The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 5.7 DISGUSTING! We Need To Talk about Ahmaud Arbery, London Miner, & Nino Vitale...

Starting point is 00:00:00 Today's show is possibly one of the most emotionally frustrating. I'm just giving you a heads up before we jump into it, which is what we're doing right now. So today's dumpster fire starts in Idaho, thanks to a now viral clip featuring a woman repeatedly punching a German Shepherd in the face as if she were boxing another person. In addition to the video of this woman punching her dog, we hear the color commentary from some other asshole, say, boxer and animal, where's Sarah McLachlan? Write that in reference to the singer and well-known animal rights activist

Starting point is 00:00:26 whose songs have been used in ASPCA commercials. And in this video, after one especially hard punch, the dog can be heard yelping with the woman saying, "'I hit him so hard, I felt that through.'" And the good news about this clip being so shared is that the Idaho Humane Society has now announced that it launched an official investigation into this video after receiving an overwhelming number of calls

Starting point is 00:00:43 and emails reporting it, with the organization saying the individual was identified and a humane officer was sent over to discuss the situation. And adding that the investigation is pending review with the local prosecutor's office for a charging decision. And there, prosecutors could choose to charge this woman under Idaho Statute 2535-18, beating and harassing animals. And notably here, that would be a misdemeanor charge,

Starting point is 00:00:59 carrying a maximum sentence of up to six months in jail and up to $5,000 in fines. And while the organization here did not name the woman, internet users and media outlets have identified her as London Minor. Some online have begun doxing her, going so far as to share her home address, phone number, workplace information.

Starting point is 00:01:14 Others having created social profiles dedicated to gathering information about her and keeping track of this case. Also, as people began drawing attention to this video, there are these other alleged screenshots floating around, right, and these ranging from people that appear to be calling her out on her behavior and her apparently responding.

Starting point is 00:01:28 There's also been posts of someone claiming that the dog is theirs, but then that Twitter account was deleted. You also have places like Heavy reporting that Miner's father is an officer who has worked for Ada County Sheriff's Office for over a decade. Screenshots of an alleged Facebook comment being left. But ultimately, that's not an aspect at this time

Starting point is 00:01:41 that I'm gonna deep dive into just because it's difficult to verify if all or any of those screenshots are actually real. Right, so the main thing that I'll touch on here is the Idaho Humane Society has stressed that this situation is being addressed. With the organization also asking people to stop reaching out to them about this clip since they are currently dealing with it.

Starting point is 00:01:54 And adding that this flood of calls reporting this same video delays other urgent cases from receiving immediate attention. And as far as my opinion on this clip, I mean, I watch it and the only thought I have is what the fuck? Like when you have a dog, sometimes you play fight, you're fighting over a toy.

Starting point is 00:02:07 But in the video, she is straight up punching this dog in its face, jabbing its snout. It is literally the most delicate and sensitive area of the dog and she's punching through it. London, I say this and I mean this, I think you're trash. I don't know if you do this all the time or it looked like there might be alcohol on the table, I don't know if you were consuming it,

Starting point is 00:02:24 but the main point, based off of this clip, if it's any indication of who you are, I think you're a garbage person. I'm not sure if you're aware, but it appears very apparent. But hey, that's a story, some of my personal opinions. And of course I pass the question up to you. What are your thoughts on this one?

Starting point is 00:02:36 Do you agree, disagree? Why, why not? Let me know. And then, you know what? Let's just watch this clip together. When we think about the image and likeness of God, that we're created in the image and likeness of God, when we think of image, do we think of a chest,

Starting point is 00:02:49 or our legs, or our arms? We think of their face. I don't wanna cover people's faces, Jim. That's the image of God right there, and I wanna see it in my brothers and sisters. I'm gonna lose it today, today. So here we go. That is Ohio State Representative Nino Vitale.

Starting point is 00:03:09 And he is in the news right now for a number of reasons, starting with the fact that he is refusing to wear a face mask because he says that it dishonors God. Or there was that video I just showed you, he also put in a Facebook post, this is the greatest nation on Earth founded on Judeo-Christian principles. One of those principles is that we are all created

Starting point is 00:03:22 in the image and likeness of God. That image is seen the most by our face. I will not wear a mask. Also, after looking into Vitaly because of this clip, I found that in addition to him having literally the dumbest argument as to why someone should not wear a face mask during the coronavirus pandemic, he has also continually minimized the threat of COVID-19,

Starting point is 00:03:40 also spouting conspiracy theories around COVID-19, sharing blatantly false information around COVID-19, sharing blatantly false information around COVID-19 and vaccinations. And I don't know how to end this story. It's just completely absurd and it hurts my brain to know that people elected this person. Right, and there's a very good chance that he was elected for being this guy and like this isn't a shock

Starting point is 00:03:58 to his constituents. So I guess to end this story, even though I know it is a futile effort, I will just say to you, don't be stupid, stupid. And then we need to talk about the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery. And you know, there is a lot to this story, but let's start with what happened,

Starting point is 00:04:11 at least according to witness testimony filed by the Glynn County Police Department. According to that report, on February 23rd, a black man by the name of Ahmaud Arbery was running along a two-lane road in the coastal town of Brunswick, Georgia. 64-year-old Gregory McMichael then sees Arbery, believing him to be the suspect from a series of recent break-ins in the coastal town of Brunswick, Georgia. 64-year-old Gregory McMichael then sees Arbery, believing him to be the suspect

Starting point is 00:04:26 from a series of recent break-ins in the neighborhood. McMichael then describes Arbery as hauling ass down the road. He then said he ran inside, called his 34-year-old son, Travis, to help chase Arbery. Travis then grabs his shotgun, while McMichael grabs his.357 Magnum revolver. This because they, quote, "'Didn't know if the male was armed or not.'"

Starting point is 00:04:41 And that's because, according to McMichael, he said that he had specifically seen Arbery several nights before with his hand stuck down his pants. So he thought that he might be armed. McMichael and Travis then get in a truck. They start pursuing Arbery. They try to cut him off, but according to McMichael, Arbery turns around and then begins running

Starting point is 00:04:54 in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, McMichael says that he shouts, "'Stop, stop, we want to talk to you,' but Arbery keeps running." He shout again. This time Travis gets out of the truck with his shotgun. At that point, McMichael says that Arbery begins, quote, violently attacking Travis. Arbery and Travis out of the truck with his shotgun. At that point, McMichael says that Arbery begins, quote, "'violently attacking Travis.'

Starting point is 00:05:06 Arbery and Travis then reportedly start fighting over the shotgun. Travis then fires a shot. A second later, he fires another shot. Arbery then falls down face first with his hand under his body." Michael then says he rolls Arbery over to see if he had a weapon, but notably here,

Starting point is 00:05:18 and this is one of the key points of the story, Arbery was unarmed. Police then arrive on the scene and Arbery is ultimately pronounced dead on the spot. Now, key thing here, that is the police report of what the McMichaels have said. And now since this shooting, several local news outlets have obtained a recording

Starting point is 00:05:31 of a 911 call where a person says that they thought Arbery was in a house under construction. And you said someone's breaking into it right now? No, it's all open, it's under construction. And he's running right now, there he goes right now. Back there to the press, Okay, what is he doing? He's running down the street. But Arbery's family has since argued

Starting point is 00:05:48 that he wasn't responsible for those break-ins and that he was most likely just out for a job. Right, and according to his family and neighbors, this is something he would do every day for years, with some neighbors even saying that he would wave to them. And so because of that, you had the family's attorney, Lee Merritt, saying in a statement, "'Arbery had not committed any crime

Starting point is 00:06:01 "'and there was no reason for these men "'to believe they had the right to stop him with weapons Or to use deadly force and furtherance of their unlawful attempted stop However, one of the big reasons this story has caused so much outrage has gained so much Traction is because so far no one has actually been charged with killing Arbery or the police report lists Gregory McMichael is a witness and Travis McMichael is a suspect but neither have been brought into custody One of the reasons we might be seeing this two-month plus delay in action by law enforcement is because there have reportedly been repeated conflicts of interest.

Starting point is 00:06:27 In fact, two prosecutors initially assigned to oversee the case had to recuse themselves. This because they had professional connections to Gregory McMichael. And that is because McMichael is actually a former investigator for the Brunswick District Attorney's Office as well as a former officer for the Glynn County Police Department.

Starting point is 00:06:39 But even before recusing himself, one of the prosecutors, George E. Barnhill, reportedly advised police that there was insufficient evidence to arrest the McMichaels, and arguing that because they're in Georgia, they had acted legally under the state citizen arrest and self-defense statute.

Starting point is 00:06:50 It's also important to know that in a letter to the police department, Barnhill described a video made by a third man who reportedly joined the McMichaels in quote, hot pursuit of Arbery. And that video in particular has been the subject of a lot of controversy. You had Arbery's family reportedly making multiple requests to law enforcement to access it.

Starting point is 00:07:04 But according to Merritt, they actually didn't see it until it was posted online on Tuesday, even though he said that the police had had it since the day that Arbery was killed. And before we get into this, I want to make a note for legal reasons. This footage is widely believed to be Arbery shooting, but according to Merritt,

Starting point is 00:07:16 it was posted online anonymously. And as of recording this video, Glynn County police have not officially confirmed it. But in this video, we see a man who was believed to be Arbery running down the street, there are shouts. Arbery runs around a white truck and then we hear a gunshot. So we see Arbery and who is believed

Starting point is 00:07:29 to be Travis McMichael fighting, a lot happening off screen after that first shot. And notably, unlike the testimony given in the police report, we hear not two, but actually three shots, with Arbery then trying to run away, but he falls down. Also on Tuesday, after that video leaks, we see Tom Durden, District Attorney

Starting point is 00:07:43 of Georgia's Atlantic Judicial Court and third prosecutor in this case, say in a statement, "'After careful review of the evidence, "'I am confident the case should be presented "'to the Grand Jury of Glynn County "'for consideration of criminal charges.'" Notably though, all Grand Juries in Georgia are currently prohibited from meeting until June 12th

Starting point is 00:07:57 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Also, later that same night, we see the Georgia Bureau of Investigation say that Durden had formally requested that the agency investigate Arbery's death. Now in addition to Arbery's family, we've just seen tons of people up in arms over the shooting and the lack of arrests. You know, we've seen crowds gathering at the street where Arbery was killed, chanting for justice. You also had Merritt saying,

Starting point is 00:08:14 The series of events captured in this video confirm what all the evidence indicated prior to its release. Ahmaud Arbery was pursued by three white men that targeted him solely because of his race and murdered him without justification. This is murder. Among other notable people, we've seen James Woodall, president of Georgia's NAACP, criticizing those first two prosecutors. Also saying, while we acknowledge District Attorney Tom Durden's intentions

Starting point is 00:08:33 to convene a grand jury to bring charges against the men who gunned down Ahmaud Arbery, we recognize that we have a long way to go until we reach justice. The modern day lynching of Mr. Arbery is yet another reminder of the vile and wicked racism that persists in parts of our country. We've is yet another reminder of the vile and wicked racism that persists in parts of our country.

Starting point is 00:08:46 We've also seen the likes of Lebron James saying, "'We're literally hunted every day, every time we step foot "'outside the comfort of our homes.'" Can't even go for a damn jog, man. Like what the fuck, man? Are you kidding me? No, man, for real, are you kidding me? "'I'm sorry, Ahmad.

Starting point is 00:08:58 "'Rest in paradise and my prayers and blessings "'sent to the heavens above to your family.'" We've also seen the likes of Kim Kardashian starting a petition demanding justice. Actress Olivia Wilde has also been tweeting about this over the last few days saying on Tuesday, these monsters have not been charged for the vicious murder that occurred

Starting point is 00:09:12 more than two months ago. His crime, jogging while black. Where is the outrage? Governor Kemp, we will not let you ignore this. Also this morning saying, tomorrow would have been Ahmaud Arbery's 26th birthday. Run with me to honor him and raise awareness about racism and injustice in this country.

Starting point is 00:09:25 Hashtag I run with Maude. Which on that note, supporters are organizing a 2.23 mile run tomorrow to remember Arbery and bring more attention to this story. And as far as where I land on this personally, one, based off of the video that we're seeing now, thanks to it being leaked, thanks to what appears to be conflicting information

Starting point is 00:09:38 from that video and what was in the police report, it personally pains me that charges have not been pursued. By all accounts, it appears that these two, three white guys went out hunting and there's no reason that someone should fear for their life because they're outside in a certain skin color. And the idea that these men could chase down Ahmad and kill him and then cite self-defense is insane to me.

Starting point is 00:09:56 How do you have three men who at that time were in no threat of physical danger deciding and taking it upon themselves to get into these vehicles and hunt down an unarmed man while also, at least when it comes to the McMichaels, carrying weapons. And those three are not seen as the aggressors or instigators of the situation. But hey, for now, we're gonna have to wait

Starting point is 00:10:11 to see what happens next. That's a story, some of my personal takeaway, and of course I pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts on this one? But that is ultimately where I'm gonna end today's show. Of course, like with all the stories, I would love to know your thoughts on this. But with that said, of course, as always,

Starting point is 00:10:23 you beautiful bastards, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love yo faces and I'll see you next time. I hope you liked this video. Subscribe if you like it.

Your Ad Here

The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 5.7 DISGUSTING! We Need To Talk about Ahmaud Arbery, London Miner, & Nino Vitale...

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.