SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP): When white men armed with weapons chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery as he ran through his neighborhood, few outside the port city of Georgia, Brunswick, paid much attention at first.
A year later, while three men await a trial during the February 23, 2020 murder, those closest to the 25-year-old black tried to make sure Arbery’s death was not overlooked again.
Arbery’s mother filed a civil lawsuit Tuesday accusing the men accused of killing her son and local authorities who first responded to the shooting of violating their civil rights. The lawsuit filed by Wanda Cooper-Jones in the U.S. district court is seeking $ 1 million. Lawyers for the men accused of killing Arbery say they suspected he was a thief and did not commit any crime.
Members of the Arbery family in Brunswick were expected to join a memorial procession on Tuesday evening in the Satilla Shores subdivision, where he fell bloodily on the street due to three long-range shotguns. Other relatives planned a candlelight vigil at a Waynesboro church, where Arbery is buried in her mother’s hometown. At the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Democratic lawmakers joined civil rights activists on the occasion of the anniversary.
“It’s important to remind people of the origins, when it all started,” said Jason Vaughn, Arbery High School football coach and organizer of the Brunswick event. “For a long time, it was like we were shouting in the dark and no one was listening.”
Immediately after the shooting, police interviewed the men who chased Arbery and released them. The first prosecutor assigned to the case saw no reason to file charges. The petition for justice by the Arbery family was almost unheard of, as Georgia and the nation closed the coronavirus pandemic.
Arbery had been dead for more than two months when a mobile video of the online shooting on May 5 leaked and a national outcry erupted. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case the next day and quickly arrested the shooter, Travis McMichael; his father, Greg McMichael; and neighbor Roddie Bryan charged with murder.
Outrage over Arbery’s assassination was still simmering when a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd on May 25, sparking U.S. protests denouncing racial injustice.
In Brunswick, Arbery’s death served as an alarm clock for many residents, both white and black, who needed to be more active in holding elected office accountable, the Rev. John Perry said. He was president of the NAACP chapter in Brunswick at the time of the assassination. He now runs to be the next mayor of the city.
“Previously, we chose people for the position and we’re confident they’ll do the right things,” Perry said. “Failure to do justice to the Amhmaud situation said more needed to be done as citizens.”
In November, voters angered by Arbery’s death ousted District Attorney Jackie Johnson. Greg McMichael had worked as an investigator for Johnson, whom many blamed for playing a role in the delayed arrests, an accusation she denies.
Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is asking Georgian lawmakers to repeal an 1863 state law that authorizes detainees to private citizens.. The prosecutor first assigned to the Arbery case cited that the law concluded the murder was warranted.
McMichaels’ lawyers have said they prosecuted Arbery on suspicion of being a thief after security cameras had previously recorded him entering a house under construction. They say Travis McMichael shot Arbery while fearing for his life as they faced a shotgun. It was Bryan, the third defendant, who took video of the cell phone from the shooting from the seat of the driver of his van.
Prosecutors have said Arbery did not steal anything and was only going to jog when McMichaels and Bryan chased him. They remain imprisoned without bail.
The anniversary march and commemorative tour have been organized by the 2:23 Foundation, a group founded by Vaughn and Arbery’s cousin Demetris Frazier to fight systemic racism.
The foundation worked last fall to register 18-year-old high school students to vote. Now its members and other local activists are pushing for the creation of a citizen review panel for the Glynn County Police Department, which initially responded to Arbery’s murder.
Vaughn, who coached Arbery at Brunswick High School, said planning the birthday has been record-breaking. For him, Arbery’s murder remains painfully fresh.
“You want to make sure you keep Amhmaud’s name alive, but it’s like reading an obituary over and over,” Vaughn said. “It’s like reliving the past again. You have to stay strong. ”