[050720] special edition: Ahmaud Arbery
'a Black man was lynched in Georgia'
art by Nikkolas Smith
February 23, 2020: Ahmaud Arbery is chased by armed white residents of Glynn County, Georgia, and he is shot dead. an anonymous person recently leaked the video. this tragic situation is fluid. here is some curation and context:
⚫️ ‘we’ll bring to bear every resource and all the experience this agency has in resolving this matter. our goal in every investigation is to seek the truth. and that’s exactly what we intend on doing in this matter.’ ⬇️
⚫️ ‘Arbery was not armed, and he was not the “suspect” in any break-ins. He was a former high school football player who liked to stay active and was jogging in the small city of Brunswick, Glynn County, Ga., near his home. Neither of the McMichaels was arrested or charged. From the time this happened in late February, they have had the luxury of sleeping in their own beds, free men, while Arbery’s body is confined to a coffin, deep in a grave at New Springfield Baptist Church in Alexander, Ga.’ — Charles M. Blow of The New York Times
⚫️ ‘A Black man was lynched in Georgia. His killers have yet to be charged’ — Jeneé Osterheldt of The Boston Globe
⚫️ Arbery killing reignites debate over sharing graphic viral videos: activists credit clip with prompting a grand jury request, but many viewers find images distressing. — Kenya Evelyn at The Guardian
⚫️ from a new The Washington Post editorial: ‘What if Ahmaud Arbery had been white? What if the two men who confronted Mr. Arbery before one of them shot and killed him had been black? What if the graphic video showing a young man needlessly gunned down while on a Sunday afternoon jog had not been anonymously posted to the Internet but, instead, had been kept hidden?’
⚫️ supporters will gather virtually Friday to mourn Ahmaud Arbery by putting on their sneakers and posting on social media to say #IRunWithMaud.
⚫️Rev. John Perry, president of the Brunswick, Georgia NAACP addresses members of the media ⤵️around him are other local ministers
⚫️on TikTok: spoken word by Anthony Hyland: ‘a candid list of things Black people can’t do’ 👇🏾
where is Brunswick, Georgia? what’s it like there? what’s the media landscape?
🗝it’s known as a ‘historic’ city by the sea.’
🗝 this is a link to a local newspaper/site, The Brunswick News
🗝the Atlanta Constitution-Journal has continuing coverage and notes that ‘[local] candidates [call] for a sweep of Georgia offices, from local posts to the U.S. Senate…’
🗝 The Georgia Recorder is covering, and notes that ‘Justice was always going to be difficult for a dead black man in south Georgia, unable to tell his side of the story, against two white men. But in this case, one of the three men who accosted and shot Arbery, Greg McMichael, is a retired investigator for the Glynn County district attorney. So toss in the fact that the white men in question have close ties to local law enforcement, and the odds against a fair hearing grow longer still.’ The Recorder is also posting internal memos with regard to the case.
🗝 Ahmaud Arbery and the racist history of loitering laws
🗝from Arbery’s local station, First Coast News ⬇️
Ahmaud Arbery's mother, Wanda Jones, said she hasn't seen the video and does not plan on it. She said she remembers seeing her son come into this world, and doesn't think she can handle seeing him leave it. ‘He was my baby boy that I had on Mother's Day of 1994,’ she explained. ‘He was his sister and brother's keeper... his spirit was good. He was a yes ma'am and no ma'am type of fellow.’
cries of the heart:
art by Danielle Coke
⚫️ Detriot Lions cornerback Darius Slay is from the area and his twitter feed is filled with responses from fellow athletes
⚫️ OutKast’s Big Boi posted the below to his 1.4 million instagram followers
thinking of Sean Reed also:
⚫️ graphic, violent images below ⬇️
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this is your newsletter. diverse work curated by a diverse team for a diverse readership during this wild era known as #quarantinelife. in this mix you see work from writers you know (and some you don’t). work from creators of color. from women writers. and LGBQTI creators. basically storytelling curated with the idea that the many segments of our multiverse are equally interesting and important.…after a long hiatus, we’re back. when we started this newsletter, way back when, one of our earliest issues was a #Ferguson special edition. this quarantine lockdown has us feeling a familiar fear and strength and commitment to a better future.
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Danyel Smith || Elliott Wilson || Darian Harvin
special thanks as always to Parker Williams, Benjamin Meadows-Ingram, Dyana Larios, Wesley Harvin, Cam White, Melissa Kimble