Close to 100 people attended a rally on Ahmaud Arbery’s behalf Saturday (Oct. 16) outside of the Glynn County Courthouse in Glynn County, Georgia, NPR reports.

According to the outlet, Arbery’s family members — including his aunt Thea Brooks and Carla Arbery— organized the peaceful event, which also included a ride through the neighborhood where Arbery was brutally gunned down while jogging.

Brooks reportedly wore a shirt with a checklist of changes that have been made in Glynn County and the State of Georgia since her nephew’s death in February 2020. Since the 25-year-old Black man was shot by Travis McMichael, Georgia passed a hate crimes law, abolished citizens arrest protections, and Glynn County hired its first full-time Black police chief Jacques Battiste.

The jury selection for the highly-anticipated trial begins Monday (Oct. 18) in Glynn County. Glynn County Superior Court Clerk Ronald Adams has stated the process could take two weeks or longer to pick a jury of 12 men and women for the case. Greg and Travis McMichael, the father and son who chased Arbery in a pickup truck with guns, have pleaded not guilty and intend to prove their innocence.

As REVOLT previously reported, the McMichaels, and William Bryan were indicted with federal hate crimes for Arbery’s death on one count each of interference with civil rights and attempted kidnapping. Greg and Travis were also charged with using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a violent crime.

WJXT in Jacksonville caught up with Brooks at Saturday’s rally where she shared her mixed feelings toward the upcoming trial. “It’s scary because you don’t know what to expect,” she said, “but then you are anxious because you are ready to get it over with and hope and pray that everything you worked so hard for over this year is not in vain and that you get the justice you’re looking for.”

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