Fellow white people in America, pull up a chair. Have a seat, and pour yourself a glass of sweet tea, because we need to have a chat.
I have called Brunswick, GA home since I was ten years old. Formerly, it was only famous for the stew bearing the same name, but now even more infamous for the death and subsequent cover-up of 25 year-old African American Ahmaud Arbery, who was gunned down by two white men while jogging who pursued him in a truck when suspected of stealing. The people charged with his murder were father and son duo Gregory and Travis McMichael.
I heard the shots that took his life, but didn’t investigate the sound because guns go off all the time in that neighborhood. I don’t recall if I heard shouting beforehand, as I was watching Dexter at the time.
It wasn’t until I heard sirens that I knew anything was wrong. I learned on social media that a shooting had occurred, and didn’t know who was involved or who the victim was until there was a short article that mentioned it in the local paper, which stated that The McMichaels shot him claiming the so-called “Citizens Arrest” law, which allows people to defend their property if a regular citizen actively catches someone in a crime as a justification for the shooting.
It is worth noting that the house Mr. Arbery was seen entering did not belong to either of the McMichaels, and Arbery was not armed, and the camera has caught others entering the structure caught on video (others who were Caucasian) but were not attacked as far as anyone can tell.
Furthermore, Greg McMichael is a former DA who lost his ability to act in a professional capacity 8 years ago when failing to complete use of force training.
The case was first presented to DA Jackie Johnson, who recused herself immediately due to the fact that Greg McMichael used to work in her office. Then, George Barnhill of Ware County took it over, and because the Arbery family pushed to have the case moved to a different county after learning of McMichaels’ connection to Barnhill, then the case then went to Tom Durden of Hinesville, GA
When Brunswick attorney Alan Tucker passed along a video of the shooting taken by William Bryan (who has since proclaimed his innocence and lives less than a mile away from the McMichaels’ and has yet to be charged as an accessory), however, the case sparked national protests as more questions began to rise surrounding the murder and the reason as to why the investigation into his murder was not pursued, and now the whole world awaits the trial of these two men who were sleeping soundly in their beds for 79 days before being arrested because of pressure due to massive public outrage.
Since Arbery was black, and the McMichaels are white, Arbery family attorney Lee Merrit on an appearance on Dr. Phil on Friday, May 15, has stated “Why did they not attack this man, if not for race?”
It is this very question that the DOJ is currently investigating, since there are no hate crime statutes in the state of Georgia. However, there have been proposals made for an Ahmaud Arbery Hate Crime Bill by pro-BlackLivesMatter politicians and activists all over the country in an attempt to change that.
This tiny seaside town has had its fair share of scandal, but all its sins are currently under a microscope for all the world to see. A protest demanding the resignation of Barnhill and Johnson as well as a petition circulating containing over 200,000 signatures demanding their resignation have been circulating from Lee Merritt’s firm.
It is like something out of a John Grisham novel, and suddenly, Brunswick has become the next Ferguson. Ahmaud Arbery is another hashtag in a list of people who many believe died solely because of the color of their skin.
Whether or not this is a hate crime is for the courts to decide, but regardless of the verdict, the story of how Ahmaud tragically lost his life on that unseasonably warm and sunny February day has sparked a racial debate once again not only on social media, but in real-life as well.
Although the McMichaels’ attorneys have asserted that the country has jumped to an erroneous conclusion that the murder was racially motivated, this case and the motivations behind the murder have continued to spark national debates concerning racial injustices.
Whenever the headlines spark outcries of racial injustices invariably, it may be tempting for my fellow white Americans to respond with: "Well what about black on black crime!? It's awful, but they kill their own far more often than white people kill them, and I have the numbers to prove it!"
Well, when you say that, you are essentially saying three things.
1) That black people dont matter, because they hurt themselves, so I will just turn a blind eye to injustices against them.
2) That crimes against the black community dont matter, because crimes within the community somwhow negate injustices inflicted upon people of color solely for their race.
3) That racism isnt a real problem, because it doesnt effect me.
And most importantly, you keep referring to people of color as a “them.”
It is as if you see a bunch of apples, and think it is only the rotten ones spoiling the bunch, and blatantly ignoring the worms that are present, too.
This is a straw man's argument, and we as a society must put this line down.
What is a straw man’s argument?
From Wikipedia: A straw man (or strawman) is a form of argument and an informal fallacy based on giving the impression of refuting an opponent's argument, while actually refuting an argument that was not presented by that opponent.[1] One who engages in this fallacy is said to be "attacking a straw man.”
Yes, black-on-black crimes happen, but if you really cared about that, you would be trying to fight poverty, donate to causes that help with gang violence, help the homeless more, not scream this at people who say racial injustice is still A Thing that we as a country have to work on.
Instead, you use it to justify turning a blind eye to racial injustice. Not only the ones happening here in the present, but to the ones happening everywhere.
It is blaming the black community for their own problems while at the same time, blatantly ignoring oppression that does happen. Regularly.
You are denying that a very obvious problem still exists, all while purposefully evading the fact that a society founded by white male slave owners created this very system that still actively oppresses people of color. It is a system that still, by and large, does not include anyone who is not straight, white, and male. While progress has been made towards equality, it is still a very different country for Americans who are not white.
People of color face obstacles and are confronted with daily fears because of their race that you and I as white people cant even begin to imagine, especially in the South. We get the luxury of forgetting that. Our family, friends, and colleagues who are not white so not get that luxury.
Do better.
Ahmaud Arbery Graduation Photo
