It’s disturbing that the Glynn County Police Department in Georgia, refused to gather evidence, arrest and bring the murderers of Ahmaud Arbery before the prosecutor and judge for arraignment. Just like every other murder before this one (same city and county). Rather, a special prosecutor had to be appointed and recommend them before a grand jury just to do “what should have been done February 23, 2020”. Worse, Glynn County PD not only lied, but maintained a manufactured story defending two murderers until the video was released days ago. Five hours after the execution, an investigator with the Glynn County Police Department called Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones and in 2020 had the audacity to lie. In an interview with BET Wanda Cooper-Jones recalls, “I was called by local authorities and an investigator for the Glynn County Police department had told me Ahmaud was involved in a burglary and that there was a confrontation between Ahmaud and the homeowners and that in the confrontation, a struggle began and Ahmaud was killed. He did not share that they came after him in a pickup truck at all. That’s all he really told me. Naturally I was in shock. I didn’t ask any more questions at that time“
This clearly is a systematic problem that some claim does not exist, that it’s not ‘possible’. In Glynn County, it does. Why not the ‘critically acclaimed’ Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) or the Federal Bureau of Investigation for civil rights violations? There are at least a half a dozen agencies that have authority and jurisdiction to make an arrest and charge these men on a variety of charges. Yet, nothing has been done.
This is clear cut. There was no burglary and no reason to believe there was one. Why? Well, because there was no burglary- that’s why.
In fact, it’s so rare in that area in the city of Brunswick, that before February 23, 2020, there had been just one burglary so far this year (one in two months, maybe even longer). Two men, Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son, Travis McMichael, 34, of Brunswick, Georgia, armed themselves with a shotgun and .357 handgun, acting as a mob(two or more persons acting with violent or felonious intent), chased Ahmaud Arbery down in a pick up truck, jumped out, assaulted him, attempted to detain him against his will and blasted their shotgun three times- hitting him twice, when he tried to protect himself. It is disgusting and inexcusable that some continue to defend this act now that the video is out. Glynn County PD lied to his mother and the public and there is no excuse to defend these men or law enforcement.
There is no justifiable reason not to arrest them. Again, we have a police department that did nothing, lied and now that the truth is out, rather than own it and finally do the right thing- they dug their heels in and continue to do nothing.
As a gun owner and carrier, I’m appalled and they play into the very inaccurate narrative that ‘most gun owners are just itching to plug someone’. While there are bad gun owners, just as there are bad police, doctors, lawyers, politicians, housewives and husbands- when people defend the act or portray these men as heroes who just made an error’ just because they are gun owners, it makes not only the population of gun owners look ignorant, but out of touch with this century. We as gun owners cannot tolerate bad actors of this nature. It is not just negligent, poor judgement, reckless or irresponsible, it is criminal. It is racist. Just as we don’t tolerate bad police, doctors, politicians… etc- this cannot be tolerated by gun owners. Worse, by the police. This is 2020. Vigilante justice is unacceptable and illegal when there is a crime, yet when there is not one?
Where is the outrage and protest from the freedom-fighters and those who armed themselves and took to state capitals over lockdowns during a pandemic? Where are they when this man, deprived of his freedom, his right to pursue happiness was mowed down by some paranoid maniacs who had guns?
A black man jogging down the street is not indicative of a crime nor reasonable suspicion to confront him while armed. Chasing him down in broad daylight in a pickup truck, jumping out, grabbing him and barking orders is not justifiable nor is it “freedom”. And when he defended himself with his bare hands, these cowards blew him away.
A young man was executed for one reason alone he was black and jogging.
These men were never in danger, other than the danger they manufactured when they left the house with a shotgun and .357 magnum, jumped in a pickup truck to chase a man down- putting themselves, the public and the young man in grave danger who then they killed him.
Sadly, rather than treating this execution for what it was, the Glynn County PD opted to mislead the public for months and after the video was made public- still do absolutely nothing. Unfortunately Mr. Arbery wasn’t armed to protect himself and the public from these two. I think it is safe to say though, given the actions or rather inaction here, had Mr. Arbery defended himself from two armed men who chased him down in a pickup truck in broad daylight and assaulted him, Glynn County PD would have probably arrested him. This cannot continue. This cannot continue to be defended. If a certain group or class of people are treated this, led to believe that ordinary things that everyone does can or should be treated as suspicious or criminal behavior that others can and will act on and will kill you, what happens when they arm themselves and protect themselves from these encounters?
It wouldn’t be tolerated. Nor should this be.
Where O’ Where is the NRA and gun owners on this one?
From the Washington Post:
Lawyers for the family of a black jogger in Georgia, who was chased and gunned down by white men who said they believed he was a burglar, are calling for authorities to make arrests.
The attorneys also released a video that appears to show the fatal shooting of the man, Ahmaud Arbery, and an altercation in the moments before.
Arbery, 25, was shot to death in Brunswick, a coastal city about midway between Savannah and Jacksonville, Florida, on Feb. 23 as he was running through the Satilla Shores neighborhood.
Police have identified the two men who chased him as Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son, Travis McMichael, 34, of Brunswick. Neither has been arrested or charged, and the investigation is ongoing.
A prosecutor vowed Tuesday to take the case to a grand jury.
But lawyers for the Arbery family said authorities don’t need to wait for a grand jury to make arrests.
“There are a number of agencies that can go out and make these arrests today. That is our demand. The men who murdered Ahmaud should be prosecuted,” attorney Lee Merritt said.
Merritt called on District Attorney Thomas Durden, an outside prosecutor based in Liberty County who was assigned to the case, to issue an arrest warrant and indict Gregory and Travis McMichael.
