Social Science Research Council Research AMP Mediawell
Citation

Why Cellphone Vdeos of Black People’s Deaths Should Be Considered Sacred, Like Lynching Photographs

Author:
Richardson, Allissa V.
Publication:
The Conversation
Year:
2020

As Ahmaud Arbery fell to the ground, the sound of the gunshot that took his life echoed loudly throughout his Georgia neighborhood.

I rewound the video of his killing. Each time I viewed it, I was drawn first to the young black jogger’s seemingly carefree stride, which was halted by two white men in a white pickup truck.

Then I peered at Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis, 34, who confronted Arbery in their suburban community.

I knew that the McMichaels told authorities that they suspected Arbery of robbing a nearby home in the neighborhood. They were performing a citizen’s arrest, they said.