"Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black man, was shot and killed by a white man in Brunswick, Georgia" (Equal Justice Initiative).
He has a story similar to the ones we have heard, like Trayvon Martin. I know most conservatives do not want to talk about the never-ending "victim" stories of the African American community. Although we cannot avoid this issue anymore. We have an unjust criminal justice system, and this has been proven over and over again. Let us discuss the details of this story, and you can decide if this killing is justified? How often can we let US citizens take the law into their own hands?
Numerous sources have stated that Ahmaud Arbery was a active young man that had gone for a run on February 23, 2020. This ultimately led to his untimely demise. Here is a little background of where this young man was running. According to neighbors Brunswick, Georgia, had been experiencing many break-ins.
Only one burglary, an automobile burglary, was reported to county police in the Satilla Shores neighborhood between Jan. 1 and Feb. 23, according to documents obtained by The News in a public records request to the Glynn County Police Department. It involved a Smith & Wesson M&P 9 mm pistol stolen Jan. 1 from a pickup truck outside 230 Satilla Drive, the home of Travis McMichael, according to the police report" (Larry Hobbs).
Gregory McMichael, a 64-year-old white former police officer, and his son, Travis McMichael decided to take matters into their own hands. Many people at this point might commend their bravery, but here is the ultimate catch, they did not see a crime taking place. These men took it upon themselves to label Ahmaud Arbery as a suspect. One detail you should know is that Travis McMichael armed himself with a gun. It was later found by police reports that Ahmaud Arbery was not armed. The two men went after Ahmaud Arbery in their truck while he was on foot. They intercepted Ahmaud Arbery, and Travis McMichael jumped out of the truck with his gun. At this point, Ahmaud Arbery starts to act "violently," according to Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael, trying to get the gun away from Travis. Ahmaud fails, and Travis shoots him twice.
Before you start making assumptions let us continue looking at the facts. There were two 911 calls made by neighbors; both said they had seen Ahmaud Arbery running, while one stated that he was inside a house under construction. The 911 operator asked if Ahmaud Arbery was robbing the house, but the caller stated that the house was under construction and was completely open. How can someone rob a house when there is nothing but construction?
"The man, Gregory McMichael, 64, thought Mr. Arbery looked like a man suspected of several break-ins in the area" (Richard Fausset).
Travis McMichael has not been arrested due to Georgia’s “stand your ground law," which allows citizens to use deadly force to protect themselves. Additionally, according to Georgia's open carry law, Travis McMichael can carry his gun anywhere he pleases in Georgia. The police have been working on this case and will probably have more updates, but this is all the public has been given for now. What are your thoughts? Was this fair? Can a man be shot for running down the street because he looks "suspicious"? Should citizens have a right to take the law into their own hands?
"It essentially deputizes all citizens to go out and perform police functions. They did not do that properly," said Lee Merritt, an attorney for Arbery's family (CBS News).
I look forward to following this case, hopefully, to see justice being served. In my eyes, Trayvon Martin and Gregory McMichael did not have a right to kill Mr. Arbery. They stopped a man in the middle of his run and hopped out of their truck with a gun. Ahmaud Arbery seemed to fear for his life. He also acted under Georgia’s “stand your ground law," but sadly, he did not win this battle. The only thing the family can now hope for is justice and the truth. Was Ahmaud Arbery actually responsible for the robberies? If so, was death an appropriate punishment? In Georgia, the charges for robberies are fines and up to 20 years in jail. I cannot help but wonder if these two men had the police done their job, this man would have been alive today.
As we continue on this journey of yet another case where an African American man may have been incorrectly racially profiled. I ask you, how much longer is America? How much longer do we have to paint our backs with the blood of these innocent young men and women. If we do not act today, there will be another Ahmaud Arbery or Trayvon Martin.
Resources
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/black-georgia-man-chased-and-killed-while-jogging-mom-says/ar-BB13tljk
https://www.nytimes.com/article/ahmaud-arbery-shooting-georgia.html
https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/dispatcher-what-was-he-doing-wrong/article_fe51cdd4-3bb6-5815-9dec-ddcdc8f879f8.html
https://www.news4jax.com/news/georgia/2020/04/30/black-man-running-through-brunswick-neighborhood-shot-killed/
https://eji.org/news/eight-years-after-trayvon-martin-another-young-black-man-is-chased-and-killed-in-self-defense/
https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/police-report-sheds-more-light-on-satilla-shores-shooting/article_2d7c05c8-36d3-55b5-ae11-60ea763095b3.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ahmaud-arbery-brunswick-georgia-gregory-mcmichael/
He has a story similar to the ones we have heard, like Trayvon Martin. I know most conservatives do not want to talk about the never-ending "victim" stories of the African American community. Although we cannot avoid this issue anymore. We have an unjust criminal justice system, and this has been proven over and over again. Let us discuss the details of this story, and you can decide if this killing is justified? How often can we let US citizens take the law into their own hands?Numerous sources have stated that Ahmaud Arbery was a active young man that had gone for a run on February 23, 2020. This ultimately led to his untimely demise. Here is a little background of where this young man was running. According to neighbors Brunswick, Georgia, had been experiencing many break-ins.
Only one burglary, an automobile burglary, was reported to county police in the Satilla Shores neighborhood between Jan. 1 and Feb. 23, according to documents obtained by The News in a public records request to the Glynn County Police Department. It involved a Smith & Wesson M&P 9 mm pistol stolen Jan. 1 from a pickup truck outside 230 Satilla Drive, the home of Travis McMichael, according to the police report" (Larry Hobbs).
Before you start making assumptions let us continue looking at the facts. There were two 911 calls made by neighbors; both said they had seen Ahmaud Arbery running, while one stated that he was inside a house under construction. The 911 operator asked if Ahmaud Arbery was robbing the house, but the caller stated that the house was under construction and was completely open. How can someone rob a house when there is nothing but construction?
"The man, Gregory McMichael, 64, thought Mr. Arbery looked like a man suspected of several break-ins in the area" (Richard Fausset).
Travis McMichael has not been arrested due to Georgia’s “stand your ground law," which allows citizens to use deadly force to protect themselves. Additionally, according to Georgia's open carry law, Travis McMichael can carry his gun anywhere he pleases in Georgia. The police have been working on this case and will probably have more updates, but this is all the public has been given for now. What are your thoughts? Was this fair? Can a man be shot for running down the street because he looks "suspicious"? Should citizens have a right to take the law into their own hands?"It essentially deputizes all citizens to go out and perform police functions. They did not do that properly," said Lee Merritt, an attorney for Arbery's family (CBS News).
I look forward to following this case, hopefully, to see justice being served. In my eyes, Trayvon Martin and Gregory McMichael did not have a right to kill Mr. Arbery. They stopped a man in the middle of his run and hopped out of their truck with a gun. Ahmaud Arbery seemed to fear for his life. He also acted under Georgia’s “stand your ground law," but sadly, he did not win this battle. The only thing the family can now hope for is justice and the truth. Was Ahmaud Arbery actually responsible for the robberies? If so, was death an appropriate punishment? In Georgia, the charges for robberies are fines and up to 20 years in jail. I cannot help but wonder if these two men had the police done their job, this man would have been alive today.
As we continue on this journey of yet another case where an African American man may have been incorrectly racially profiled. I ask you, how much longer is America? How much longer do we have to paint our backs with the blood of these innocent young men and women. If we do not act today, there will be another Ahmaud Arbery or Trayvon Martin.
Resources
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/black-georgia-man-chased-and-killed-while-jogging-mom-says/ar-BB13tljk
https://www.nytimes.com/article/ahmaud-arbery-shooting-georgia.html
https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/dispatcher-what-was-he-doing-wrong/article_fe51cdd4-3bb6-5815-9dec-ddcdc8f879f8.html
https://www.news4jax.com/news/georgia/2020/04/30/black-man-running-through-brunswick-neighborhood-shot-killed/
https://eji.org/news/eight-years-after-trayvon-martin-another-young-black-man-is-chased-and-killed-in-self-defense/
https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/police-report-sheds-more-light-on-satilla-shores-shooting/article_2d7c05c8-36d3-55b5-ae11-60ea763095b3.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ahmaud-arbery-brunswick-georgia-gregory-mcmichael/
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