'Accountability for Hate': Progressive Politicians React to Guilty Verdict in Ahmaud Arbery Case

Members of the Democratic Congressional Progressive Caucus have issued tweets in response to Wednesdays' guilty verdict for the killers of Ahmaud Arbery.

A jury found father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael, and their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan, guilty on multiple counts of murder in the fatal shooting of Arbery on February 23, 2020. Their lawyers have pledged to appeal the verdict, but the men will also face federal hate crime charges in 10 weeks.

By Wednesday evening, roughly 16 progressive Democrats issued tweets expressing approval of the verdict, sympathy for Arbery's family, and determination to continue working for racial justice nationwide.

California Representative Jimmy Gomez tweeted, "Ahmaud Arbery carried no weapons, made no threats, conveyed no hostility on the day he was murdered. He was just running."

"Racism led Ahmaud's killers to assume that Ahmaud had committed a crime," Gomez's tweet thread continued. "And an unjust system led these men to believe that they could act with impunity."

"This guilty verdict is a step toward justice that Ahmaud and his family deserve," Gomez added. "But true justice will come only when people of color need not fear for our lives— while on a jog, while sleeping in our beds, while driving, while living our lives."

Nevada Representative Steven Horsford wrote, "I'm deeply relieved that Ahmaud Arbery's killers have been brought to justice. Black Americans face an uphill battle against a justice system that often fails us. In this case, the jury believed the evidence in front of their eyes and rendered a verdict based on the truth."

"In the aftermath of this trial, we have a moral obligation to make our nation fairer and safer for all," he wrote in a follow-up tweet. "We need accountability for hate, we need criminal justice reform, and we need common-sense gun safety laws. To honor Ahmaud Arbery and his family, we must act."

Vermont Representative Peter Welch wrote, "Holding Ahmaud Arbery's family in my thoughts today. My hope is that his loved ones receive some comfort in this verdict, but it won't bring him back. These men were held accountable for his murder only because people stood up to a system that took 74 days to make an arrest."

Georgia Representative Nikema Williams tweeted, "Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. I hope Ahmaud Arbery's family finds solace in knowing those responsible for his murder are being held accountable. I will continue to champion true justice in Congress so little Black boys like my son know their #BlackLivesMatter".

Her tweet also included an image of a longer statement.

Texas Representative Shelia Jackson Lee wrote, "Ahmaud was only 25 years old when he was murdered. He should still be with us, today. While this guilty verdict upholds a sense of accountability, it does not wash the pain of his loss away from us or his family, today."

"I'm praying for and thinking of Ahmaud's family, today. I'm especially praying for his mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, who at this moment, is still mourning the loss of her son," her tweet continued. "Let us march on in the name of justice as we remember Ahmaud always."

New York Representative Yvette Clarke wrote, "This verdict sends a strong message against those who use vigilante justice as a cover for racism. My heart goes out to the Arbery family. This verdict will not bring Ahmaud back, but it is justice. #AhmaudArbery #JusticeForAhmaud".