Posted on 05/13/2020 6:43:40 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
In the Ahmaud Arbery case, the media, as always, are theorizing in advance of the data, and they are doing so in service to a divisive racial agenda. The undisputed facts (excluding the inevitably self-interested statements from the men arrested) are as follows:
Travis McMichael shot 24-year-old Arbery. The question is whether it was self-defense, manslaughter or murder.
Greg and Travis McMichaels (father and son) are white, while Arbery was black.
Videos show Arbery entering a home under construction and Arbery inside the construction site.
Shortly before Arbery was shot, Greg called 911 to report that “There’s a black male running down the street.” He’s then heard to say “Goddamit. C’mon, Travis.”
In a second 911 call around the same time, an unidentified caller reported a possible burglary in the neighborhood, saying, “There’s a guy in the house right now, a house under construction.” Next, the caller said, “And he’s running right now. There he goes right now.” The unidentified caller reported that the possible burglar had been seen before in the neighborhood and had “been caught on the camera a bunch before at night,” adding “It’s kind of an ongoing thing out here.”
An infamous video (above) shows Arbery either running or jogging down the left side of the street. The verb “running” implies escape or aggression. The verb “jogging” has a recreational feel.
A white pick-up is seen further up the road, on the right side, with a man standing by the driver’s side door. Arbery abruptly veers across the street towards the right rear of the truck. A man stands in the truck bed. The video swerves, showing only foliage.
Seconds later, Arbery is running at top speed counterclockwise around the truck’s front right side.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
How did the man threaten him?
With his actions: “Stop or you will certainly die”.
“”They confronted him and threatened his life like you admitted for snooping around on a construction site and running down the street, isn’t that right?””
He was trespassing (Misdemeanor) on private property, that alone can get you confronted and told to leave. It’s a felony here in Texas if you have a firearm.
He changed the (Misdemeanor) trespassing into (Felony) burglary of a building when he went into a private residence. Not only can that get you detained by a civilian it could get you shot depending on the circumstances.
Or maybe he was a rogue heating engineer, like Harry Tuttle, or maybe he was dropping off his resume, or maybe he really was a fitness fanatic who wanted to get some stair-climbs in during his jog, and he was doing fartliks, with the sprint just coinciding with being seen leaving...
“”With his actions: “Stop or you will certainly die”.””
I never even seen the man raise his shotgun, maybe we’re looking at different video’s.
Was there even really a hammer?
The video shows what looks to be a hammer laying in the road just before the shooting took place. I have no idea why it’s there or where it came from but I do have my suspicions.
My position is that the McMichaels made themselves judges, jury, and executioner on that day.
They will be asked by a talented prosecutor for all their evidence that they have thoroughly documented for admittance in court, especially all the police reports that they have accumulated, and exactly how it is that they pinned all those crimes over that timeline, as you say, on one guy. They'll be asked how they knew Mr. Arbery was that one guy, and how they considered it indispensable on February 23rd or whenever that was, to go chase him down in a truck and emerge from the truck in an aggressive, threatening manner with a shotgun for having committed all those crimes that they convicted him of and documented so well over that timeline starting in October.
They'll also be asked about their own personal animus against the guy, which you acknowledge, and whether that might have had influence when they put him on trial.
Where did the McMichaels lie?
I didn't say he *WAS* lying, I said he had a good motive to lie. I implied that I wouldn't be surprised if he *WAS* lying.
RE: Was there even really a hammer?
A full court trial will bring the facts out. In the meantime, all we have are what we read from news sources and the video.
Yes, it's quite clear that you made your mind up about that from the beginning, and persist in holding that opinion regardless of any factual information presented to you.
They'll also be asked about their own personal animus against the guy, which you acknowledge, and whether that might have had influence when they put him on trial.
I did not "acknowledge" that. I said it "might" be true. I acknowledged the possibility that it is true.
Your cutsy attempt to parrot back my own words against me would have an actual impact if you had an subject on which you could claim they were lying.
Regarding the homeowner, the subject about which he may have been lying is "what might have been taken."
On the McMichaels it is what? What is the subject about which you "didn't say he *WAS* lying, I said he had a good motive to lie. I implied that I wouldn't be surprised if he *WAS* lying."
About what?
Yup. Simple and to the point.
Blue culture folks don't like people carrying. They think it's a threat.
According to the article, there were two different calls. It was the other call, not McMichaels’, that said they saw him entering the house.
Raising or not raising the shotgun will not justify (IMHO) at trial. When Travis McMichael stopped his truck and got out with a shotgun and walked around the front in his direction, that is enough aggression to justify Arbery’s counterattack. Arbery’s decision to go for the shotgun is reasonable given he is already running anyway. If the shotgun was raised then we might question the wisdom of going for the gun, but having made that decision, Arbery’s fatal mistake is in not controlling the muzzle. It looks like they played tug-a-war with the gun and that will be won by he one with a finger on the trigger.
Control the muzzle while raining a storm of blows on the vulnerable exposed parts of McMichael’s body. The techniques involved are not commonly understood. Even if you win that fight you should then expect Gregory McMichael to get down off the truck and shoot you with his handgun, who would have thought himself saving his son’s life.
I wish Arbery had used his superior running ability. They might have shot him in the back, but he would probably have survived that given enough distance.
2-Gregory was concerned about crime in the neighborhood, and may have seen a video of Arbery last year. Perhaps that's significant, could contribute to the aforementioned bias. Has no bearing on the events of the day.
3-His son had a weapon stolen the prior month. I don't know if there's any actual evidence Arbery was the thief, I've only seen speculation. Bias on Travis' part though, leading to the incorrect assumption that Arbery was armed.
4-Arbery put something in his pants at night. McMichaels assumed it was a weapon? Zero evidence. Thus his and his son's actions on the day in question resulting in the death of an individual with no weapon, much less Gregory's .357. An aside, don't mean to be too critical of Freepers who keep weapons in their car, but consider investing in a safe. When I' can't carry in a particular location my weapon is always locked in a handgun safe in my locked car. Yes, a theif can still steal it, more likely the safe, but he won't be shooting me with my weapon as I return to the car. And if he left his handgun in his glove compartment in his driveway as is my impression, he's not only foolish but it brings into question his concerns about neighborhood burglaries.
5-I don't know how the hammer got there. If the video shows he threw it down before approaching the truck, a shame the McMichaels didn't notice he apparently disarmed himself. Obviously we don't know how it got there.
6-He may well have been in better physical shape than either of the McMichael's. As I understand it there's no question that the McMichaels were armed legally. The issue will be what they did with their arms which resulted in a death.
Half a dozen valid reasons why the McMichaels should have been armed in an encounter with Arbery. Largely irrelevant, the question will be Gregory's actions. I've no doubt being confronted by Arbery attempting to grab his shotgun he was in fear of his life. Which is irrelevant unless the McMichaels were legallly justified in stopping and attempting to detain Arbery. Which none of your points address. They'll go to jail or be set free on that. Whether they had probable cause to attempt a citizen's arrest. And although I know you're sympathetic to the McMichaels, every point you made simply establishes McMichaels probable bias. What will be important will be the facts of the day. All I get from all the posts is that he may have trespassed in a house under construction, and perhaps stole a hammer, which he dropped, though there's no evidence of that, and it wouldn't rise to criminal tresspass. I think they'll need a very good lawyer to establish it was a legitimate citizens arrest.
I have some sympathy once Travis was attacked, but I won't be surprised that in the end it's determined he had no cause to attempt the detention. Should have let the police do their job.
Oh yes, the old "someone did something" spin on a killing. Now where have I heard that before...?
Don’t me wrong. 9/11 was a clear terrorist plot. I’m not comfortable with someone brushing aside that tragedy with the notion that “someone did something”.
But blacks kill blacks everyday in the US.
And blacks kill whites all the time in the US.
It’s not that common for whites to kill blacks. I don’t need to see a lot of false outrage over this sort of thing. It doesn’t mean the KKK is resurging. It doesn’t mean all blacks are victims. It doesn’t mean all whites are racist. It basically means someone did something stupid. I refuse to see it as any sort of big indictment of our society.
Only if you can demonstrate he was entering with the intention of committing a felony. And my understanding he entered through an open door, that's not considered "breaking". And my understanding is the house was under construction, thus likely not a dwelling. My guess it was a trespass, not burglary.
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