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In this editorial article by Anna Walker, she talks about Ahmaud Arbery, one of the many lives lost in the midst of racial hate crime. When the day came when he would take his last breath, all he did to antagonize the murderer was run in their neighborhood.
Ahmaud arbery
Ahmaud arbery
By Anna Walker
By Anna Walker
Ahmaud Arber was 25, and the “baby” of the family. He lived in South Georgia and Ahmaud’s goal in life was to become wealthy and give his mother the life she deserves. He was a natural at anything involving sports. However, he had a special passion for football, a sport he and his brother would play throughout their high school years. Unfortunately, Ahmaud never got any offers from potential colleges to play on their team. According to 20/20’s episode “Nowhere To Run”, feeling discouraged, Ahmaud went away to college to still try to make a way for himself as an electrician. However, he fell into a fog and moved home to live with his mother. He became not like himself and the only thing that he truly enjoyed was running.
Image Credit: New York Post
Image Credit: Daily Mail
His city was divided by a highway into two different areas.The one Ahmuad lived in was impoverished and the other was a white- dominated, wealthy neighborhood. He ran around his neighborhood every day, but on this specific day, he decided to cross the road and run on the other side. Many say he was out running to imagine a better life, but to the residents of Satilla Shores, he was up to something.
On Feb. 23, 2020, Travis McMichael (34) made a phone call to 911, claiming Ahmaud was walking into an open house due to construction. The phone call was later followed by Travis and Gregory McMichael (65), who grabbed their hand guns and got in their truck to follow Ahmaud. Eventually, the McMichaels had him pinned when Travis got out of the truck and began to fight him. One thing led to another and a shot was fired.
Image Credit: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Image Credit: KRQE
When police arrived on scene, Ahmaud was close to death. McMichaels said they were “mixed up” and “scattered” after the shooting. Gregory stated his son was reacting in self defense, even though it had been proven Ahmaud was unarmed. On that day, the McMichaels were not arrested. In fact, they were not arrested until more than two months after the murder took place. However, with Ahmaud’s mother’s determination and a huge breakthrough in the case, the investigation moved forward.
On May 5, 2020 a video was released on a local news website, WGIG that video shook the case and everyone involved. The video displayed the chase and the final moments of Ahmaud Arbery’s life. The video also seemed to be filmed from the point of view of another car, trying to corner Ahmaud. So who was this mysterious third suspect? William Bryan (52), a neighbor of the McMichaels, saw the Mcmichaels take off and decided to follow.
Image Credit: ESPN Front Row
Image Credit: The Washington Post
When the case finally got to the courts, according to CNN, “The McMichaels and Bryan were also indicted on federal hate crime charges and are scheduled to go on trial in February on counts of interference of rights and attempted kidnapping.” In the end, “The McMichaels each face an additional charge of using, carrying, brandishing and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The men have pleaded not guilty.”Ahmaud Arbery was a kind young man, who loved his family. In the end, he was killed in a hate crime for jogging in his own neighborhood and being a person of color.
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