Source: Prince Williams / Getty
The Ahmaud Arbery trial has begun and there’s outrage over the racial makeup of the jury. The jury of 12 includes 11 white people and one Black person, which didn’t sit well with people considering three white men are accused of killing Arbery.
Rozonda “Chili” Thomas remains hopeful that not having a diverse jury won’t lead to an unfair verdict.
“We have to believe that there are kind, good hearted people out there no matter what color they are, so I would say look at it like that,” she told TMZ. “Just because it’s not the same skin color doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t be fair because to me, it’s pretty obvious what happened. We would just pray and hope that they see the same thing.”
According to USA Today, the jury includes a retired 911 operator, retired law enforcement workers, a retired nurse, a registered nurse, a clinician, a retail worker, a counselor, a woman with a background in psychology and a woman whose never seen the video of Arbery’s killing. The lone Black juror is a man whose son knew Arbery. He told USA Today that despite feeling that police don’t treat white and Black people fairly, he is able to make a fair decision regarding the trial.
“I fully support the police department, but I’ve had some instances where, because of the color of skin, they was a little more forceful,” the man said.
Chilli added that all we can do is “hope and pray” that the jurors are fair and that things aren’t “one-sided.” She said she knows for certain that a not guilty verdict would lead to “outrage.”
Arbery was shot and killed in February 2020 while jogging in Brunswick, Georgia. Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael and their neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan have been charged with his murder.
