Protesters in Georgia demand justice for Arbery
Justice for Ahmaud Arbery, a black man killed during a pursuit by a white man and his son in Georgia, isn’t just prison time for his killers — it’s changes in a local justice system that never charged them with a crime, rallygoers said yesterday.
Hundreds of people came to the Glynn County courthouse demanding accountability for a case in which charges weren’t filed until state officials stepped in after a leaked video sparked national outrage.
Arbery, 25, was killed on February 23 just outside the port city of Brunswick. Gregory McMichael, 64, told police he and his son, Travis McMichael, 34, pursued Arbery because they believed he was responsible for recent break-ins in the neighbourhood.
The McMichaels weren’t arrested and charged with murder until May 7, after a video of the shooting was publicly released to a local radio station and less than 48 hours after state agents took over the case.
“Justice for Ahmaud is more than just the arrests of his killers,” said John Perry, president of the Brunswick NAACP chapter at the Saturday rally. “Justice is saying that we’ve got to clean up the house of Glynn County.”
Speakers at the rally demanded the resignation of Jackie Johnson, the district attorney for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit who recused herself from the investigation, and George Barnhill, the Waycross circuit district attorney who took over the case and declined to press charges. Gregory McMichael was an investigator in Johnson’s office before retiring last May. Both Johnson and Barnhill have denied wrongdoing.
Organisers of the rally said about 250 vehicles drove more than four hours from Atlanta for the rally, bringing historically black fraternities
and sororities, civil rights organisations and black-led gun rights groups, who said if Arbery had armed himself, he might be alive today.
Attorney Mawuli Davis came from his suburban Atlanta home because he wanted to make it clear how many people are not satisfied with how the Arbery case has been handled.
“Georgians are just not safe when you allow an injustice like this to take place,” said Davis, who is an organiser with the Black Man Lab in Decatur, Georgia.
The case has brought reminders of other black people killed in confrontations with white police officers or others and Trayvon Martin,
Sandra Bland and others were mentioned during the rally.
“We’re going to keep on marching. We’re going to stand in solidarity. We’re going to keep on protesting. We’re going to keep on raising our voices because Ahmaud Arbery will get justice,” said Triana Arnold James, president of the Georgia chapter of the National Organisation for Women.
Organisers asked the crowd to wear masks and stay a safe distance apart because of Covid-19. There were plenty of masks — some with Arbery’s picture — but many in the crowd were shoulder to shoulder and marched with arms locked.
Arbery’s attorneys have said he’s the person recorded inside a house under construction right before he was killed. Gregory McMichael told police he suspected Arbery was responsible for recent break-ins and he also said Arbery attacked his son before he was shot.
Arbery’s mother has said she believes her son was merely out jogging. The video of the confrontation shows the McMichaels’ truck in front of Arbery as he runs toward it.
The attorney of the owner of the house under construction said she thinks Arbery was getting water.
Arbery’s family thanked the crowd for their support. The crowd chanted: “When black lives are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back.”
— AP
Justice for Ahmaud is more than just the arrests of his killers . . . we’ve got to clean up the house of Glynn County.
John Perry