On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old African American man was chased and murdered while jogging near his home in Georgia.
Finally, nine months later, three men have been convicted of Arbery’s murder: former police officer Gregory McMichael, his son, Travis McMichael and their neighbor, William Bryan. They are facing nine criminal courts in Georgia State Court.
Arbey’s trial has been heavily followed by almost all Americans. Following the release of the video displaying his murder, many protests have erupted and the public has spurred interest in the outcome of this trial.
By now, almost all Americans are familiar with this case and have watched the video of Arbery’s murder. It is clear to almost everybody who watches the video, understands the facts of the case, and familiarizes themselves with the backgrounds of the suspects that racism was the underlying cause of Arbery’s murder.
And yet, the prosecutor of this case chose a counterintuitive and surprising strategy: she ignored racism in court. Prosector Linda Dunikoski mentioned racism throughout the trial only one time in her closing arguments.
Dunikoski received much pushback for this strategy, accused of whitewashing the case and circumventing the main motive of the crime.
While it may have seen ineffective to avoid the underlying issue at hand that caused Arbery’s murder, Linda Dunikoski knew what she was doing. This Georgia jury was comprised of 11 White individuals and only one Black individual despite that over a quarter of Glynn county’s population is Black, misrepresenting the demographics of the community. Mentioning race in this setting would conjure biases and prejudices that might have backfired in the sentencing. Instead, Dunikoski prosecuted the crime for simply what it was, unprovoked murder, appealing towards jurors’ sense of accountability and justice in order to achieve a fair sentence.
Although justice has been served for Arbery, this doesn’t change the fact that an innocent man is still dead. The murder of Ahmaud Arbery highlights how deeply rooted and persistent racial injustice is within the US. This guilty verdict is one step in the right direction towards a more just and fair society, but it is not enough.
The American criminal justice system has many shortcomings including racial bias. Hopefully, Arbery’s murder and trial will help the U.S courts and public realize that its system fails so many people. The U.S can not allow racism, biases and stereotypes to continue to trickle into its courts and society.
The U.S needs to be a place where an innocent Black man can take a jog in his neighborhood and not worry about being shot.