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A defense lawyer for one of the three men being charged in the death of Ahmaud Arbery urged the judge to bar civil rights leaders from attending the court case. Over the last month, the family of Arbery has been joined by prominent Black leaders including Al Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who recently supported the Arbery’s during an emotional series of testimonies on Nov. 15. Kevin Gough, an attorney for William “Roddie” Bryan, argued that Jackson’s presence could potentially sway the jury’s views on the case.
“He is, Your Honor, we all know, an icon in the civil rights movement, not just a witness to it, he’s the personification of it,” Gough reportedly told the judge according to Fox News. “In the context of this trial, we object to his presence in this courtroom.”
Gough continued, “How many pastors does the Arbery family have? Which pastor is next? Is Raphael Warnock going to be the next person appearing this afternoon?” he added, referring to Georgia’s first Black senator, who was elected earlier this year.
Last week, the unbridled attorney was slammed for asking Judge Timothy Walmsley to prevent any more “Black pastors” from sitting in on the trial after Al Sharpton was seen speaking with Arbery’s parents.
“There is no reason for these prominent icons in the civil rights movement to be here,” Gough commented. “The seats in the public gallery of a courtroom are not like courtside seats at a Lakers game.” Gough filed a motion for a mistrial citing that the court proceedings could potentially be “sufficiently infected.” The judge swiftly denied his request and said that he was “done talking about it.” After the court case, Jackson commented about the attorney’s rude remarks telling reporters that the move was a “diversion.” “They have a weak case,” he added. The civil rights giant said he planned to attend the court trial for the rest of the week because it was his “constitutional right.”
William “Roddie” Bryan, Greg McMichael, and his son Travis McMichael are being charged with the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery which occurred back in Feb 2020 in southern Georgia. The McMichael’s cornered the 25-year-old with their pickup truck last year as he was jogging through their Satilla Shores neighborhood. Bryan joined the two suspects and recorded the vicious attack with his cellphone. Gough told investigators that Arbery allegedly lunged for Travis’ shotgun, forcing him to shoot Arbery out of self-defense. Prosecutors argued that the men had no right to pursue him.
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