Glynn County four years after Arbery’s death

– Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024 –

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Anniversary of Arbery killing

Tomorrow marks four years since the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick. The case, in which jurors convicted three white men of chasing and killing Arbery who was out on a run on Feb. 23, 2020, holds a distinct place in Glynn County’s history.

Few events have captured the national attention like the Black 25-year-old’s death, thrusting Glynn County’s issues with race and equity into the spotlight.

In terms of public safety, we wanted to use today’s newsletter to check the temperature on the county’s fight for justice, accountability and community improvements. Questions, comments or story ideas? Email me at jake.shore@thecurrentga.org.

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Policing: New leadership

Many in the law enforcement and legal community were skeptical when the Glynn County Board of Commissioners opted to hire its third outside candidate for police chief since 2017. Scott Ebner spent 27 years with the New Jersey State Patrol before being sworn in as GCPD chief in June 2023. It followed the abrupt departure of the county’s first Black police chief.

But since taking the reins, Ebner appears to have taken steps to professionalize the force. In October 2023, an officer’s alleged sexual advance on a suspect resulted in a referral for an investigation and charges (which stands in stark contrast to a drug unit officer receiving paid leave to go to rehab in 2018 after allegations he had sex with informants). In November 2023, Ebner set an ambitious pay scale and promotion structure for officers.

As recently as January 2024, Ebner signed off on a new policy for an “early warning system” meant to catch red flags in officer training or misconduct early on.

In an interview with The Current last year, Ebner vowed to make training and transparency part of the permanent culture of GCPD. We’ll keep watching to see if he makes good on those promises.

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Outside the public eye

Former Brunswick-area district attorney Jackie Johnson has not had to go to court for the criminal case accusing her of interfering in Arbery’s death investigation.

Indicted on Sept. 2, 2021, she stands accused of violating her oath of office as Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney and hindering the police investigation into Arbery’s death by allegedly covering for the son of her former employee.

Aside from being booked into jail and promptly released on bond, Johnson has avoided the usual hallmarks of the justice system. Her arraignment — a procedural hearing where a person hears their charges and provides their plea — was not scheduled until more than a year after her indictment. A week-and-a-half before it was to occur, Johnson’s lawyer waived the hearing.

Another standard court hearing for a “motion to dismiss,” where Johnson’s Atlanta lawyer, Brian Steel, and the Georgia Attorney General’s prosecutors would argue over the merits of the charges, never happened either. Lawyers for a defendant submit the motion to seek the charges dropped on specific legal grounds. The prosecutors respond, arguing in favor of keeping the charges and a hearing typically occurs in front of a judge, giving the public its first real view into the criminal case against a person.

While the documents were filed, no public court hearing ever happened in Johnson’s case. That’s because Steel represents another big-name client in Georgia who has been eating up potential court time. His defense of rapper Young Thug in Atlanta has made it impossible to schedule Johnson’s case, according to a court official who previously spoke to The Current.

Earlier this month, Steel himself said the Atlanta trial could stretch until 2025, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Steel did not return a request for comment on Wednesday. Semi-retired Superior Court Judge John Turner, who is presiding over Johnson’s case and also did not return a request for comment, denied the motion to dismiss in November 2023. Since then, there have been no filings nor trial date set, according to the clerk’s office on Wednesday.

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Demanding change: Investments, negotiations made

Race and equity have become more regular topics of conversation in Glynn County.

Following a city commission vote, a monument to a Confederate solider in downtown Brunswick was taken down in May 2023. The Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday last month wasn’t just a three-day weekend for county residents to kick back: over 200 showed up to volunteer, repairing public housing units, renovating an overgrown basketball court and making care packages for children experiencing homelessness.

A clinic meant to help Brunswick residents move past their non-violent, non-felony criminal history resulted in 105 record restrictions, according to DA Keith Higgins (despite much hand-wringing over how long it’s taken to get there).

Some long-discussed efforts, like a citizen review board for the police department, have not yet taken off in Glynn County. Still, grassroots groups continue to push for change.

The pastor-led Community First Planning Commission is still working to turn the historic Risley School in Brunswick into a center for community services. Laura Khurana, a political newcomer and member of the group A Better Glynn, filed to challenge a sitting county commissioner, Walter Rafolski, in the 2024 election.

A lot of county activism started due to Arbery’s death on Feb. 23, 2020. But citizens also became more involved to do better for their neighbors and children. In a 2021 story for The Current and The Washington Post Magazine, A Better Glynn’s co-founder Bobby Henderson said the stakes for change are too high (Disclosure: Henderson joined the board of The Current‘s parent nonprofit in 2023): “For my sons and for the other Black sons in Glynn County, we cannot afford the status quo.”

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