Ryan Vizzions
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PHOTOS: The McMichael / Bryan Trial: Justice for Ahmaud Arbery
🕑 Added 2021-12-02 18:18:01 +0000 UTCBy this point, I feel everyone knows that basis of what took place in February of 2020 in Brunswick, GA. On that day, 3 men chased down an unarmed Black man, Ahmaud Arbery, as he was jogging through a majority white neighborhood. His killing flew underneath the radar, covered up for the most part by local officials, until a video of his death surfaced, leading to national outrage and eventually the murder conviction of 3 men, Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael, and William "Roddy" Bryan. It took over 70 days for charges to be filed against the 3 men, and in November of 2021, their case went to trial.
I recently traveled down to Brunswick to document the 2 week trial and hope to show, on a more intimate scale, who the community was, and the support behind Ahmauds family. As the trial went on, and defense attorneys stooped lower than anyone should, the small gathering of friends and family outside the courthouse eventually turned into a full blown, nationwide stance against racism and Black justice. If you had been following the news, you may have heard about the defense trying to ban Black pastors from coming into the court, of the defense referring to the victim, Arbery, by his "long legs and dirty toe nails", dog whistling to the historical racism of Southern Georgia, or this nation to be frank.
Over the 2 weeks I spent down in Brunswick, sleeping between a Walmart and a Cracker Barrel parking lot, I got an intimate and eye opening view into the world of not only social justice in the world of justice, but how embedded White supremacy is embedded into our institutions. I also got a crash course in extractive photojournalist and performative activism.
When the trial first began one would be hard pressed to find a crowd outside the courthouse. With the exception of family and a few friends, the grounds of the Glynn County court were scarce when it came to support for the family. With dozens of news stations staged in the media parking lot, only a couple handfuls of supporters stood outside. As the trial began to gain more and more national attention, activists from all around the country began to show up. Blasting music and yelling on bullhorns, these folks were quickly asked to quiet down by the family. When ignored, the family would have to ask law enforcement to enforce no music or loudspeakers. Along with activists showing up to jump in front of cameras, photojournalists were scarce during the course of the trial until it was time to reach a verdict. Only a few of us were there for the length of the trial, but on the final day, nearly 50 showed up to snag photographs of people crying. It was quite offensive to see so many photographers show up at the last minute to photograph Black tears, but werent willing to put in any time to tell the story of the trial itself.
links to better understand the murder trial:
https://www.npr.org/2021/11/18/1057051165/ahmaud-arbery-black-pastors-trial
https://www.wjcl.com/article/ahmaud-arbery-long-dirty-toenails/38330260
https://apnews.com/article/ahmaud-arbery-georgia-brunswick-f2549024973cdcc757c02bd0a07bf5cf
Here are a few of my favorite moments:
(A mother and her children march in support of Justice for Ahmaud Arbery)
(Uncles and Aunts of Arbery grasp, along with with Rev. William Barber embrace the torso of Marcus Arbery, Ahmauds father, as he stands on the verge of tears during a press conference)
(Wanda Cooper-Jones, mother of Ahmaud Arbery, holds her son during a press conference)
(A handpainted sign of Arbery has been on display every day during the court proceedings)
(Civil Rights attorney Lee Merritt and Wanda Cooper-Jones leave the Glynn County courthouse after day 1 of the trial.)
(Al Sharpton speaks to a crowd of Pastors and Clery from all across the nation that had gathered on the steps of the courthouse to support justice for Ahmaud.)
(Reverend William Barber prays for a group of supporters next to a mural of Ahmaud Arbery)
(Friends and family play football on the grounds of the Glynn County courthouse)
(Reverend Raymond Johnson from Marion, SC)
(Reverend Jesse Jackson speaks to the crowd of Pastors and Clergy that had gathered in support of the Ahmaud Arbery)
(Annie Police, 87, shouts for justice outside the courthouse. Annie was present every day of the trial)
(Rev. William Barber prays with the nieces and nephews of Ahmaud Arbery)
(Rev. Jamal Brynt of New Baptists Church (Lithonia) leads the group of Pastors and Clery in prayer)
(Civil Rights Attorneys Ben Crump & Lee Merritt address the media)
(Member of the New Black Panter Party)
(Member of the New Black Panther Party hold flowers to present to Wanda Cooper-Jones, mother of Ahmaud Arbery)
(Members of the New Black Panther Party and Lion of Judah march through Brunswick carrying firearms)
(Members of New Black Panther Party & Lion of Judah escort Wanda Cooper-Jones into court)
(Protestors stomp and stand on a Confederate flag)
(Media outlets go live as the jury deliberates inside the Glynn County Courthouse)
(The assumed room jurors deliberated after the end of the court day)
(Civil Rights veteran Rev. Eric Terrell)
(Aunts of Ahmaud Arbery embrace as the "guilty" verdict is played over their cell phones)
(Annie Polite weeps as she is kissed on the cheek during the reading of the verdict)
(Aunts of Ahmaud embrace in victory after all 3 men are convicted of murder)
