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The Ahmaud Arbery Killers: The Long Wait For Justice

by Ash Jones

January 31, 2022 480 views
 
Like the rest of the world, I sat and watched the hours of the trial for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery from start to finish, listening to the words and rantings of both the defense and the state as they put on a show for the world to see. 
Black America sat anxiously, endured the trauma of watching the slaughter of a fellow Black person over and over, captured on video. Black America listened to the cruel tactics of the defense as they picked apart the character of the victim and muddied his personhood. They listened to talk of his appearance, the community having a “white fear” of minorities simply existing, minding their business to talks of white saviorism and vigilantism.  
 
What is justice? Arbery was shot and killed on Feb. 23, 2020. After a series of dismissals and concerns and a mother’s plea for consideration of her son’s life, the defendants weren’t arrested until May 2020, only after the video of his murder surfaced.  After mishandling the case and its continued passing throughout the District Attorney’s office, a trial began Nov. 5, 2021. On Nov. 24, a verdict was read aloud, and all three defendants were found guilty. 
 
On Jan. 7, 2022, the sentencing phase began. Arguments from each side were heard, and impact statements by Ahmaud’s family were felt. His mother — standing tall and graceful — spoke to her son. Fulfilled with the promise of holding his killers accountable, she took her own justice. She advocated and spoke of the love she had for her son, regardless of how the world treated him. She took the power of the insults created by defense attorney Laura Hogue as she spoke of the inflammatory description of the appearance of her son’s feet. As Black mothers do, she defended her son’s character. 
Travis McMichael was sentenced to life plus twenty years without the possibility of parole. His father, Gregory, was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole plus twenty years, and William Bryan was sentenced to life plus 10 years with the possibility of parole and a suspended sentence of the 10 years. Virtually, both McMichaels are sentenced to die behind bars. 
 
It was the sentence we, as Black America, held our breath for but is it justice? Arbery’s life isn’t restored, and his death remains an impact. A small piece of justice is knowing these men will never profit from their crimes or walk the streets freely ever again in this life.
A cringe felt throughout this trial is the reinforcement of the White ego that they can handle situations however they see fit, with little to no consequences. Testimony provided by White-aligning neighbors who spoke of the fear of their communities being invaded only continued that narrative. 
The McMichaels acted as judge, jury, and executioner of a beautiful Black man who did not cower to them. Their ability to manipulate the justice system to fit their narrative and their acts of bending the rules showed the true cracks in the system. Gregory McMichael worked for years outside of his office's compliance, willingly, blatantly, and possibly violating the rights of others. May every case he touched be thoroughly reopened and investigated. 
 
How do we recover from this? We, as Black people, continue to live and show out. We continue to thrive and push for the things we want. We hold people accountable and dismantle the systems that weren’t built for us. However, there may always be a lingering voice in the back of our heads telling us to be mindful of our surroundings. 
 
Ashley R. Jones 
Freelance Writer 

Noire Contributing Writer

 
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Ash Jones
Ashley R. Jones is a graduate student currently studying forensic psychology along with criminology and criminal psychology. True crime inspired fiction is her passion. A golden girl and Disney fan who writes about the the things that go bump in the night. Human monsters make for the best inspiration.

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