Video of runner’s murder in Georgia sparks outrage

On Feb. 23, while out for a Sunday run in his hometown, 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery of Brunswick, Ga. was shot to death by two men in a pickup truck. Few people outside the area knew about the crime until a shocking video surfaced in early May, leading to public outrage over the obvious profiling, stalking and murder of a black man by two white men and the fact that more than two months later, no charges had been laid. The crime sparked discussions well beyond the running community over the fact that in many areas, people of colour cannot leave their homes without risking their lives.

On May 7, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested George McMichael and his son Travis and charged them with murrder and aggravated assault. The following day would have been Arbery’s 26th birthday, and runners across North America dedicated their runs to his memory.