“Long Dirty Toenails” Wasn’t Just Rude; It Was An Overtly Racist Trope. Here’s Why.
Ahmaud Arbery’s murder trial was already pandering to white supremacy. Then, in closing, the defense literally invoked Jim Crow.
“Turning Ahmaud Arbery into a victim after the choices that he made does not reflect the reality of what brought Ahmaud Arbery to Satilla Shores in his khaki shorts, with no socks to cover his long dirty toenails.” — Laura Hogue, defense attorney for Greg McMichael
It was just one of many horrible moments from the trial in Brunswick, Georgia, where three local White men had hunted down and murdered an unarmed Black male for a “crime” he didn’t commit. In fact, when Ahmaud Arbery was fatally shot at close range, he was just going about his daily life. A former high school athlete with a muscular build, the 25-year-old was simply taking a jog through the neighborhood, something he reportedly did every day to “clear his head.”
From day one, this was a trial plagued with racism — not just overtones or dog whistles — but explicit racism. The cell phone recording captured by…
