Renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump continues to fight for justice.
Crump has been hired to serve as the lawyer for the family of Ahmaud Arbery, the Black Georgia man whose death has made national headlines.
On Feb. 23, 2020, Arbery, 25, was killed while jogging a few miles from his home in Brunswick, Georgia, after he passed the predominately White neighborhood of Satilla Shores.
A White father, Greg McMichael, and his son, Travis McMichael, stalked Arbery as if he were prey, claiming that he looked like someone who had been breaking into homes in the neighborhood. Arbery, who was unarmed, was shot and killed after he was confronted by the McMichaels. However, neither has been charged with a crime.
A video of the fatal encounter was released earlier this week, sparking national outrage and protests.
Crump spoke about the tragedy during an exclusive interview Thursday morning, May 7, 2020, on rolling out‘s “A.M. Wake-Up Call.
“Arbery’s father [Marcus Arbery] reached out to me and asked that I represent the family due to my work on the Trayvon Martin case,” Crump said.
The newly released video footage clearly disproves the McMichaels’ version of what happened, Crump said. “We now know from the video that was a lie. They should have been arrested on the spot,” he said. “If this were someone Black who had chased a White person in a pickup truck and gunned down an unarmed White male while jogging, they would have been arrested on the spot.
“All we’re asking for is equal justice. These men should not enjoy another day of freedom. People in our community are arrested with less probable cause. The McMichaels should be arrested today.”
After watching the video, thousands have responded on social media, including several prominent figures.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tweeted, “The video is clear, Ahmaud Arbery was killed in cold blood. My heart goes out to his family, who deserves justice and deserves it now.”
Crump had even stronger words to describe Arbery’s killing.
“It was a modern-day lynching,” he said during his interview with rolling out. “Greg McMichaels bragged that it was his son who killed Ahmaud. When it comes to lynching, they wanted to celebrate in the killings of Black people. They wanted to document the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.”
