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Wanda Cooper-Jones, the mother of Ahmaud Arbery, said that President Donald Trump was “very compassionate” when she met with him on Tuesday.
In an interview with Fox News, Cooper-Jones said that she was “very, very emotional throughout the whole conference.” The mother went on to say that the president “showed major concern for all families. Not just one family, but for all families.”
Mother of Ahmaud Arbery.
Video from @theangiestanton. pic.twitter.com/JOaskKH7E5— Charrise Lane (@CharriseLane) June 17, 2020
The statement was made following a private meeting the president held with Black families whose loved ones were the victims of police violence. The meeting was organized by civil rights attorney, S. Lee Merritt. While Arbery wasn’t slain by a police officer, one of the men charged with murder in the slaying, Gregory McMichael, was a former sheriff’s deputy.
READ MORE: Ahmaud Arbery’s mother calls for death penalty for men who shot her son
The meeting took place prior to Trump signing an executive order on Tuesday aimed at police reform. The order included federal incentives for departments to ban chokeholds and retrain officers. It will also provide for a federal database to track officers with a history of use of force complaints.
Following the meeting, Cooper-Jones added that “President Trump was very receiving. He listened and he addressed each and every family accordingly.”
CBS News added that while Cooper-Jones complimented the president, she did say that the reforms did not go far enough, but they were “a start.”
The grieving mother’s complimentary words earned her praise from the president who tweeted that “her son is looking down from heaven & is very proud of his wonderful & loving mom!!”
READ MORE: Trump meets with Black families of police violence
Cooper-Jones also met with Republican Senator Tim Scott. Fox News reporter Chad Pergram described that meeting as “emotional,” as well. Senator Scott said that the families in the room are in pain and in need of change.
Ahmaud Arbery was slain on Feb. 23 after being pursued by Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael, along with William “Roddy” Bryan, Jr. All three men have been charged with first-degree murder.
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