Al Sharpton, Ahmaud Arbery death trial
The Reverend Al Sharpton of the National Action Network holds a news conference at the Glynn County courthouse during the trial of Greg McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, and a neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, in Brunswick, Ga. The three are charged with the February 2020 slaying of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery.
AP Photo/Lewis M. Levine
  • A defense attorney in Ahmaud Arbery's murder trial asked the judge to limit Black pastors' attendance in court.
  • The Rev. Al Sharpton, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and the Rev. William J. Barber have attended the trial with the Arbery family.
  • "I respect the defense attorney doing his job but this is beyond defending your client," Sharpton told Insider.

The Rev. Al Sharpton has rebuked the defense lawyer for one of the three men on trial for Ahmaud Arbery's murder after he tried to get he and other Black clergy banned from the Glynn County Courthouse Thursday.

"The arrogant insensitivity of attorney Kevin Gough in asking a judge to bar me or any minister of the family's choice underscores the disregard for the value of the human life lost and the grieving of a family in need spiritual and community support," Sharpton said in a statement to Insider. "I respect the defense attorney doing his job but this is beyond defending your client, it is insulting the family of the victim."

After Sharpton entered the Georgia courtroom to console Arbery's parents Thursday, Gough, the attorney who is representing William "Roddie" Bryan stood up and told Judge Timothy Walmsley that he didn't want "any more Black pastors," entering the courtroom.

The courtroom was juryless at the time but the attorney said he didn't want Sharpton's presence to intimidate the primarily white jury from fully hearing the case.

The Black clergy present were the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. William J. Barber, and Sharpton.

Gough's comments came after Sharpton attended the trial on Wednesday and held a prayer vigil with Arbery's parents outside the court.

"Obviously there's only so many pastors they can have," Gough said in the courtroom on Thursday. "And if their pastor's Al Sharpton right now that's fine, but then that's it. We don't want any more Black pastors coming in here ... sitting with the victim's family, trying to influence the jurors in this case."

Gough added, "We want to keep politics out of this case," insinuating that Sharpton or any Black pastor's presence was a political statement.

Judge Walmsley told Gough that courtroom was open to the public and would remain so.

"If individuals, based on limitations we have in the courtroom, end up sitting in the courtroom and they can do so respectful of the court's process and in compliance with the court's orders with regard of the conduct of the trial and they're not a distraction, I'm not going to do anything about it," Walmsley said. "I did not hear from anyone that there was a distraction whatsoever. In fact, what I just heard is nobody was even aware that he was in here."

Bryan, along with father and son Greg and Travis McMichael are being tried for murder and other crimes, for their role in the murder of 25-year-old Arbery on February 23, 2020.

Arbery was jogging through his neighborhood outside the Georgia port city of Brunswick before he was killed.

Read the original article on Insider