In trial over Arbery death, racial reckoning looms large

By RUSS BYNUM and AARON MORRISON
Associated Press

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — As three white men prepare to stand trial in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, many in the slain Black man’s Georgia hometown see the case as a reckoning for the local justice system. Arbery was chased and fatally shot in February 2020 after Greg McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, saw him running in their neighborhood near the port city of Brunswick. More than two months passed before the McMichaels and a neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, were charged with murder in the case. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday. For many, it’s not just the white defendants on trial, but rather a justice system that allowed them to remain free for weeks after they pursued and killed a Black man.