Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Defense for Ahmaud Arbery Killers Call Out 'Black Pastors' for Sitting With Arbery Family

Defense for Ahmaud Arbery Killers Call Out 'Black Pastors' for Sitting With Arbery Family
11alive.com

Last February in Glynn County, Georgia, Ahmaud Arbery—an unarmed Black man in his 20s—was jogging in his community when he was chased by three armed white residents in a motor vehicle.

Arbery had broken no laws and posed no threat, but Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael, and William Bryan pursued him before eventually gunning him down as he tried to defend himself.


The McMichaels and Bryan weren't arrested until three months after they shot Arbery—when video of the killing went viral and prompted national outcry.

The killers were charged with multiple counts of murder, assault, and false imprisonment in a trial that is still ongoing.

On Thursday, a defense attorney in the trial—Kevin Gough—complained to Judge Timothy Walmsley that Arbery's family was bringing in too many prominent Black pastors, and that this could be intimidating for the jury.

Watch below.

Gough said:

"If we're gonna .. bring high profile members of the African American community into the courtroom to sit with the family during the trial in the presence of the jury, I believe that's intimidating and it's an attempt—could be consciously or unconsciously—an attempt to pressure or influence the jury. ... Obviously there's only so many pastors [Arbery's family] can have. Their pastor's Al Sharpton right now, that's fine, but then that's it. We don't want any more Black pastors coming in here. Jesse Jackson, whoever was in here earlier this week, sitting with the victim's family, trying to influence the jury in this case."

Unbelievably, it got worse.

Gough compared the presence of prominent public personalities like Al Sharpton's to the presence of white people dressed as Colonel Sanders, the Kentucky Fried Chicken mascot:

"If a bunch of folks came in here dressed like Colonel Sanders with white masks, I mean that would be—"

That's when Judge Walmsley cut him off.

People were amazed by Gough's comments.






The Colonel Sanders gripe only escalated the situation.


Walmsley later said he had no intention of barring members of the public from the courtroom.


There is no limit on the amount of spiritual counsel grieving families can seek, and from whom they can seek it. Al Sharpton is a public figure, and it's questionable why Gough finds his mere presence on par with people dressing up as Colonel Sanders to racially intimidate a bereaved Black family.

More from News

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less