Murder of Ahmaud Arbery, claims of racism, cronyism thrusts Georgia town into national spotlight
A small segregated town in Southeast Georgia is divided – and at the center of a national conversation about race – after a white father and son with ties to local police and the prosecutor were arrested two months after allegedly gunning down an unarmed 25-year-old black man as he was jogging less than three miles from his mother's home.
Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, were arrested Thursday night and charged with felony murder and aggravated assault in the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery in Satilla Shores, a sleepy enclave in Glynn County about 15 minutes from downtown Brunswick.
The case was thrust into the spotlight after a cellphone video allegedly shot by the McMichaels' neighbor William Bryan showing the Feb. 23 killing recently surfaced on social media, prompting outrage against the local authorities.
Lee Merritt, a lawyer representing Arbery's family, told Fox News that the amount of time local authorities sat on evidence was staggering and underscored simmering prejudices.
"No family should wait 10 weeks for an arrest," he said. "That was extremely exhausting for the family. They began to lose hope."
On Friday, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vic Reynolds also took a veiled swipe at the local police probe into Arbery's death.
"I can't answer what another agency did or didn't see but I can tell you that, based on our involvement in the case, considering the fact that we hit the ground running Wednesday morning and within 36 hours, we had secured warrants for two individuals for felony murder. I think that speaks volumes for itself and that probable cause was clear to our agents pretty quickly."
Merritt said Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper, had to move out of her home because it had been too painful to remain and that the people in the community had taken sides largely along racial lines.
"Over the past two months, the majority of the community stood behind the McMichaels," he said. "They knew what happened. They were OK with it. That doesn't bode well for a fair trial."
The lawyer from Philadelphia also told Fox News he would be asking for a special prosecutor to handle the case and will ask the Department of Justice to consider federal charges against the McMichaels under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
Georgia is among a handful of states in the nation that does not have a hate crime law.
Merritt also wants to have the case moved out of Brunswick — an area he described as a "small city deeply entrenched in nepotism and cronyism" and one where white people living there know "law enforcement has their back."
The investigation into Arbery's death has been passed through three district attorneys in the two and a half months since he was killed.
Before becoming a suspect in Arbery's death, Gregory McMichael had a long career in law enforcement and had only recently retired. He worked at the Glynn County Police Department for seven years, and until 2019 had spent several years as an investigator for Glynn County District Attorney Jackie Johnson. The connection caused Johnson to recuse herself from the case.
The elder McMichael told police he suspected Arbery was the same man filmed by a security camera committing a break-in. He said his son grabbed a couple of guns and began a pursuit in his truck.
The video shows Arbery running at a jogger's pace on the left side of the road. A truck is parked in the road ahead of him. One of the white men is inside the pickup's bed. The other is standing beside the open driver's side door. Arbery crosses the road to pass the pickup on the passenger's side and then crosses back in front of the truck. A gunshot sounds and the video shows the runner grappling with a man in the street over what appears to be a gunshot or a rifle. A second shot is then heard, and the runner can be seen punching the man. A third shot is fired at point-blank range. Arbery is seen staggering a few feet and then falling face down.
According to the police report, Gregory McMichael told officers he and his son first tried to stop Arbery by shouting, “Stop, stop, we want to talk to you!” The father claimed Arbery attacked his son and they got into a struggle for a shotgun.
At a news conference before the arrests were announced Thursday, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp said he was confident the state would find the truth.
"Earlier this week, I watched the video depicting Mr. Arbery's last moments alive," Kemp said. "I can tell you it's absolutely horrific, and Georgians deserve answers."
Though many people have spoken in support of Arbery, including President Trump, former Vice President Joe Biden as well as basketball star LeBron James and Russell Moore, a prominent leader of the Southern Baptist Convention, others have thrown their weight behind the McMichaels.
The group Christians Against Google purportedly changed their Facebook page name to Justice for Gregory and Travis Michael (sic), News4Jax reported.
The "about" section on the group's page claims the McMichaels are "2 God-fearing men" that were "only trying to protect their neighborhood."
"This area has had a string of break-ins and this man fit the description and did not comply with simple commands. Our hearts go out to the McMichael family in their time of need. Amen."
https://www.foxnews.com/us/murder-a...nyism-thrusts-georgia-town-national-spotlight
It's a tragedy, it's a crime, when evidence was presented arrests were made. Is it plausible the local police department looked the other way? Of course it is
Does that mean there's widespread racism in this country? Of course not. There are racists, but they're in the minority. You can't let the tail wag the dog, white people are just as offended by this type of crime as black people
What Lebron James said was moronic. The best defense he has is that he tweeted it during a highly emotional moment. If that black man that has every luxury mankind can experience and is worshiped by every race on earth thinks he's some sort of victim, well he's just fucked in the head
Man who leaked Ahmaud Arbery video says he was trying to ‘stop a riot’
A friend of the two Georgia men charged in the death of Ahmaud Arbery is describing his decision to leak a video of the fatal shooting as his way of “trying to stop a riot.”
Arbery, 25, died Feb. 23 after he was shot, allegedly by father and son Travis and Greg McMichael. The McMichaels have said they believed Arbery was a suspect in a string of break-ins; Arbery’s family has said he was out for a run.
“You saw what happened to Baltimore, you’ve seen what happened to Charleston, you saw what happened to Ferguson. I was trying to stop a riot,” the friend, Alan Tucker, told Inside Edition on Friday, referring to the racial tensions that broke out after the deaths of other unarmed black men.
Tucker, who is also a lawyer, said he hoped the footage would calm the allegations that the McMichaels, who are white, engaged in a “modern lynching.”
Arbery’s family, as well as the African American community, grew frustrated as the weeks went by and law enforcement officials arrested no one — until Tucker released the video, which appears to depict the younger McMichael gunning down Arbery. The McMichaels now are facing charges of murder and aggravated assault.
“It wasn’t two men with a Confederate flag in the back of a truck going down the road and shooting a jogger in the back,” Tucker said. “It got the truth out there as to what you could see.”
Tucker told Inside Edition that his “purpose was not to exonerate them or convict them,” but suggested Arbery could have prevented the shooting.
“The video speaks for itself,” he said. “What happened, happened. I don’t have an excuse for it. I can’t explain. Other than, we always say, ‘What if he had just froze and hadn’t done anything, he wouldn’t have gotten shot.'”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...video-leaker-i-was-trying-to-stop-a-riot/amp/
A friend of the two Georgia men charged in the death of Ahmaud Arbery is describing his decision to leak a video of the fatal shooting as his way of “trying to stop a riot.”
Arbery, 25, died Feb. 23 after he was shot, allegedly by father and son Travis and Greg McMichael. The McMichaels have said they believed Arbery was a suspect in a string of break-ins; Arbery’s family has said he was out for a run.
“You saw what happened to Baltimore, you’ve seen what happened to Charleston, you saw what happened to Ferguson. I was trying to stop a riot,” the friend, Alan Tucker, told Inside Edition on Friday, referring to the racial tensions that broke out after the deaths of other unarmed black men.
Tucker, who is also a lawyer, said he hoped the footage would calm the allegations that the McMichaels, who are white, engaged in a “modern lynching.”
Arbery’s family, as well as the African American community, grew frustrated as the weeks went by and law enforcement officials arrested no one — until Tucker released the video, which appears to depict the younger McMichael gunning down Arbery. The McMichaels now are facing charges of murder and aggravated assault.
“It wasn’t two men with a Confederate flag in the back of a truck going down the road and shooting a jogger in the back,” Tucker said. “It got the truth out there as to what you could see.”
Tucker told Inside Edition that his “purpose was not to exonerate them or convict them,” but suggested Arbery could have prevented the shooting.
“The video speaks for itself,” he said. “What happened, happened. I don’t have an excuse for it. I can’t explain. Other than, we always say, ‘What if he had just froze and hadn’t done anything, he wouldn’t have gotten shot.'”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...video-leaker-i-was-trying-to-stop-a-riot/amp/
As sure as MJ is the greatest of all time, whenever LeBron decides to forego the script he exposes himself as a total idiot. Someone above beat me to suggesting a couple years of college would have gone a long way for this numbskull. No doubt, in the course of reading this thread, some black guy shot another black guy in Chicago, Baltimore or Detroit.
Jason Whitlock is just a fat piece of shit. I’m not even going to start on LeBron. Back to the actual matter that sparked this outrage. The media is very crafty. Why did they use his high school yearbook picture instead of his most recent mugshot? There is a video showing the guy going on someone’s property and running away shortly thereafter. I’m not justifying the killing by any means just know the media only shows you want they want you to see.
Again, media runs with their agenda first before getting all the evidence, Arbery was not out for his usual daily jog as the media and his mom states. Arbery in his glorious smiling graduagion photo is what viewers see. Arbery out for a jog LMAO, Arbery new video shows a lot more about this great jogger in my mind.
Of course LeBitch had to chime in on the Minnesota case and say "We're hunted" referencing Kaepernick the "pig hater"
James has been vocal about social issues such as police brutality throughout his career. He also posted an Instagram story Tuesday that included a photo and video of Floyd's arrest along with the caption: "We're hunted."
James' post includes a photo of the officer kneeling on Floyd's neck alongside a photo of Kaepernick kneeling during the anthem, topped with the caption: "This ... ... Is Why." The Los Angeles Lakers star wrote in the post: "Do you understand NOW!!??!!?? Or is it still blurred to you?? #StayWoke"
James has been vocal about social issues such as police brutality throughout his career. He also posted an Instagram story Tuesday that included a photo and video of Floyd's arrest along with the caption: "We're hunted."
James' post includes a photo of the officer kneeling on Floyd's neck alongside a photo of Kaepernick kneeling during the anthem, topped with the caption: "This ... ... Is Why." The Los Angeles Lakers star wrote in the post: "Do you understand NOW!!??!!?? Or is it still blurred to you?? #StayWoke"
