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A Florida pastor took to the streets to prove a very powerful point. And he did so by jogging through a residential neighborhood while holding a flat-screen TV.
While it may have turned a few heads, nobody stopped him on his route, which seems to support exactly what Richard Desmik was trying to get across. So why did the former Vero Beach, Fla., pastor take a TV on his run?
As he explained in his viral TikTok video, it comes down to the highly controversial shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery.
@jestertotheking #runwithmaud #irunwithmaud #runwithahmaud happy birthday Ahmaud. Sad to me I ran today with no fear in a similar neighborhood carrying a TV
In February, the 25-year-old was chased down and shot by a father and son while he was jogging in Georgia. Gregory and Travis McMichael were arrested and charged with aggravated assault and murder. However, they claimed that they thought the young man was a burglar.
For Desmik, along with many others, Arbery’s death has been a source of frustration and an opportunity to speak out on social justice. The Florida man opted to prove his point by taking along a TV for his morning run. He explained his rationale to Insider.
“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.
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.”
Surprisingly, Desmik completed his 2.23-mile jog (with TV in hand) with zero issues. Ultimately, his viral TikTok video may not bring Arbery back, but he certainly sent a powerful message about social justice in a clever way.
Do you have any experience dealing with a social injustice? How did you express your opinion and what was the result? Tell us about your story in the comments below!
