BRUNSWICK, Ga. – The Transformative Justice Coalition held a town hall Monday night that included attorney Ben Crump and Ahmaud Arbery’s father, Marcus.
During the selection process Monday, potential jurors faced many questions about race. A Jacksonville attorney, who is not affiliated with the Arbery case, explained that it’s something lawyers must do to find out whether a potential juror could make a decision based upon race rather than based upon the evidence being presented.
Members of the town hall spoke about jury selection, and questioned the line of questioning that potential jurors were asked, like if they’re involved in any social justice organizations or if they participated in Black Lives Matter marches.
Speakers at this town hall believe the jurors should have just been asked if they could hear the case fairly and impartially, or asked if they are prejudiced toward a certain race.
Crump represents the Arbery family and also represented the family of Trayvon Martin, who was killed 10 years ago.
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“Ahmaud Arbery will show us how far we’ve come,” Crump said. “When we get this verdict, and it’s guilty, and when they start asking questions of how far we have come in America in 10 years, we can all show this picture. This is how far we’ve come.”
Marcus Arbery spoke at the town hall, about the kind of person his son was.
“His heart was just big as life, you know?” Marcus Arbery said.
“I got grandchildren. My youngest boy didn’t give me none,” he continued, holding back tears. “And I’m so hurt by that. You know how much I would’ve cherished that baby?”
The judge dismissed eight total potential jurors before adjourning Monday evening. Four others were individually interviewed but no final decision was made on their status. Jury selection was to resume Tuesday morning.