: we asked questions.
JAW GA News has been looking into the **homicide of Mickey “Adam” Tennison**, a Berrien County man whose death remains under investigation years later. We have spoken with people connected to Adam, reviewed available information, and tried to obtain answers from the agencies responsible for investigating his death.
We did what journalists are supposed to do. We asked questions.
One of those attempts involved the **Berrien County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.** We posted a press inquiry concerning Adam’s homicide and the status of the investigation. We were not threatening anyone. We were not posting profanity, spam, or personal attacks. **We were asking questions about a homicide investigation that matters deeply to Adam’s family and to people in this community.**
Our comment was deleted.
So we asked another question:
Why was our press inquiry removed?
We also stated that because we were having difficulty obtaining answers, we intended to contact officials and agencies with oversight authority.
Shortly afterward, JAW GA News could no longer access the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
We preserved screenshots of what happened.
Maybe there is an explanation. If there is, we want to hear it.
But that experience forced us to confront a much bigger question:
Why should getting basic answers from local government be this difficult in the first place?
This is bigger than JAW GA News. And it is bigger than Facebook.
If Adam’s family has questions, they deserve to be heard. If a journalist has questions, those questions should be treated professionally. If an ordinary Berrien County resident wants to know what their government is doing, they should not need a law degree, a stack of paperwork, or endless persistence just to navigate the process.
We understand that an active homicide investigation cannot simply be opened to the public. Some records and information are legitimately protected under Georgia law. We are not asking investigators to release evidence that could compromise Adam’s case.
We are asking for something far more basic:
Transparency about what can legally be disclosed, clear explanations about what cannot, consistent responses to public-record requests and press inquiries, and government policies that apply equally regardless of who is asking the question.
That is why we are asking Berrien County officials and agencies to strengthen their transparency policies.
We want clearer procedures for Open Records requests. We want citizens to know who holds the records they are seeking and how to request them. When something is withheld, people should receive a clear explanation of the legal reason. When fees are charged, those fees should be explained.
Public meetings, agendas, budgets, contracts, expenditures, and other routinely public information should be easy to locate without citizens having to hunt for it.
We also want clear written moderation policies for official government social-media pages.
If comments can be removed, tell the public what rules apply. If someone can be blocked, explain under what circumstances that can happen. Apply those rules consistently whether the person posting is praising the government or criticizing it.
Nobody should have to wonder whether asking the wrong question will suddenly close a door.
This petition is not about attacking law enforcement.
It is not about declaring every disagreement a conspiracy.
And it is not about demanding information that investigators are legally prohibited from releasing.
It is about something much simpler.
Trust.
Public trust cannot be demanded because someone holds an elected office, wears a badge, or works inside a government building.
Trust is earned when government answers reasonable questions, follows the law, documents its decisions, admits mistakes when they happen, and treats criticism as part of public service rather than an enemy of it.
Mickey “Adam” Tennison was a person.
He was somebody’s father, family member, and friend.
His homicide is not merely a case number.
Years later, people who loved him are still asking questions.
They deserve to know that those questions matter.
And every resident of Berrien County deserves a government willing to operate in the daylight.
Sign this petition if you believe Berrien County should strengthen its transparency policies, improve public access to government information, establish clear social-media standards, and make accountability the rule rather than something citizens have to fight for.
We asked questions about Adam.
What happened afterward convinced us that it was time to ask questions about the system itself.
People. Facts. Accountability.
A Stronger Georgia.
JAW GA News
39
The Issue
This petition started with something simple: we asked questions.
JAW GA News has been looking into the **homicide of Mickey “Adam” Tennison**, a Berrien County man whose death remains under investigation years later. We have spoken with people connected to Adam, reviewed available information, and tried to obtain answers from the agencies responsible for investigating his death.
We did what journalists are supposed to do. We asked questions.
One of those attempts involved the **Berrien County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.** We posted a press inquiry concerning Adam’s homicide and the status of the investigation. We were not threatening anyone. We were not posting profanity, spam, or personal attacks. **We were asking questions about a homicide investigation that matters deeply to Adam’s family and to people in this community.**
Our comment was deleted.
So we asked another question:
Why was our press inquiry removed?
We also stated that because we were having difficulty obtaining answers, we intended to contact officials and agencies with oversight authority.
Shortly afterward, JAW GA News could no longer access the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
We preserved screenshots of what happened.
Maybe there is an explanation. If there is, we want to hear it.
But that experience forced us to confront a much bigger question:
Why should getting basic answers from local government be this difficult in the first place?
This is bigger than JAW GA News. And it is bigger than Facebook.
If Adam’s family has questions, they deserve to be heard. If a journalist has questions, those questions should be treated professionally. If an ordinary Berrien County resident wants to know what their government is doing, they should not need a law degree, a stack of paperwork, or endless persistence just to navigate the process.
We understand that an active homicide investigation cannot simply be opened to the public. Some records and information are legitimately protected under Georgia law. We are not asking investigators to release evidence that could compromise Adam’s case.
We are asking for something far more basic:
Transparency about what can legally be disclosed, clear explanations about what cannot, consistent responses to public-record requests and press inquiries, and government policies that apply equally regardless of who is asking the question.
That is why we are asking Berrien County officials and agencies to strengthen their transparency policies.
We want clearer procedures for Open Records requests. We want citizens to know who holds the records they are seeking and how to request them. When something is withheld, people should receive a clear explanation of the legal reason. When fees are charged, those fees should be explained.
Public meetings, agendas, budgets, contracts, expenditures, and other routinely public information should be easy to locate without citizens having to hunt for it.
We also want clear written moderation policies for official government social-media pages.
If comments can be removed, tell the public what rules apply. If someone can be blocked, explain under what circumstances that can happen. Apply those rules consistently whether the person posting is praising the government or criticizing it.
Nobody should have to wonder whether asking the wrong question will suddenly close a door.
This petition is not about attacking law enforcement.
It is not about declaring every disagreement a conspiracy.
And it is not about demanding information that investigators are legally prohibited from releasing.
It is about something much simpler.
Trust.
Public trust cannot be demanded because someone holds an elected office, wears a badge, or works inside a government building.
Trust is earned when government answers reasonable questions, follows the law, documents its decisions, admits mistakes when they happen, and treats criticism as part of public service rather than an enemy of it.
Mickey “Adam” Tennison was a person.
He was somebody’s father, family member, and friend.
His homicide is not merely a case number.
Years later, people who loved him are still asking questions.
They deserve to know that those questions matter.
And every resident of Berrien County deserves a government willing to operate in the daylight.
Sign this petition if you believe Berrien County should strengthen its transparency policies, improve public access to government information, establish clear social-media standards, and make accountability the rule rather than something citizens have to fight for.
We asked questions about Adam.
What happened afterward convinced us that it was time to ask questions about the system itself.
People. Facts. Accountability.
A Stronger Georgia.
JAW GA News
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Petition created on September 11, 2026