Hi Justin. Sounds like a rich and fascinating beat you have been carving out for yourself for a decade now. I am Tim Tyson, a historian of racial violence in the South at Duke, writing with a source question. In your May 5, 2020 story on the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, GA, you report that Travis McMichael's truck bore the Gadsden flag with it's "Don't Tread On Me" motto. I have watched the video repeatedly but cannot see well enough to be certain one way or the other. Can you advise me on how you came to know about the flag on the truck? It is an engaging and suggestive cultural detail but I have not been able to confirm it for myself. Thanks for any help you can offer. timothy.tyson@duke.edu
Hi Justin. Sounds like a rich and fascinating beat you have been carving out for yourself for a decade now. I am Tim Tyson, a historian of racial violence in the South at Duke, writing with a source question. In your May 5, 2020 story on the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, GA, you report that Travis McMichael's truck bore the Gadsden flag with it's "Don't Tread On Me" motto. I have watched the video repeatedly but cannot see well enough to be certain one way or the other. Can you advise me on how you came to know about the flag on the truck? It is an engaging and suggestive cultural detail but I have not been able to confirm it for myself. Thanks for any help you can offer. timothy.tyson@duke.edu
Glad to have been introduced