California Democratic Representative Karen Bass It said on Sunday that the trial of the three white men accused of killing Ahmed Abery “had an unfavorable start” after the judge approved the selection of an almost white jury last week.
The former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Bass, expressed his concerns about the ongoing trial when he appeared in court. CNNof Union State.
“When they chose a jury, remember that they chose a jury that was almost entirely white, and then the judge admitted that it was a problem and allowed the jury to be seated anyway. So I think a particular trial has a bad start,” Bass Say.
Bath’s comments were made after a jury was formed 11 white members and one black member Was selected in Green County, Georgia last week. The jury will oversee the trial of the white defendants Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan, who are charged with the murder of Arbery, a 25-year-old black unarmed jogger who allegedly was in a residential area in February. Hunt him in 2020.
The suspects pleaded not guilty and claimed that they pursued Arbery, believing that he was involved in multiple local intrusions, and that Travis McMichael fired in self-defense after an argument while chasing Arbery.
During the jury selection process, the pool of possible candidates initially consisted of 36 whites and 12 blacks. However, the defense team used 11 strikes, and all the jurors except one black juror were dismissed-even High Court Judge Timothy Walmsley said this move It seems to show “deliberate discrimination”.
Nonetheless, Walmsley stated that he will allow the jury to proceed because the defense team can provide “legal, non-discriminatory, clear, reasonably specific and relevant reasons” to explain why it hit every candidate.The decision is from Aroused the anger of the prosecution team and civil rights lawyers.
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In a statement Weekly newspaper, Ben KruppAccording to the lawyers of Abery’s family, the jury in any trial should “reflect the wider community.” “Brunswick has 55% of black people, so black jurors are deliberately excluded to create such an unbalanced jury. This is a cynical endeavor, and it is the outrage that these cold-blooded killers are at large.”
On Sunday, Bass responded to this sentiment and added that she is now “very worried” about the outcome of the trial, which began on November 5th and is expected to last for several weeks.
“A year ago we talked about racial reconciliation. This seems to be an enlightened period. Now we have a major setback. I think people understand that you can use race politically. It excites people and it’s a highly emotional issue. , I think it’s really sad,” she told CNN.
“The Arbery trial is a trial of lynching. This is exactly what happened in that case,” she added.
