This Man Ran 2 Miles Carrying A TV To Prove ‘Looking Like A Suspect’ Is Not An Excuse For Murder

Last weekend thousands of people joined a 2.23-mile marathon in support of Ahmaud Arbery, a sports enthusiast who was shot and killed back in February.

Ahmaud was chased near Brunswick, Georgia by a former policeman and his son who believed he was responsible for several break-ins around the area.

Gregory and Travis McMichael were locked up on charges of aggravated assault and murder last Friday.

Many people see the case as a racially-motivated crime and it has started a heated debate throughout the web and media.

Former pastor Richard Desmick, 34, a Floridan himself, showed his support for Ahmaud by taking on the 2.23-mile run.

“I just started crying when I just saw this poor young man running – as I have thousands of times in my life – get shot down,” he told Business Insider, adding that he thought “maybe I should run with a TV to show that being a suspicious character isn’t enough that someone should be shot down. Being a white person, that’s just not going to happen to me.”

Richard posted the video last Saturday, and it has already amassed nearly 300,000 likes on Tik Tok.

“Alright, I figured it out. I’ve got my hat on backwards, I’m shirtless like I’m on some episode of ‘Cops,’ I’m running with a TV,” he said his video. “Someone’s going to stop me now, for sure. Cause, if not, what was the problem with Ahmaud?”

This man jogged 2 miles through his neighborhood carrying a TV in his hands to prove that “looking like a suspect” who committed a robbery isn’t a good enough excuse for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.

Neighbors waived hello to him as he jogged…pic.twitter.com/lxYfGpd8pD

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) May 9, 2020

Many have praised Richard for his activism and the debate about America’s racial disparities has once again started to heat up with immense power.

“People have been incredibly kind, undeservedly kind,” Richard said about the response to his clip. “There are people who are daily working trying to correct the injustice, I just made a video.”

His passion for social justice was born out of his early life in Detroit, where most of his friends were African American.

Through his everyday interaction with the black community he learned a lot about the issues they face on an everyday basis.

Richard is also a former pastor at what he refers to as a primarily upper-class conservative Florida church. Later, he went on to create an outreach program for people struggling with homelessness.

What are your thoughts on Richard Demsick’s initiative? Let us know by joining the conversation in the comments and please share this article if you’ve found it informative.