“He was unarmed and innocent and the victim of a hate crime."
Kort efter att Gregory McMichael och hans son Travis McMichael till slut häktats och anklagats för mord och grov misshandel av Ahmaud Arbery, kliver nu Jay-Z och hans Roc Nation in i handlingarna och kräver att polismakten i Georgia skipar rättvisa i fallet. I ett öppet brev som publicerats i Atlanta Journal-Constitution, skriver Hov tillsammans med Alicia Keys, Yo Gotti, Meek Mill och två av Roc Nations advokater till flera makthavare i delstaten. I brevet uppmanar man dem att hantera fallet som ett hatbrott.
“By now, we’ve all seen the crime’s disturbing video, so the facts here are not in doubt. He was unarmed and innocent and the victim of a hate crime. Which is why we call upon you today, as official leaders of the Great State of Georgia, and with the entire world watching, to ensure that a fair trial is conducted, as that can only lead to the appropriate felony convictions of both McMichaels. We also implore you to charge William Bryan as an armed accomplice in the crime”, skriver man bland annat.
I brevet uppmanar man också distriktsåklagaren Tom Durden att avsäga sig fallet på grund av jäv, då en av de anklagade, Gregory McMichael, tidigare var polis. Filantropi-grenen av Roc Nation gör också kopplingar mellan mordet på Arbery och sättet som svarta män och kvinnor behandlas på i USA.
“As a society we can no longer pretend that the racial inequities, which exist in every facet of our lives, don’t invariably lead down the path to poverty, violence and death. To even think about breaking this cycle we need you to protect the process and preserve the fairness of the trial.”
“We truly appreciate that you have arrested and charged these men with Ahmaud’s murder, and are hopeful that a trial and conviction will show that, in the state that gave us Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and has been the site of the best and worst of the Civil Rights movement, Dr. King’s words do ring true: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
Ahmaud Arbery blev 25 år gammal, efter att ha skjutits till döds under en joggingrunda tidigare i år.
Foto: Wikimedia Commons
