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Biden praises Ahmaud Arbery verdict but says ‘that alone is not enough’

Haisten Willis November 24, 03:16 PMNovember 24, 03:42 PM

President Joe Biden released a statement following the conclusion of the Ahmaud Arbery case, praising the guilty verdicts while adding they were “not enough.”

Three white Georgia men all face life in prison after being found guilty on Wednesday of chasing down and murdering Arbery, a 25-year-old black man. In his statement, Biden noted the racial element of the case and lamented that no verdict would bring Arbery back.

THREE GEORGIA MEN FOUND GUILTY OF MURDERING AHMAUD ARBERY

“Ahmaud Arbery’s killing — witnessed by the world on video — is a devastating reminder of how far we have to go in the fight for racial justice in this country,” Biden said. “Mr. Arbery should be here today, celebrating the holidays with his mother, Wanda Cooper Jones, and his father, Marcus Arbery. Nothing can bring Mr. Arbery back to his family and to his community, but the verdict ensures that those who committed this horrible crime will be punished.”

The defendants’ lawyers argued self-defense, while prosecutors claimed Greg and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan chased down and killed Arbery near the port city of Brunswick because of his race.

All three faced nine counts each in Arbery’s death, including malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault. Travis McMichael was found guilty of all charges, while his father was guilty of all but one, malice murder. Jurors convicted Bryan on two felony murder charges but acquitted him of malice murder. All three face life in prison.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the nation’s first black, female, and Asian person to hold the office, weighed in as well later that afternoon.

“Today, the jury rendered its verdicts and the three defendants were found guilty of murdering Ahmaud Arbery,” she said. “Still, we feel the weight of grief. Ahmaud Arbery should be alive, and nothing can take away the pain that his mother Wanda Cooper-Jones, his father Marcus Arbery, and the entire Arbery family and community feel today. I share in that pain.”

The incident drew intense national attention. Arbery’s death was barely investigated by Glynn County authorities and only became national news after a cellphone video Bryan took of the killing was leaked online. The attack became part of a larger national reckoning on racial injustice.

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Biden noted the case’s wider implications in his statement.

“While the guilty verdicts reflect our justice system doing its job, that alone is not enough,” the president said. “Instead, we must recommit ourselves to building a future of unity and shared strength, where no one fears violence because of the color of their skin. My administration will continue to do the hard work to ensure that equal justice under law is not just a phrase emblazoned in stone above the Supreme Court, but a reality for all Americans.”

Harris echoed the sentiment.

“These verdicts send an important message, but the fact remains that we still have work to do,” she said. “The defense counsel chose to set a tone that cast the attendance of ministers at the trial as intimidation and dehumanized a young Black man with racist tropes. The jury arrived at its verdicts despite these tactics.”

“Ahmaud Arbery was a son. He was a brother. He was a friend. His life had meaning. We will not forget him,” she said. “We honor him best by continuing the fight for justice.”

© 2021 Washington Examiner

Originally appeared at Washington Examiner

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