BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Ahmaud Arbery's family members prayed in the exact spot he was killed in Satilla Shores two years ago at the exact time he was shot, honoring him Wednesday.
Arbery's father, uncle and aunts were joined by local religious leaders and members of the Transformative Justice Coalition to mark the two-year anniversary.
They marked the moments Arbery ran out of the home under construction in the neighborhood and when he was chased by Gregory and Travis McMichael and William Roddie Bryan as well throughout the 1 p.m. hour Wednesday.
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"When you kill somebody, you can’t apologize for that, so we’re here celebrating Ahmaud’s life because Ahmaud was somebody, and he was loved by his family and he was loved by everybody that knows him," Marcus Arbery Sr., Arbery's father, said. "Maud will never be forgotten. Look around. You can tell he was a loved child."
Arbery Sr., Arbery's uncle and his aunts spoke before they released doves in his honor.
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"Ahmaud is resting in peace now. God has got Ahmaud now, but those three men, look what they’re finna go through. You tore your family up and as well as you tore our’s up because you just weren’t thinking, or all you saw was a Black man running down the street. You saw him like he was an animal. You saw him like he was a dog," Arbery Sr. said. "[I'm] thinking about him, thinking about his spirit still flying free traveling the world and let the world see he was a child of love."
Arbery Sr. said it was hard to come back to the spot his son took his final breaths.
"Knowing that he lost his life right here, he died for no reason at all just because he’s a Black male, that’s all. That’s hard when you die like that just because you’re an African-American man," he said.
Georgia lawmakers declared Feb. 23 Ahmaud Arbery Day earlier this month. Arbery's father said knowing Georgia will honor his son on this day every year is comforting to him and his family.
“It means his name will live on and he won’t ever be forgotten. His life changed the world ... His life brought a bunch of change," Arbery Sr. said. “He won’t ever be forgotten. He made history and for the next 50 years, everybody will know who Ahmaud Arbery is: a young Black man just running, dreaming and lost his life because he was a Black man dreaming. That’s pretty deep."
Arbery's family has said Arbery was looking at the home under construction because he was hoping to build and own a home one day.
Arbery Sr. said the guilty verdict in the federal trial one day before the two-year anniversary is symbolic.
"It feels good that we got full justice and then the world sees the reason why he died. He died just because he was a Black man, so we needed that hate crime to let the world see what really happened and why he really died. He didn’t break no laws. The only law he broke was just because he was Black," he said.
There were several other events honoring Arbery Wednesday, including the dedication of Madge Merritt Park to Arbery. It was renamed Ahmaud Arbery Park.
Arbery's family members also walked through Satilla Shores Wednesday evening.
Students at Brunswick High School walked 2.23 miles to honor Arbery Wednesday afternoon. 2.23 signified the date Arbery died, Feb. 23, 2020. The Golden Isles Track Club also held a walk/run in honor of Arbery. It started at Old City Hall in downtown Brunswick. Participants ran or walked 2.23 miles around downtown.
There were several events in Atlanta honor Arbery Wednesday too.