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The Democratic mayor of Atlanta called the death of Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot dead by two white men in February, a “lynching.”
Keisha Lance Bottoms also accused Donald Trump of inciting overt acts of racism.
Speaking to CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, the rising star within the Democratic party said the murder of Arbery, 25, was “heartbreaking.”
The two white men, father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael, were charged with murder and aggravated assault on Thursday after video of a confrontation involving an unarmed, African-American Arbery was released.
On Sunday, Georgia’s attorney general asked the United States Department of Justice to investigate the handling of the murder.
When asked if the former county police officer and his son would have been charged if the video had not been posted online, Bottoms said, “If we had not seen that video, I do not think they have been charged.”
She continued: “It is 2020 and this was a lynching of an African American man.”
The Guardian has revealed that police in Glynn County, Georgia, where Arbery was killed while jogging on a quiet suburban street, did not conduct a thorough investigation.
The idea that the incident was lynching was also expressed by the dead man’s father, Marcus Arbery Sr, in an interview with The Guardian.
Bottoms’ words carry additional weight because she is seen as an increasingly prominent voice in Georgia. As the black mayor of the state’s largest city, she has been mentioned as a potential vice presidential candidate for Joe Biden.
On Sunday Bottoms harshly criticized Trump and the United States Department of Justice under his leadership.
“With the rhetoric we hear leaving the White House in many ways, I think many of those who are prone to being racists have permission to do so in an open way that we would not otherwise see in 2020,” he said.
When local police forces failed to take action against alleged racial killings in the past, he said, there used to be the Justice Department as a “back-up” guaranteeing appropriate prosecutions.
“We don’t have that leadership at the top right now. It’s discouraging.”
Trump commented on Arbery’s death and told Fox News: “My heart goes out to parents, family, and friends.”
“Doing justice is what solves that problem,” added the president, saying Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and state police would analyze the case “with great force.”
The FBI has said it is helping with the investigation. In a briefing on Friday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany did not rule out involvement of the justice department in the case.
On Sunday Bottoms gave his fascinating comments a personal twist when he talked about his four children, three of whom are boys.
“They are angry and scared,” he said. “It speaks to the need for top leadership that cares about all of our communities, not just in words but also in deeds.”
