| On Feb. 25, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery left his home near Brunswick, Ga., and went for a jog. He didn't make it home. While running, Arbery was pursued by three White men — William "Roddie" Bryan, Greg McMichael and Travis McMichael, Greg's son — who later claimed that Arbery resembled a suspect in several recent burglaries. As Bryan filmed on his cellphone, the McMichaels pulled up next to Arbery. Travis got out of the truck with a shotgun and attempted a citizen's arrest, sparking a struggle that ended with Arbery dead from three gunshots. Months after the circumstances of Arbery's death shocked Georgia and the country, the trial of Bryan and the McMichaels is underway in Brunswick. It promises, writes columnist Eugene Robinson, "to be yet another high-stakes test of the proposition that such a thing as colorblind justice can exist in these United States." There's good reason to doubt whether this test will be passed. After all, notes Robinson, "local prosecutors initially took no action at all against the McMichaels and Bryan — a decision that may or may not have something to do with the fact that Greg McMichael is a former county police officer and a former investigator for the district attorney's office." Only when Bryan's video leaked to the public two months later did the justice system swing into action. There's reason for hope, to be sure. The citizen's arrest law that the McMichaels cited has already been repealed. The local prosecutor was voted out last fall and indicted for helping to shield the McMichaels. And thanks to the video, Robinson writes, "this one looks open and shut. Then again, this is America. So, we'll see."  (Sean Rayford/Getty Images) If there had been no video, there would almost surely be no accountability for Arbery's death. By Eugene Robinson ● Read more » | | | | In uniting to demand better, workers across industries are engaged in a profoundly democratic process. By Liz Shuler ● Read more » | | | | The episode says more about the right-wing disinformation machine than anything else. By Dana Milbank ● Read more » | | | | There's a reason, in a 2018 Democratic race that I worked on, we declined Bernie Sanders's offer of support. By Madalin Sammons ● Read more » | | | | The party must do more, now, to confront Republicans' antidemocratic actions. By Michael Gerson ● Read more » | | | | Why are Democrats making it easier for Republicans to sabotage President Biden's agenda? By Catherine Rampell ● Read more » | | | The Build Back Better bill won't have everything they want. But it's only one part of a longer battle. By Paul Waldman ● Read more » | | | | A strategy of wishful thinking is no answer to an attack on the foundations of our democracy. By Karen Attiah ● Read more » | | | | If Terry McAuliffe wins, it could give a big political boost to paid leave. By Greg Sargent ● Read more » | | | | There's a rage in the air, exacerbated by the pandemic lockdown. Here's what you can do to dial down the anger level in society. Audio Article ● By Liz Thomson ● Read more » | | | | If it sounds too good to be true, it's because it is. By Henry Olsen ● Read more » | | | |
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