President Biden Praises Ahmaud Arbery Verdict But Says It’s “Not Enough”

President Joe Biden said the Ahmaud Arbery verdict is a reflection of the “justice system doing its job.”

His remarks following the verdict on Wednesday, which found Travis McMichael, his father, Gregory McMichael, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan Jr. guilty of murdering the Black jogger in Brunswick, Georgia, on February 23rd, 2020.

In his statement, Biden acknowledged that nothing can bring Arbery back but maintains that the jury’s decision “ensures that those who committed this horrible crime will be punished.” While he is satisfied with the ruling, he says that it is “not enough.” Vice President Kamala Harris also believed that the justice system had a long way to go but praised the jurors for coming to a guilty verdict despite the defense team’s tactics.

Arbery was out for a run when the McMichael’s and Bryan took it upon themselves to follow the young man with guns, claiming that he looked like a burglar. They’d argued self-defense, though the video evidence showed that the 25-year-old was no threat to the men, nor was there evidence to support that he had burglarized any property in the area.

The men face life in prison for the state murder charges. However, they will stand trial on federal hate crime charges in February.

Nothing can bring Mr. Arbery back to his family and to his community, but the verdict ensures that those who committed this horrible crime will be punished. https://t.co/WK7vNZlZfj

— President Biden (@POTUS) November 24, 2021