The Abbott Institute

501 (c) (3)

 

 

I RUN WITH MAUD

Help make sure Ahmaud Arbery’s killing

won’t be swept under the rug

 

On February 23, two white men, Gregory McMichael and his son Travis, grabbed their guns, got in their truck and chased down Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old black man who apparently made the mistake of jogging in Brunswick’s Satilla Shores neighborhood. Travis McMichael shot Ahmaud dead.

 

Gregory McMichael told police they thought Ahmaud had been involved in a recent “string of burglaries,” even though no recent break-ins had been reported in the neighborhood and an eyewitness who made a 911 call could not name a specific criminal action on Ahmaud’s part.

 

Over two months later, no arrests related to Ahmaud Arbery’s shooting death have been made, no charges have been filed and no grand jury investigation has been initiated.

 

Just this week, the Atlanta Journal Constitution and the New York Times began to cover the story and its unmistakable parallels to that of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old black teenager shot to death by George Zimmerman in Florida in 2012.  Since then, the Brunswick News’ treatment of the story has improved, starting with an editorial Tuesday calling for a thorough state investigation. A list of articles with links is below.

 

Ahmaud’s life mattered. Justice for his death matters to his family, his friends and his community – to all of us.

 

The Robert S Abbott Institute will continue to support this effort and know that you will too.

 

Updates and ways to help are at:

 

Media Articles

 

https://www.runwithmaud.com/

https://www.facebook.com/www.naacpga.org/

https://www.facebook.com/irunwithmaud

 

 

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There will be a protest calling for Justice for Ahmaud Arbery at the Glynn County Courthouse tomorrow (Friday MAY 7) at 10:AM.  The information below came from Rev. Jane Page, who is friends with James Woodall, and we wanted to share it with you.

 

We need to have a diverse crowd there and show that the whole community demands justice.

 

  • James Woodall, President of the GA NAACP, has shared that they are bringing many masks and requesting that folks wear them at the protest. We do realize that many folks may be very vulnerable and do not feel that they can risk this. Please know that we are there to represent you. Please share about this protest widely with friends you feel will be supportive.

 

  • As you may know, Liberty County DA Tom Durden has decided this case should go to the Glynn County grand jury, but still no arrests have been made. National attention to this has blown up since the video of the McMichaels killing Ahmaud was leaked and went viral.

 

 

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SGHS is very concerned about potential COVID transmission at tomorrow’s protest. We plan to have our mobile health vehicle on site to provide basic first aid, mask distribution and hand sanitizer distribution. I will be running this. If you are part of a group participating in this and want masks for your group come by there and we will provide whatever you need. If you need them today call me at +18648098425. Thanks Glenn Gann

 

 

The Community Emergency Needs Fund Next Phase and Survey (Coastal Community Foundation & United Way):  The committee will be meeting soon to discuss our community organizations’ response to the COVID-19 crisis. It is important that we have basic information about all agencies addressing this crisis. If you would like to be considered for funding, please let the funders know more about the work you are doing and your needs by completing this survey.   If you haven’t updated your survey, please take a moment to do so.

 

You may access the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TTWH2FB.

If you have any questions or difficulties in accessing or completing the survey, please do not hesitate to contact

 

Janelle Harvey:

janelle@uwcga.org

Or 912-265-1850  phone

 

 

St. Simons Presbyterian Church Aid for Individuals:

St. Simons Presbyterian Church is writing individual cash grants of $250/individual or $500/family to people who have been affected by Covid-19 whether that is from loss of income due to the virus of healthcare related expenses due to the virus. The application is available on the church website below (sspres.org->serve->relief fund) or can be received over the phone

 

912.638.2220,  Ext 106.

https://www.sspres.org/relief-fund.html

 

Please share this resource with anyone you think of who might need it in the coming weeks and months. If any questions come up, don’t hesitate to call.

 

Rev. Annie Franklin Arvin  Associate Pastor for Youth and Mission

(912) 638-2220 (office)

(828) 443-0299 (cell)

annie@sspres.org

 

 

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HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP:

 

WE CAN ALL HELP BY TAKING ACTION IN WAYS THAT MODEL THE NON-VIOLENCE AND UNITY WE WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD.

 

CALL OR EMAIL DISTRICT ATTORNEY TOM DURDEN’S OFFICE AND TELL HIM TRAVIS MCMICHAEL SHOULD BE ARRESTED. You can use the same talking points as for the letters to the editor below.

 

912-876-4151

Tom.durden@libertycountyga.com

 

 

USE SOCIAL MEDIA

 

Sign the petition:

https://www.change.org/p/district-attorney-tom-durden-justice-for-ahmaud-arbery-i-run-with-maud

 

Show your support by liking and sharing from the I Run With Maud Facebook page

 https://www.facebook.com/irunwithmaud/

 

 

SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR CALLING ON DISTRICT ATTORNEY TOM DURDEN AND THE GEORGIA BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION TO CHARGE TRAVIS MCMICHAEL

 

Letters to the editor can be very influential – district attorneys and elected officials read them as well as the paper’s subscribers and online readers. Tips and talking points are below. Please write in your own words, from your own experience.

 

Letters to the Brunswick News (250-word limit) can be submitted online HERE:

https://thebrunswicknews.com/site/forms/online_services/letter_editor/

 

Letters to the Atlanta Journal Constitution (150-word limit) can be emailed to

letters@ajc.com

 

Letters to the New York Times are a long shot. Submission information is HERE:

 https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014925288-How-to-submit-a-letter-to-the-editor

 

 

TALKING POINTS YOU CAN USE:

 

  • Ahmaud Arbery was a victim of racial profiling who was threatening no-one and committing no crime when the McMichaels decided to chase him down with loaded weapons.

 

  • Given Gregory McMichael’s long involvement with law enforcement in this area, local conflicts of interest are a serious problem. The Georgia and Federal Bureaus of Investigation should oversee this case and make sure justice is truly served.

 

  • We do not want south coastal Georgia to be known as the place where yet again, there were no consequences for taking the life of a young black man.

 

  • Even Georgia’s heinous “stand your ground” law does not allow citizens to chase down and kill other citizens who are not threatening violence themselves. The McMichaels pursued and threatened violence against Ahmaud Arbery. They were clearly the aggressors, in fact and under the law.

 

  • What does it say about this community that a 25-year old unarmed man was shot down in the street and his confessed killer is walking free over 2 months later?  What will history say about this community if justice is not done for Ahmaud and his family?

 

  • How can we have unity and peace in a community where there is no such thing as “justice for all”?

 

 

NEWS ARTICLES

 

New York Times Articles:

 

What We Know About the Shooting Death of Ahmaud Arbery

April 28, 2020

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/28/us/politics/ahmaud-arbery-shooting-georgia.html

 

Two Weapons, a Chase, a Killing and No Charges

April 26, 2020

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/26/us/ahmed-arbery-shooting-georgia.html

 

 

Atlanta Journal Constitution Article:

 

Video of Brunswick shooting made by one of victim's pursuers

 

Supporters launch a virtual campaign after fatal Brunswick shooting

May 2, 2020

https://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law/supporters-launch-virtual-campaign-after-fatal-brunswick-shooting/s6URizsNMG7tbYOWsWLRfK/

 

Brunswick shooting summons old scars, fresh suspicions

April 27, 2020

https://www.ajc.com/local/brunswick-shooting-summons-old-scars-fresh-suspicions/1Ny2T7S26EWmJwUtRBdnCJ/

 

 

Brunswick News Articles:

 

Dispatcher: 'What was he doing wrong?'

April 29, 2020

https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/dispatcher-what-was-he-doing-wrong/article_fe51cdd4-3bb6-5815-9dec-ddcdc8f879f8.html

 

State should oversee shooting investigation

April 27, 2020

https://thebrunswicknews.com/opinion/daily_editorial/state-should-oversee-shooting-investigation/article_23059621-fcf6-5024-9bfa-50651eb33db3.html

 

Ware DA steps away from Arbery shooting case

April 14, 2020

https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/ware-da-steps-away-from-arbery-shooting-case/article_b72d73d7-764b-5712-bc84-868d44193343.html?fbclid=IwAR3nSG6l1kzkhMD19yiiqjMl2_YViroDl3b274RQujHb9UBZVdZSW5Ekucs

 

Liberty County DA to probe Glynn shooting

April 14, 2020

https://thebrunswicknews.com/breaking/liberty-county-da-to-probe-glynn-shooting/article_eae2baa1-07be-5ded-b742-758a8732ff58.html?fbclid=IwAR1snAOO8_gL61g6F--ES4aYI4mHJvxxYZHt9a0z6XlOZ8cqt6QHTDXriko#utm_campaign=blox&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

 

Police report sheds more light on Satilla Shores shooting

April 2, 2020

https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/police-report-sheds-more-light-on-satilla-shores-shooting/article_2d7c05c8-36d3-55b5-ae11-60ea763095b3.html

 

Shooting death presents conflict of interest for local DA's office

Feb 28, 2020

https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/shooting-death-present-conflict-of-interest-for-local-da-s/article_1eee7339-8ef5-5d4a-bb6a-6f91c84d6fd9.html#utm_source=thebrunswicknews.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletters%2Fheadlines%2F%3F-dc%3D1582887611&utm_medium=email&utm_content=read%20more

 

Police mum on circumstances behind Satilla Shores shooting

February 26, 2020

https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/police-mum-on-circumstances-behind-satilla-shores-shooting/article_d06f0b36-04ea-51d5-ab7b-3ea858918ec5.html