Research Paper About A Deadly Police Shooting
Facts of the Case
In late February in the afternoon, Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year old black man went on a run in Brunswick, Georgia. However, two white men; Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son, Travis McMichael,34, mistook him for a trespassing suspect. As a result, the two grabbed their guns and began to pursue Arbery. During a struggle between the pair, Arbery was shot, thus leading to his death from gunshot wounds. He was therefore buried six days after the shooting. However, Arbery’s perpetrators had not yet been apprehended. In early May, the incident caused outrage amid the global pandemic (Rojas 2020).
A video by a witness capturing the events that transpired during the incident was uploaded on social media and shared widely on different platforms. The filmed video played a critical role in influencing people from different parts of the world to react to the issue. Given the widespread anger and call for justice, the incident led to the arrest of McMichaels on aggravated assault and felony murder. Gregory McMichael disclosed to the responding officer that he had noticed Arbery following his resemblance to a man accused of several break-ins in the residence.
According to the report, Travis fired three shots before Arbery fell on the ground. It was also revealed that Gregory McMichael was a former law enforcement officer and investigator at the Glynn County District Attorney’s office. Notably, despite the fact that Arbery had been unarmed, Travis fired the three shots, thus causing Arbery’s death. There was footage that showed Arbery entering the English residential construction site before carrying on with his running activity. The family’s attorney made a statement claiming that he had only made brief stops on the property before continuing with his run.
Outcomes
While the shooting occurred in late February, the issue was addressed two months later following the release of video footage of the incident taken by a witness. Social media led to widespread video footage, thus causing outrage especially among African Americans in the United States. During the investigation, the autopsy results by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation revealed that Arbery had suffered three gunshot wounds.
According to these reports, the shots were fired from a close range. Notably, the shots had hit Abery’s upper left chest, lower chest near the lungs, and the last bullet shot on his right wrist. Thus, the results from the autopsy matched the details in the video which reveals that three gunshots had been fired. It was found that only one burglary had been caught on video footage from the start of the year 2020 until the time Arbery was killed.
Issues of controversy
While the McMichaels claimed that Arbery had been involved in several burglaries, the police disclosed that there were no filled reports regarding the break-ins. Thus, this issue led to suspicion regarding the claims of the perpetrators. Secondly, Gregory McMichael and his son pursued Mr. Arbery after arming themselves with a pistol and a shotgun. This approach by the two men showed that they had sought to commit the murder given their idea of following Arbery through the neighborhood. Notably, the victim was said to be unarmed during the shooting incident. Consequently, the other issue that caused controversy was the delay in the arrest of the two men. The fact that Mr. McMichael had worked as a police officer in the past also a core issue in the case. Put simply, the social media protestors related the lack of arrests with the relationship between the perpetrators and the law enforcement department.
The manner in which the local police had handled the issue seemed to be motivated by the perception that Mr. McMicahel had worked in the police department. Despite the other aspects underlying the case, the actions of the two men during the incidents were associated with racial profiling on social media. This issue was coupled with previous cases of police shooting which usually involved white policemen and black men. The lack of investigation in the first two months before the release of the video was a major issue in the case. In this case, people were concerned with the reluctance of the law enforcement department in handling the case, thus associating this issue with racial discrimination (Staples, 2011).
The released video revealed that Arbery had been jogging before the two men approach and begin to wrestle with him. Thus, the shooting could not be perceived as self-defense, given that the victim had been unarmed. Consequently, the individual filming the incident was also a cause of outranging among individuals on social media. Also, the fact that the accused men were of a white ethnicity became an issue of concern. While it may have been difficult to identify the motives behind the McMichaels actions, the social media was concerned with they had followed him with guns in their hands. As a result, it seemed that the two had arranged with the homeowner to respond immediately as Arbery trespassed while running (Omi & Winant, 2014).
Conflict Theory
The conflict theory by Karl Marx suggests that society is in perpetual conflict as a result of competition for resources. The theory holds that social order is sustained by power and domination. Thus, the wealthy and powerful individuals and groups in society maintain their position by suppressing minorities. A basic premise in Marx’s theory is that individuals strive to maximize their own benefits. Marx’s conflict theory version was concerned with two primary classes in society. The classes tend to consist of groups of people united by common interests (Bartos & Wehr, 2002).
Marx’s theory also presented the bourgeoisie, a group of individuals who hold the majority of wealth and power within society. On the other hand, Marx theorized about the proletariat, a group of individuals considered to be the minorities within the society. The uneven distribution of power and resources within the society grants the bourgeoisie the power to force the proletariat to accept the current conditions.
The assumption of the conflict theory is that the majority groups set up systems of law, traditions, and other structures in the society in an attempt to sustain their dominance while preventing the minority groups from developing. According to Marx, as the minority continues to be subjected to worse conditions, a collective consciousness arises, thus raising concerns regarding inequalities and potential outrage. However, if the issues raised by the proletariat are addressed, the cycle repeats itself in the opposite direction. Thus, this causes concerns on the side of the majority, thus causing outrage (Bartos & Wehr, 2002).
The conflict theory has been applied in various instances including inequalities of gender, social class, race, ethnicity, and education. In the United States, the conflict theory would address the issue of racial inequalities caused by the white ruling class and the minorities particularly African Americans. In summary, the conflict theory views the social order as shaped by the struggles between two groups; the majorities and the minorities over limited resources. Thus, discrimination is perceived to be defined by the differences in wealth and power within society.
Application of Conflict theory in the case
The first application of conflict theory in the case is from the perspective of the accused; Mr. McMichael and his son. In this case, the conflict theory suggests that the wealthy and powerful groups of society tend to suppress the minorities in an attempt to sustain their power. From the case, the perpetrators tend to come from the white ethnicity, while the victim appears to be an African American. The two factors, therefore, tend to raise concerns regarding the motives of the killings. The two men seemed to pursue Arbery while carrying guns, despite the fact that he had been unarmed. In the United States, white ethnicity is termed as the dominant race, while African Americans are perceived as the lowest in the hierarchy (Omi, M., & Winant, H. (2014).Thus, it appeared that the two white men suspected the victim due to his ethnicity. Consequently, the association of the black man with burglary tends to be motivated by racial discrimination and racial profiling. Social profiling is an act of targeting an individual de to certain characteristics associated with his race. In this case, the two men seemed to perceived African Americans to be burglars (Feagin, 2014).
The second application of the conflict theory is on the reaction of the people on social media. In this case, people took to social media to protest what they perceived as a killing motivated by racism. From the report, Arbery had been caught on footage entering the construction site, before proceeding with his run. Despite this aspect, the people protested about the incident, while questioning the law enforcement for its reluctance in making an arrest. While it may not be clear whether the two white men were motivated by race, people associated their actions with discrimination on the basis of color. According to Marx’s theory, the continued suppression by the majority causes a reaction by the proletariat, the minority groups, or individuals in society. Thus, the outrage observed on the minority groups following the incident can be explained by the collective consciousness (Bartos, O. J., & Wehr, 2002).
Reference
Bartos, O. J., & Wehr, P. (2002). Using conflict theory. Cambridge University Press.
Feagin, J. R. (2014). Racist America: Roots, current realities, and future reparations. Routledge.
Omi, M., & Winant, H. (2014). Racial Formation in the United States. Routledge.
Rojas R. (2020). Investigators Say One Man Shot Ahmaud Arbery. Why Are Three Charge With Murder?. Newyork Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/23/us/ahmaud-arbery-william-bryan-travis-mcmichael-gregory-mcmichael.html
Staples, R. (2011). White power, black crime, and racial politics. The Black Scholar, 41(4), 31-41.