The lawyer whose request to bar Black pastors engulfed a murder trial with turmoil both inside and outside the Glynn County courthouse is known for saying the unexpected.
But Kevin Gough’s repeated, inflammatory comments during the trial of three men accused of murder in the death of Ahmaud Arbery brought condemnation from onlookers in this coastal community and from legal commentators and civil rights activists nationwide.
Gough, 59, represents William “Roddie” Bryan, who is on trial with Travis McMichael and his father, Greg McMichael.
The maelstrom began Nov. 11, a day after the Rev. Al Sharpton, a well-known civil rights activist from New York, sat in court with Arbery’s mother and father and when Gough called Sharpton’s presence “intimidating” to jurors. He also said, “We don’t want any more Black pastors coming in here.”
In direct response, Sharpton called for “100 or more” pastors to join him outside of the courthouse for a prayer vigil in support of the Arbery family. The call drew a crowd of about 750 demonstrators to the courthouse steps on Thursday.
https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/lawyer-who-wants-to-ban-black-pastors-no-stranger-to-controversy/IVU5WVL2TBHNPJBNI7G2XQFAEA/
