And yet again we find ourselves staring at the darkness. Ahmaud Arbrey was out for an easy run on a spring day and was accosted by two men, a father and son, who “thought he fit the profile of a local burglar.” They parked their truck blocking his path, pulled guns on him when he attempted to get by them. A struggle ensued with one of them and a shot was fired. The other then shot Arbrey twice with a shotgun from the bed of the pickup truck. The entire episode was videoed by a third man, apparently a friend of the assailants.
But that’s not where the injustice ends. The investigating police went to the District attorney to obtain arrest warrants but were told no. Why? because the father had been an employee of the DA. From the Atlanta Journal Constitution 5/8/2020 – “Prosecutors said the father-and-son – who had close ties to local law enforcement — had chased Arbery down in their pick-up because they suspected him of burglary. No TV sets or candlesticks were found in his shorts. The same prosecutors theorized that Arbery might have shot himself, by pulling on the shotgun barrel pointed at him by Travis McMichael, 34, who had his finger on the trigger. How this might have happened three times was left to the imagination.”
Finally, two months later somehow the video of the assault gets posted on the internet and the two shooters are arrested by the State Police – who promise to look into not only the crime but also the coverup.
So is justice being served? NO! Justice should not occur only when corrupt politicians are caught. If the video had not been widely seen most of us probably would never have heard of this atrocity. Justice is not served when there is rampant support for the (alleged) murderers. From Jacksonville (FL) News4Jax “Recently, the group Christians Against Google changed their Facebook page name to Justice for Gregory and Travis Michael. An ‘about’ section on the group page reads, ‘These 2 God-fearing men were only trying to protect their neighborhood. This area has had a string of break-ins and this man fit the description and did not comply with simple commands. Our hearts go out to the McMichael family in their time of need. Amen.’ ” Simple commands? Does a black man have to stop jogging because a white man tells him to? And if he doesn’t they have a right to pull a gun?
Since the news broke a lot of statewide and national elected officials have weighed in on the horrific event. Even President Trump called the shooting ‘heartbreaking’. And that makes me wonder. Why is this shooting of an unarmed man heartbreaking when so many others are done by ‘very fine people’? I think I have an idea. The video of the shooting (which I have chosen not to watch) seems to be clear compelling evidence. The preponderance of evidence against the killers of Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice can be brushed off if one chooses to believe the killers. It would be political suicide to say Ahmaud Arbrey’s death was justified in an election year.
I am not moved by the crocodile tears of those who pretend to pursue justice when it is convenient. I am not moved by those who seek to look compassionate as an attempt to distract attention from their failures of governance.
I am moved by those who pursue justice at all times.
From the President: May 14, 2020
May 15, 2020 by tbhrich •
Justice, Justice shall you pursue.
And yet again we find ourselves staring at the darkness. Ahmaud Arbrey was out for an easy run on a spring day and was accosted by two men, a father and son, who “thought he fit the profile of a local burglar.” They parked their truck blocking his path, pulled guns on him when he attempted to get by them. A struggle ensued with one of them and a shot was fired. The other then shot Arbrey twice with a shotgun from the bed of the pickup truck. The entire episode was videoed by a third man, apparently a friend of the assailants.
But that’s not where the injustice ends. The investigating police went to the District attorney to obtain arrest warrants but were told no. Why? because the father had been an employee of the DA. From the Atlanta Journal Constitution 5/8/2020 – “Prosecutors said the father-and-son – who had close ties to local law enforcement — had chased Arbery down in their pick-up because they suspected him of burglary. No TV sets or candlesticks were found in his shorts. The same prosecutors theorized that Arbery might have shot himself, by pulling on the shotgun barrel pointed at him by Travis McMichael, 34, who had his finger on the trigger. How this might have happened three times was left to the imagination.”
Finally, two months later somehow the video of the assault gets posted on the internet and the two shooters are arrested by the State Police – who promise to look into not only the crime but also the coverup.
So is justice being served? NO! Justice should not occur only when corrupt politicians are caught. If the video had not been widely seen most of us probably would never have heard of this atrocity. Justice is not served when there is rampant support for the (alleged) murderers. From Jacksonville (FL) News4Jax “Recently, the group Christians Against Google changed their Facebook page name to Justice for Gregory and Travis Michael. An ‘about’ section on the group page reads, ‘These 2 God-fearing men were only trying to protect their neighborhood. This area has had a string of break-ins and this man fit the description and did not comply with simple commands. Our hearts go out to the McMichael family in their time of need. Amen.’ ” Simple commands? Does a black man have to stop jogging because a white man tells him to? And if he doesn’t they have a right to pull a gun?
Since the news broke a lot of statewide and national elected officials have weighed in on the horrific event. Even President Trump called the shooting ‘heartbreaking’. And that makes me wonder. Why is this shooting of an unarmed man heartbreaking when so many others are done by ‘very fine people’? I think I have an idea. The video of the shooting (which I have chosen not to watch) seems to be clear compelling evidence. The preponderance of evidence against the killers of Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice can be brushed off if one chooses to believe the killers. It would be political suicide to say Ahmaud Arbrey’s death was justified in an election year.
I am not moved by the crocodile tears of those who pretend to pursue justice when it is convenient. I am not moved by those who seek to look compassionate as an attempt to distract attention from their failures of governance.
I am moved by those who pursue justice at all times.
We are what we do.