The Oklahoman

Jury questionin­g centers on race in Arbery case

- N’dea Yancey-Bragg and Grace Hauck

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Race is emerging as a major theme of jury selection in the murder trial of the three white men charged in the death of 25-year-old Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery last year.

Attorneys are slowly working through a pool of 1,000 prospectiv­e jurors in an attempt to find 16 people who say they can be impartial in the case. It’s a slow and painstakin­g process expected to take up to two weeks.

Though attorneys for the defendants have asserted the case is not about race, they continue to question wouldbe jurors on the subject.

Questions included: Do you believe the Confederat­e flag is a racist symbol? Do you support the Black Lives Matter movement? Do you believe Black people are unfairly treated in the criminal justice system? Have you participat­ed in racial justice demonstrat­ions?

“We don’t believe this is a case about race,” defense attorney Kevin Gough told the court Monday.

But multiple prospectiv­e jurors indicated they believe race was a factor in Arbery’s killing. One told the court she believes Arbery’s killing was a hate crime.

“There is still racism in the world today,” a would-be juror, a teacher, said Monday.

Another said race plays “a little bit” of a role in the case.

“There was a Black man who was jogging down the road and he was stopped or detained by the individual­s. I know he was a Black man and I know they were white men,” she said.

Jury selection comes almost 20 months after Arbery was shot while jogging Feb. 23, 2020, in Brunswick, Gerorgia’s Satilla Shores neighborho­od. Video of the incident was released two months later, sparking national outcry and propelling nationwide protests against the killing of Black Americans.

Father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, who recorded the video, were charged with murder and other crimes.

A vanity plate showing Georgia’s former state flag, which included the Confederat­e battle emblem, was on the front of the truck the McMichaels used to chase down Arbery.

Asked by attorneys, at least four jurors have indicated they consider the Confederat­e flag to be a “racist symbol.”

One prospectiv­e juror, who appeared to be Black, told the court he participat­ed in racial justice demonstrat­ions. He said the defendants should be convicted on all counts and was dismissed from the jury.

Brandon Buskey of the American Civil Liberties Union previously told USA TODAY that there is concern the defense will try to exclude potential jurors based on race.

The court must ensure the jury reflects the county’s diversity and includes Black voices, Buskey added. Brunswick, which is predominan­tly Black, is located in Glynn County, which is overwhelmi­ngly white. The court has not identified the race of any of the prospectiv­e jurors.

By Tuesday afternoon, no jurors had been seated. Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley expressed frustratio­n at the glacial pace and urged the parties to speed up the process.

“We’re not looking great,” he said.

 ?? RICHARD BURKHART/SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS ?? Worship leaders offer prayer and song on the steps of the Glynn County Courthouse on Monday morning.
RICHARD BURKHART/SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS Worship leaders offer prayer and song on the steps of the Glynn County Courthouse on Monday morning.

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