The senseless act of violence that took the life of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia had the country on edge. From the naked eye, it appeared a father and son gunned down a man for being black.
Many in the nation have reacted to the gruesome video, ranging from athletes to musicians.
On May 15, Councilman Andy King called for justice and sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr and Director of Georgia Bureau Investigation Vic Reynolds calling for a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Arbery, in Brunswick, Georgia.
He was joined by officials citywide, including Council Members Fernando Cabrera, Mark Gjonaj, Andrew Cohen and Vanessa Gibson, Assembly Members Michael Benedetto, Victor Pichardo, Michael Blake and Nathalia Fernandez and Senator Jamaal Bailey.
“Once again, the nation and the world have seen another senseless killing of an innocent Black man,” King said in the letter. “Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed for being Black in America. Once again, we are outraged and saddened by this modern-day lynching. Ahmaud Arbery did not deserve this. His killing took place in February and seems to have been covered up by authorities to protect the people involved. Now that the video has been leaked, the nation is calling for honest action and justice.”
King stressed the video clearly shows the murder was not in self defense. He demanded an in-depth investigation into the case and wanted to know why the local authorities did nothing.
“Ahmaud Arbery was practicing his civil rights, just as anyone else. He was shot and killed under pure suspicion, targeted only because of the color of his skin. These individuals are responsible for his unwarranted and unfortunate death. They took the life of an unarmed man who was just simply taking a run through the neighborhood. The suspicion that he was ‘running away from a crime scene’ is no excuse for the clear racial attack, and ultimately, the death of Ahmaud Arbery,” King said.
