Florida politicians react to Ahmaud Arbery verdict

arbery
The February 2020 slaying drew limited attention at first.

Three men were convicted of murder Wednesday in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, the Black man who was running empty-handed through a Georgia subdivision when the white strangers chased him, trapped him on a quiet street and blasted him with a shotgun.

The February 2020 slaying drew limited attention at first. But when video of the shooting leaked online, Arbery’s death quickly became another example in the nation’s reckoning of racial injustice in the way Black people are treated in their everyday lives.

Now the men all face a mandatory sentence of life in prison. The judge will decide whether their sentences are served with or without the possibility of parole.

Here is a compilation of reaction to the verdict from Florida politicians:

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist:

“Today, justice has been served in the death of Ahmaud Arbery. For millions of Black Americans, Ahmaud’s murder served as yet another tragic reminder of the frightening injustices that face people of color. Vigilantism has no place in a civil society. We will continue to keep the Arbery family in our prayers and wish them comfort and strength through their tragic loss.”

U.S. Rep. Val Demings:

“Ahmaud Arbery should be alive today. This tragedy should have never happened. I am keeping his family in my prayers. We must move forward together to dispel the shadows of our past and to ensure the safety and civil rights of every American.”

Rep. Michele Rayner:

“Today, Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael, and William Bryan were found guilty of killing Ahmaud Arbery, after trying to claim this act was out of self defense. This guilty verdict was the only appropriate conclusion to the Arbery family’s fight for justice. Ahmaud was a young man out for a jog who was targeted due to the simple fact that he was Black and the echoes of privilege and agency of supremacist behavior. I find it difficult to celebrate one victory of justice while numerous others are forgotten due to the corruption, cronyism and abuse of power in our justice system. I hope that this verdict and his life are immortalized in our society as a reminder that our activism and calls for action worked. Everyone deserves the freedom to live out a healthy and full life and I remain committed to seeking reforms which will ensure that.”

Peter Schorsch

Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises Media and is the publisher of FloridaPolitics.com, INFLUENCE Magazine, and Sunburn, the morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. Previous to his publishing efforts, Peter was a political consultant to dozens of congressional and state campaigns, as well as several of the state’s largest governmental affairs and public relations firms. Peter lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Ella. Follow Peter on Twitter @PeterSchorschFL.


6 comments

  • Pj

    November 24, 2021 at 8:34 pm

    I see that you only included quotes from Democrats strange.

    • tom palmer

      November 25, 2021 at 10:19 am

      I was expecting more, too.

  • Ron Ogden

    November 25, 2021 at 8:05 am

    I find no quotes about the evil of institutional racism. Is it because institutional racism only occurs in the North these days? Or is it because it is hard to claim that your group is made up of “victims” when the political position your group represents appears to win? Does American journalism need to find some race-tinged case where a white defendant is likely to be acquitted so that it can get back on message?

  • Impeach Biden

    November 25, 2021 at 9:24 am

    Ask them if justice was served on the OJ Simpson verdict?

  • Ocean Joe

    November 25, 2021 at 10:36 am

    Use of a gun took one life and ruined three others.
    Not really mentioned in all this at the start, while race was used to blame the initial refusal to file charges, the real reason was the protectionism offered by the state attorney’s office to a former state attorney investigator from it’s own staff and his kid.
    Thing 1 and Thing 2 got what they were looking for. Poor dumb Thing 3 who filmed it should have stayed home.

  • Maggie

    November 26, 2021 at 1:36 pm

    Where are all the pro po.. Where is the right wing that claims this was in self defense? Coward, you could at least try to get them on the record… wimpy Florida Soft Ball Reporter.

Comments are closed.


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