Hundreds demand justice for Ahmaud Arbery, young black jogger killed in Georgia
- Hundreds of people took to the streets to demand accountability for death of Ahmaud Arbery, who was killed while out jogging
- Two white men were arrested and charged with the murder of Arbery after a public outcry over viral video of shooting
Protesters on Saturday demanded the removal of two district attorneys accused of dragging their feet in arresting two white men suspected in the shooting death of a young black jogger in the Brunswick, Georgia area.
Speeches rang out from the steps of the small coastal community’s courthouse during a rally that drew hundreds outraged by the video of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, 25. Activists saw his death as the latest US case of white perpetrators killing a black man and going unpunished. The father-and-son suspects were not arrested until weeks after the shooting, and just days after the video surfaced online.
Some of the protesters made a four-hour trek from Atlanta on Saturday morning. They chanted “Justice of Ahmaud” and “I am Ahmaud”, and also wore T-shirts memorialising Arbery. Local clergy led prayers for his family members, some of whom attended the rally.
“Ahmaud’s death won’t be in vain,” his aunt Thea Brooks said on the steps of the Glynn County Courthouse as other family members stood next to her. “We are going to fight for Ahmaud. We are going to get answers when it comes down to justice for Ahmaud.”
Speakers told the crowd that Jackie Johnson and George Barnhill - the district attorneys for the Brunswick and Waycross judicial circuits - must be removed from office for their handling of the case. It took 74 days after the shooting for the suspects to be arrested and charged.
