[Killing of Ahmaud Arbery]
So, even during a pandemic, we have white people unjustifiably killing Black people. And, as usual white police and prosecutors have allowed the perpetrators to walk scot-free. They remain free because they are white and their victim was Black.
Photo: YouTube
On the left, the two white vigilante killers of Ahmaud Arbery. They still remain free.
The February 23rd unjustified killing of Ahmaud Arbery, 25, in Brunswick, Georgia, highlights that even in the midst of COVID-19 American racism is alive and well.
White racist violence and the murder of Black people remain unabated even during a deadly global pandemic.
Arbery was killed by Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34. Arbery was jogging past the McMichael home when the McMichaels claimed Arbery looked like a burglary suspect and decided to pursue him—with guns. None of these white vigilantes has been charged with anything.
Apparently, anytime a Black person is jogging or running this must indicate they have just broken a law or are running from the law. Some will recall the 1996 shooting of New York City Transit Officer Desmond Robinson by Officer Peter Del-Debbio inside a subway station. Robinson was shot four times, in the back, as he was chasing an armed suspect.
Of course, all Black men look like criminals to white racists, especially, one who was a former court investigator. This also explains why “investigator” McMichael and his son have not been charged with anything to date. Those on the inside of the so-called legal system always protect one another, particularly when they are murdering criminalized Black people.
These vigilante killers will be given every benefit of the doubt because Gregory McMichael was a white “officer of the court.” Arbery’s Black skin renders him as less than in the eyes of America’s white “justice” system. This also explained why his killers remain free.
The narrative for Arbery’s killing is that: Arbery, supposedly, attacked Travis McMichael, who, they claim was just trying to talk to Arbery, after they chased him down while brandishing guns. They say this forced Travis McMichael to shoot Arbery dead, with two bullets.
These are the kinds of tall tales we get when so-called criminal justice officials, police—and other police wannabes, like George Zimmerman—kill innocent Black people. The McMichaels had no business following Arbery, especially with guns. They idea Arbery attacked them because they wanted to talk to him, while they were armed, is pure bull.
News reports say Gregory McMichael told his son to get their guns before they followed Arbery, who was an avid jogger and former all-star high school football player.
Two 911 calls were made. In one of the calls, the caller stated, “There’s a guy in the house right now; it’s under construction.” This purported trespassing inside a house under construction is the basis for the McMichaels’ alleged claim that Arbery was a burglar.
The identity of the 911 caller, or callers, were redacted. Why? Was it to insulate the McMichaels from questions as to why they would follow this young Black man after they had already called 911? Remember, this was a main point of contention when George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin.
Since the 911 calls say the location was under construction, we should ask these questions: what exactly could Arbery have stolen? Arbery was running, not driving a vehicle, so he could not steal building materials. And since no one would leave money, or any small valuables, on an open construction site, what exactly are they alleging he was trying to steal?
Why wouldn’t the McMichaels wait for the cops? How far could Arbery get on foot?
What we really have here is this: these white men decided to take a page out of the George Zimmerman playbook by following Arbery and killing him.
Gregory McMichael surely calculated that as an “officer of the court” he could get away with perpetrating violence against Arbery. The COVID-19 outbreak has already helped these despicable killers since most of the media coverage has been focused on the pandemic.
The actions, or non-actions, of police and prosecutors here tells us just how devalued Black lives are to these “law and order” and “rule of law” phonies. Does anyone think if the skin colors were reversed here, with the same circumstances, that no arrests would’ve been made? Does anyone think Black men could follow and kill a white person and no one would be arrested?
A portion of one of the 911 calls tells us the real reason why these white racists killed Mr. Arbery.
It is clear from the 911 tapes the callers could not tell dispatchers what crime they think they saw. At one point, the caller is complaining that “He’s running down the street,” in reference to Arbery. The dispatcher says, “That’s fine. I’ll get (police) out there. I just need to know what he was doing wrong. Was he just on the premises and not supposed to be?”
The response from the caller was “he’s been caught on camera a bunch at night. It’s kind of an ongoing thing.” What was the “ongoing thing?” That this Black man would run past their white house regularly?
Not long after, the caller says, “He’s done run into the neighborhood again.” Here we see the clear motive for this killing: they didn’t like this Black man running in their neighborhood.
These latter statements tell us this had nothing to do with a burglary. They obviously had seen Arbery on many occasions before the night they killed him.
We’re faced with the fact that these vicious vigilantes killed this Black man because he regularly jogged past their home. This was an affront to them.
So, even during a pandemic, here we have white people unjustifiably killing a Black man, who was doing nothing more than jogging. And, as usual, white police and prosecutors have allowed the perpetrators to walk scot-free.
They remain free because they are white–and Ahmaud Arbery was Black.
This tragic case—and the disparate levels of deaths Blacks are facing due to COVID-19—is proof positive that Black America must wake up soon. We’re being killed in many ways by American racism.
What is it going to take for us to say enough?
