Demand #JusticeforAhmaud [ [link removed] ][IMG]
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Dear Friend,
This was a tough Mother’s Day. Not just because of the pandemic. We were
also all thinking of Ahmaud Arbery’s mother Wanda, who was grieving the
loss of her son at the hands of two men who literally hunted down and
killed him while he was jogging.
Just last week — ELEVEN WEEKS LATER — Gregory and Travis McMichael were
arrested for the shooting. The prosecutors and police sworn to protect
families and communities instead hid and covered up a horrific murder.
ELEVEN WEEKS LATER. Ahmaud’s mother and his friends and family have had to
wait eleven weeks for any measure of justice. And their wait won’t be over
until full justice is served to Ahmaud’s killers and those in the white
supremacist system who failed him.
[ [link removed] ]Join us to demand the removal of the district attorneys and the sheriff
who failed in their duties to Ahmaud, his family, and the people of
Georgia.
Here’s what happened:
On February 23rd, while out for a jog through the Satilla Shores
neighborhood a few miles from his home, 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery was
followed and cornered by Gregory and Travis McMichael. A scuffle ensued as
Arbery attempted to defend himself, and three shots were fired, killing
Ahmaud. [1]
The McMichaels’ claims have varied between self-defense and attempting to
issue a citizen’s arrest (which they had no authority to do, having
witnessed no crime), justified by their sense of while supremacist
entitlement. They remained free until public pressure prompted their
arrest on May 7th. [2]
And let’s be clear: The video of the murder did not prompt their arrest.
The public release of the video did.
[ [link removed] ]Sign now to demand justice for Ahmaud.
Instead of swiftly investigating the death of a man, Georgia officials
dismissed their responsibility for over two months. The prosecutor
originally assigned to the case, Brunswick DA Jackie Johnson, recused
herself because the elder McMichael had worked as an investigator in her
office. The case was then assigned to DA George Barnhill, who had the case
for weeks and actually stated that "it appears [their] intent was to stop
and hold this criminal suspect until law enforcement arrived. Under
Georgia law, it is perfectly legal." He later recused himself for also
having a conflict of interest. [3]
Instead of standing up for Ahmaud, his family, and their community,
Johnson and Barnhill stalled, ignored, and even justified what happened.
Finally, just last week — after horrifying video of the murder was
released online — a district attorney from another county — Tom Durden —
filed charges against the McMichaels.
That is eleven weeks Ahmaud’s mother Wanda has had to wait for an ounce of
justice to be served. ”He was out for his daily jog and he was hunted down
like an animal and killed,” Arbery’s mother Wanda told CBS News. [4] No
mother should have to endure this pain. Unacceptable.
[ [link removed] ]Join us to demand justice for Ahmaud.
This week, Ahmaud and his mother should have been celebrating his birthday
(May 8) and Mother’s Day. Instead, his mother, friends, and family
continue to grieve an unimaginable loss and witness a system that
continues to fail too many.
While we demand justice for Ahmaud, and accountability for public
officials who failed him and his family, let’s remember this incident does
not stand alone. Whether it’s jogging, driving, walking, or playing —
people of color continue to be targeted for just existing. And their
attackers continue to walk free. Enough. We cannot let this stand.
“That these people have not been charged or held to account in any way
speaks volumes about the level of respect that law enforcement in Glynn
County have for Black lives,” Southern Poverty Law Center President and
Chief Executive Officer Margaret Huang has rightly stated. [5]
Join us to demand justice for Ahmaud, and for his mother. We call for the
following:
* DA George Barnhill must be removed from his position due to
prosecutorial misconduct related to the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, and
disbarred.
* DA Jackie Johnson must be removed from her position due to
prosecutorial misconduct related to the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, and
disbarred.
* Glynn County Policy Chief John Powell, currently on administrative
leave on charges of corruption, must be removed immediately from his
position and barred from law enforcement in any capacity.
Together we can make a noise that cannot be ignored by Georgia Governor
Kemp, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the State Bar of Georgia.
We should be horrified and angry. And we need to take action to not only
hold those involved accountable for their crimes and failures, but also to
call out and dismantle the white supremacist systems that enable and fuel
these incidents of terrorism against individuals and communities of color
every day.
Thank you for all you do,
- Karen, Kristin, Monifa, Gloria, and the entire MomsRising/MamásConPoder
Team
[1] [ [link removed] ]The Guardian
[2] [ [link removed] ]Vox and [ [link removed] ]The New York Times
[3] [ [link removed] ]NBC News
[4] [ [link removed] ]CBS News
[5] [ [link removed] ]Southern Poverty Law Center
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