[ad_1]
Turning away from the coronavirus for a moment, the Atlanta Democrat mayor called the death of Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot and killed 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, the rising star within the Democratic Party said the murder of Arbery, 25, was “heartbreaking.”
Father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael were charged with murder and aggravated assault on Thursday after video of a confrontation with an unarmed African-American Arbery was released.
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 added: “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 is 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.
Sunday was highly critical of Trump and the United States Department of Justice.
“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 forced them not to take action against the alleged racial killings, he said, there used to be the Justice Department as a “backup”, ensuring proper prosecution.
“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.
On Sunday Bottoms spoke about their four children, three of whom are children.
“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.”
