Racism is ingrained in US law enforcement: Analyst

Racism is ingrained in American culture and law enforcement as well as a national fascination with guns, according to Myles Hoenig, an American political analyst and activist. 

Hoenig, a former Green Party candidate for Congress, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Tuesday while commenting on the recent murder of an unarmed black man by US police.

Georgia’s attorney general has asked the US Department of Justice to investigate the handling of the case of an unarmed black man, who was fatally shot by a white former police officer and his son on 23 February in Brunswick, Georgia.

Ahmaud Arbery was running in the Satilla Shores neighborhood in Brunswick when he was shot dead by Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis, 34.

'Arbery was shot twice in the chest'

An autopsy report released on Monday night shows Arbery was shot three times, including twice in the chest, according to multiple media reports.

The autopsy was released by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The report confirms Arbery was shot three times, as suggested by a video taken of the incident, according to a report from CNN affiliate WSB.

Video shows US black man killed by white ex-cop and his son, DOJ probe sought

Georgia’s attorney general has asked federal prosecutors to investigate local law enforcement’s response to the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man in February.

“The case of Arbery in Georgia is just another example that racism is ingrained in American culture and law enforcement as well as a national fascination with guns. A black man jogging through a white community is an automatic cause for concern that he will be harassed, viewed with suspicion, and in this case, murdered. This is all too frequent an occurrence,” Hoenig said.  

“The other issue here is the prevalence of guns in America. For two people to be driving around armed and given the right to shoot a person who has committed a crime says a lot about American gun culture. That Mr. Arbery did not commit a crime was irrelevant as the two assailants claimed they were chasing a burglary suspect, knowing they had a right to confront him with their weapons,” he stated.

“We see the conflation of these two moral sicknesses with regards to the corona virus. Several states have seen armed white men, sometimes carrying Confederate flags, attempting to take over state capitol buildings to protest their inability to get a haircut or go to a shopping mall due to the lockdown. They are met with the police and the press. Always they leave on their own. In what country could an armed mob attempt this without being arrested?” he asked.  

“Now imagine if this armed group were black. They would be arrested at the very least. Ironically, the NRA had supported gun control when the Black Panthers took up their rights at the time to openly carry weapons. The message is clear. White people carrying weapons are often ignored by law enforcement, even when engaged in illegal activities. And many feel free to use them when they are confronting blacks for whatever reason,” he noted.

“The only thing that makes this case different, but becoming more prevalent, is that the murder was filmed. In America, sometimes that’s the only way to achieve any kind of justice, as the system often does not do it on its own,” the analyst concluded.

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