They had pursued and shot the African-American jogger in February 2020, in the state of Georgia. The US President praised the decision, considering, however, that “a lot of work” remained to be done on the path of racial equality.
Le Monde with AFP
Three white men were convicted, Wednesday, November 24, from the murder of African American jogger Ahmaud Arbery, whom they had continued and shot in February 2020 in the state of Georgia. Travis McMichael, the author of the deadly shots, his father, Gregory McMichael, and their neighbor, William Bryan, were judged in Brunswick, following this drama that had fueled the great anti-racist manifestations of the summer 2020 in all the country.
The twelve jurors, including one black man, deliberated for more than eleven hours to achieve this unanimous verdict. The US President Joe Biden, welcomed the decision, believing, however, that “a lot of work” remained to do on the path of racial equality. “If the culpability verdict reflects that our judicial system does its job, in itself, it is not enough. We must instead we rewell to build a future of unity and shared force, where no one fearful to suffer from the violence because of the color of his skin, “he also said in a communiqué
The ad has also been hailed by protesters who drove the name of Ahmaud Arbery outside the court. In the room, a family member launched a cry of joy when Travis McMichael was convicted. This verdict shows that “yes, the black lives count,” said Pastor Al Sharpton, figure of the fight for the civil rights of African Americans, before the Tribunal. The History American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) welcomed the judgment, stressing In a statement that the real challenge was to create a company where the whites and African Americans like Ahmaud Arbery could live without afraid of racist violence.
Also charged with racist crime, rebugged in February
On February 23, 2020, the 25-year-old jogging in this coastal locality of the southeastern United States when it had been fucked by the three men. After an altercation, Travis McMichael had opened fire and killed the jogger.
The three attackers had then ensured having taken it for a burglar operating in the vicinity and had invoked a Georgia law then authorizing simple citizens to proceed with arrests. A video of the drama – made public nearly three months later – had scandalized the United States and Ahmaud Arbery had become an icon of the Black Lives Matter anti-racist movement (“the black lives”). The racial dimension of this case, in a state still marked by racism and segregation, has long been left out during the trial that lasted more than a month.
The McMichael and their neighbor took “on a whim” the decision to chase Ahmaud Arbery “because he was black and ran into the street,” said Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski in her indictment. “They scared him” As the young man did not have a weapon and did nothing else “than running to escape for five minutes,” she said. It was an “attack on Ahmaud Arbery”.
The counsel for Travis McMichael had insured that his client did not seek to “take someone’s life”, but that he had acted in the name of “sense of duty and responsibilities”.
The three men have not finished with justice. They are charged for racist crime at the federal level and will be judged once again in February.