It’s taken nearly three months and an extreme public outcry for Georgia officials to finally arrest Gregory and Travis McMichael, a Georgia father and son who murdered black jogger Ahmaud Arbery in February while he was out for a run. It was a senseless and unprovoked killing that it seemed police were happy to ignore, until video of the incident leaked and the truth could no longer be ignored.
- The arrest only happened on May 7. Despite the fact that Ahmaud Arbery lost his life in February, it wasn’t until this week that police finally decided to take action. “On May 7th, 2020, the GBI arrested Gregory McMichael, age 64, and Travis McMichael, age 34, for the death of Ahmaud Arbery,” the bureau said in a statement. “They were both charged with murder and aggravated assault. The McMichaels were taken into custody and will be booked into the Glynn County Jail.”
- There are concerns about conflict of interest. Because they believe Glynn County may have a conflict of interest when it comes to properly investigating and charging this case, the Liberty County district attorney’s office is taking over, according to Huffington Post. This is because Gregory McMichael is a former police officer and detective with Glynn County. Gee, I wonder why he was never arrested before!
- This case highlights the serious racism problem America still has. Ahmaud Arbery was running on at Sunday afternoon at about 1 p.m. in a predominantly white neighborhood. Because the McMichael’s decided (according to them) that Arbery resembled a suspect wanted for a few local robberies, they decided to hop in their truck with a .357 Magnum and a shotgun, chase him down, pen him in, and then shoot him dead in the street.
- There is just so much messed up with this case. Let’s be clear: the killing of Ahmaud Arbery was a hate crime. It was based on his race and there’s no other way to say it. Authorities reported receiving two 911 calls prior to the killing in which a man can be heard reporting seeing Arbery running, to which the operator asked what the person was doing wrong. Running is not a crime. Being black is not a crime. Murder IS a crime.
- Let’s hope these racist murderers spend the rest of their lives behind bars. I don’t have much faith in the Georgia justice system but come on!
