About the Ahmaud Arbery verdict: it’s a shame that the nation was holding its collective breath and hoping that the jury would convict. I can’t speak for the nation, but I certainly thought that there have been times when a jury of supposed peers should have gotten something right, only to have gotten it wrong. I hoped that the jury saw those men as those who felt a sense of entitlement by taking another’s life simply because they didn’t think he belonged in their neighborhood.
Hopefully, Ahmaud’s family can rest a little easier, well, as much as they can knowing that they will never see him again because he was taken away so violently. The incriminating video (as much as I could watch) seemed to show the sheer joy of the hunt of this young man. I saw a soundbite of one of Ahmaud’s family members saying that he will always remember how he lost his life. I hate to say that I’m grateful that the video exists, but without it, would we be here discussing the convictions today? Doubtful. Also, just how horrible do you have to be to see it happen, much less record it? The friend didn’t think or say, “Hey guys, I think this is crossing the line. This is just not right.” I believe they honestly thought that someone like Ahmaud did not deserve to breathe the same air. What else could it be?
When we learned about this two years ago, an old friend said that if Ahmaud had a gun, he would have stood a greater chance of defending himself. How? Seems to me that the blame would have been placed on him for jogging with a firearm. By the way, who jogs with a gun, unless you’re up to no good? Moreover, if you’re going to “crime” while jogging, wouldn’t you have a weapon visible? I can see feeling threatened by him if he was dressed in combat gear with AR-15s strapped to his backside, but we must ask ourselves why some feel that a young Black man wearing a cap, a polo, and shorts is a threat? Black people indeed run for fitness.
I’m all for neighbors wanting to be aware of “strangers,” but sometimes we all just need to mind our own business. Don’t tell anyone this, but there have been many times when I have walked through a new construction, too. I’m glad that no one called the police on me, or I might be a casualty. To quote a friend, those men are “Hateful with some kind of vigilante entitlement. They ruined Ahmaud’s family and their own.” Who knows? Had they minded their own business, they would have been free to be racist from the comfort of their own homes. Now they get to be racist behind bars.
#ksmithsays
ksmithsays 