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Family of Ahmaud Arbery leads rally ahead of trial of men charged in killing

Outside of the Glynn County Courthouse, Ahmaud Arbery's aunt, Thea Brooks, joins a group during a demonstration calling for the conviction of the three men who face charges in the death of Ahmaud Arbery and other county officials they say were complicit i
Outside of the Glynn County Courthouse, Ahmaud Arbery's aunt, Thea Brooks, joins a group during a demonstration calling for the conviction of the three men who face charges in the death of Ahmaud Arbery and other county officials they say were complicit i Riley Bunch / Georgia Public Broadcasting

The jury selection for the trial over the killing of Ahmaud Arbery begins Monday in Glynn County, Ga. Ahead of what may be a contentious few weeks, Arbery's family members and community organized a rally outside the courthouse and a ride in the neighborhood where Arbery was shot.

About 100 people attended the event Saturday morning, touting the changes made in the aftermath of Arbery's death.

Thea Brooks, Arbery's aunt who has been leading the activism and push for policy changes since her nephew's death, wore a shirt at the rally that showed a checklist of what's changed in Georgia and in the county; among them, the establishment of a hate crimes law in the state, abolishing citizens arrest protections, and the hiring of a Black chief of police in the county where Arbery was killed.

Organizers are hoping the momentum from the last year will continue into the next months during the trial. There will be a vigil honoring Arbery on Sunday and, on the day of the jury selection on Monday, there are plans for another rally outside the courthouse.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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