Posted on 05/18/2020 8:32:01 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
It’s all over the news, two white guys shot a black man in Georgia while he was jogging because they thought he was a burglar. The racial aspect touched a nerve, which was compounded because Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael took the law into their own hands. It looked like the Trayvon Martin fatal shooting all over again. And things got worse when more details started coming out.
So is this a modern day racist lynching, as some like Al Sharpton are claiming, or is it merely an unfortunate situation? Now it’s too early to pass judgment, since the men are entitled to a jury trial in a court of law. We don’t know all of the facts yet. But we do know quite a few, and the main controversy seems to come down to the men’s decision to follow Armery.
People were outraged that the men were not arrested right away. It took the release of a video of the shooting a couple months later, invoking loud protests, to arrest them.
The prosecutor for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, Jackie Johnson, recused herself because the elder McMichael had worked in her office. The next prosecutor assigned to the case, Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Barnhill, also recused himself because his son worked for Johnson’s office.
Shortly before the shooting occurred, a neighbor of the McMichaels called 911 and said a black man had entered a house that was under construction nearby. The McMichaels say they saw Arbery jogging and got into their truck to follow him. Now anyone in law enforcement will tell you it’s not a good idea as a citizen to accost someone who is not in the process of committing a crime. If Arbery had burglarized homes, he wasn’t burglarizing one when they saw him jogging down the road.
But the law is vague about timing. In Georgia, the private citizen’s arrest statute says, “A private person may arrest an offender if the offense is committed in his presence or within his immediate knowledge.” The McMichaels apparently thought Arbery had just come from robbing a home.
Prosecutors initially told the police not to arrest the two men, saying they were acting within Georgia’s citizen’s arrest and self-defense statutes. However, Arbery family attorney S. Lee Merritt says the most Arbery was doing was trespassing, which doesn’t justify a citizen’s arrest. Those who know Arbery say he was known for jogging in that area.
The McMichaels said they yelled, “Stop, stop, we want to talk to you.” The elder McMichael said his son got out of the car with a shotgun. He said Arbery started to violently attack Travis and the two started fighting over the shotgun. Travis then shot Arbery three times. Arbery did not appear to be armed.
Barnhill said in his letter recusing himself that the older McMichael had previously investigated Arbery. CNN obtained a text message that was sent to a homeowner by a Glynn County police officer instructing him to contact Gregory McMichael if he saw a burglar on his security cameras.
Barnhill also said that Arbery had a criminal history. Arbery was indicted for bringing a gun to a high school basketball game when he was 19. He was arrested in 2018 for shoplifting. Barnhill said he believed the shooting was justified as a citizen’s arrest. He questioned whether maybe Arbery had caused the shotgun to be fired.
The McMichaels claim Arbery looked like a suspect in a string of burglaries. Travis McMichael called 911 several days before the shooting to report a man going into a house. One homeowner said he has previous video of a man entering his property and stealing fishing tackle. But Glynn County Police Lt. Cheri Bashlor said just one burglary in the neighborhood had been reported, theft of a firearm in an unlocked car outside the McMichael’s home. And Larry English, who owned the home under construction, said nothing had ever been stolen from the home.
George Zimmerman, who fatally shot Trayvon Martin in Florida in 2012, was acquitted of charges by a jury that found he was acting in self-defense. Zimmerman got out of his car and followed Martin because he thought he was a burglary suspect and was behaving suspiciously. There was evidence there had been a scuffle, since Zimmerman had a bloody nose along with lumps and two cuts on his head.
The two shootings are so similar there is a very good chance a jury will acquit the McMichaels. So should people be outraged? The problem likely lies in the law. Perhaps citizen’s arrest laws need to be narrowed to make it clear that citizens can only arrest suspects at the time of the crime, not 20 minutes later. It’s the concept of private citizens chasing after a suspect who isn’t in the process of committing a crime that bothers people. It makes it look like the people in pursuit are escalating the chances of violence.
Lindsay McMichael, the sister and daughter of the suspects, has come forward saying that the two are not racist, that they have always approved of her nonwhite boyfriends.
This doesn’t appear to be a racist hate crime. It’s most likely a situation where the law failed and needs to be revised. As a former police officer, the senior McMichael no doubt knew the citizen’s arrest law well, having encountered people using it while on the beat. He thought he was within his rights to follow Arbery. But it doesn’t mean it was a good judgment call.
Taking a gun to a game when he was 19, that is the sign of a hardened criminal right there. Running away when he figured out it wasn’t a good idea, that right there is resisting arrest. He is really going down the wrong road there. Then he gets busted for stealing two years ago. Five years from the first crime to the second one. Then he burglarises which gets him killed. That sure put an end to his life of crime. And let any other young black person who thinks it is a good idea to go jogging while there are reports of burglaries, it isn’t. Stay home, stay safe.
You sound like a cheerleader to make this place in Georgia, into the next Fergson... SJWs have been revealed to be flame throwers and are about to be relegated to the history books.
These aren't vigilantes. They are people protecting their homes, families, and property.
As he was being attacked. One of the shots was completely off the video and could have been either of them. The neighbor barely had control of the gun most of the time in the video when the psycho attacked him.
It’ll be hard to find 12 people who don’t see him attack from a long distance when he had lot’s of alternatives. And that he knew exactly why he was being chased and why neighbors were calling 9/11
“So is this a modern day racist lynching, as some like Al Sharpton are claiming”
According to him, probably any time a white person kills a black, for whatever reason, it’s a racist lynching.
Whatever. You said no criminal record. He was always in some kind of trouble.
“And let any other young black person who thinks it is a good idea to go jogging while there are reports of burglaries, it isn’t.“
So you are saying that the shooting was racially based.
Thanks.
At this point it looks like the guys who went after Arbery were definitely in the wrong, but I’m willing to wait for all the facts to come out before making up my mind. I won’t be on the jury that has to decide the case.
As, apparently do you.
This was a ‘runner/jogger’ out for exercise and a father and son, rednecks, shot him down.
No this was two idiots who took the law into their own hands and screwed up big time. They're in jail facing life in prison and a kid is dead. That's the situation in a nutshell.
You sound like a cheerleader to make this place in Georgia, into the next Fergson...
No you're doing a bang-up job of trying to do that yourself. Ignoring the fact that the two cases are not remotely similar.
The first shot may or may not have been accidental, caused by Arbery struggling to get the gun. Judging from the tape it could well have been. But McMichael had control enough to work the pump twice and pull the trigger twice. That's where the murder conviction may come from.
I’m not even sure the first shot has to be before contact. The fact of the matter is from Arbery’s perspective two idiots, one with a shotgun roll up on him and tell him to stop what he’s doing. It’s kind of boggling to expect ANYBODY to just be OK with that. I wouldn’t. My first thought in that situation is I’m gonna die and I’ll be looking for an opportunity to change that ending.
Which is how neighborhood watch should work.
These aren't vigilantes. They are people protecting their homes, families, and property.
Unlike the scenario you described above, these were two men who armed themselves and went out to confront Arbery without consulting or working with the police. They weren't trying to help law enforcement, they were trying to do their job for them. That's the very definition of a vigilante.
He's not charged with "murder"...he's charged with "aggravated assault" and "felony murder" which, if I understand it correctly, means (felony murder, that is) that a death was caused during the commission of a felony.
It's going to be hard to prove that Travis McMichael was committing a felony when Arbery ran at him.
They were working with the police though (and there was a 911 call). In fact, the police had referred neighbors to the senior McMichael because of his background.
Seriously? DO not flatter yourself. I think you are a troublemaker blowing hot air.
It remains to be proved in a court of law. The prosecution darn well better be able to prove the narrative that this ‘MAN’, was in fact a routine runner/jogger, not just a ‘man’ running from the law.
As said, the police are counting of this activity because they know they it takes time for them to respond to the commission of a crime.
Most of my neighbors are edgy about this matter and it wouldn't be too surprising to learn that someone was shot during this time. Lot's of retired folks live around here and they are nervous about their safety.
I am in Georgia BTW.
Did the McMichaels have more of a right to be on that street than Mr. Arbery?
If so, why?
Felony murder also removes the need for malice on the part of the shooter to convict. That's not going to help McMichael at all.
It's going to be hard to prove that Travis McMichael was committing a felony when Arbery ran at him.
They initiated the incident and McMichael shot Arbery three times. I'm sure the prosecution will be able to prove a felony in that.
When was the 911 call made? Before they armed up and went after him? Before they stopped him? Or during or after the shooting?
It is obviously racially biased. If a white person went into a house under construction, they wouldn’t be pursued. If a white person is out jogging, there is no suspicion of running from a crime. Even the people who associate this with Trayvon Martin or Michael Brown are bringing race into it. It should stand on its own. Why are people so ready to take the side opposite of Al Sharpton? Al could be right just this once. He has a ready-made case for his brand of activism.
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