ACLU Responds to Guilty Verdict in McMichael/Bryan Trial

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — The American Civil Liberties Union released the following statement after a jury decided that Travis McMichael, Greg McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan were guilty of murder in the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed Black man killed by two white civilians while jogging in broad daylight.

Yasmin Cader, director of the ACLU’s Trone Center for Justice and Equality:

“Despite today’s verdict, we continue to mourn the tragic killing of Mr. Ahmaud Arbery — a killing that never should have happened. This devastating loss — along with the losses of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many others — has forced our country to reckon with its identity and its long history of racialized terror. We grieve with Mr. Arbery’s family and we share their outrage. I know the fear of having children who live in a world where they are vulnerable because they are Black and I cannot imagine this family’s pain.

“This tragedy is a continuation of America’s history of inflicting violence on Black people attempting to attain education, own businesses and homes, and move through the world peacefully. We must meet this history of violence with the work of deep and meaningful systemic transformation.

“Across the country, we see local and grassroots organizations leading the fight for this transformation, and we join them in reimagining a future where Black people can thrive free of police violence or vigilantism. The ACLU of Georgia and others have worked successfully to dismantle the citizens’ arrest law raised by the defense in this case, but our work will not stop there. The ACLU will continue to fight alongside our allies throughout the country to reimagine a world where Black people like Ahmaud Arbery are free to live without the fear of racialized violence. The true measure of justice is not in a verdict, but in making that future real through our collective work.”