Residents pointed out that after the Athens Clarke County Mayor insisted the community, where nursing student Laken was killed by an alleged illegal alien was not a Sanctuary City, the sheriff had campaigned against cooperating with ICE.

In a resurfaced 2020 video, John Williams, then-candidate and now Athens Clark County Sheriff, appears to be saying that he wouldn’t cooperate with ICE.

Williams told a reporter for the Athens Politics Nerd that he did not intend to cooperate with detainers. I believe it is the responsibility of the sheriff to protect the community. We cannot expect the community to help us when we are in a crisis and respond by creating a culture that is based on fear.

Williams pledged during his campaign that he wouldn’t “contribute” to a culture of fear.

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“Building relationships” is important. If we antagonize people for being undocumented then that will create fear and they won’t come to us. Williams stated that they should be there to help us when we are in need, as well as when the other person is. “So, that’s something we wouldn’t be doing.” We will not be participating in any type of roundups and we will not contribute to that culture.

He added, “We want the public to respect us as police officers but also to have faith in our abilities.”

Athens mayor Kelly Girtz was interrupted by angry Georgians during a Wednesday morning news briefing about the city’s plans to improve public safety.

Protesters stopped him when he tried to dismiss the “idea of a sanctuary town.”

One man repeatedly shouted “You are a liar.” You’re the guilty one and have blood on your hands, sir!

Girtz stated that Georgia law does not allow sanctuary cities. He also rejected Athens’ designation as a sanctuary city.

He said that “no legislation has been passed by this government to create sanctuary city status.”

The community was outraged after Riley, an alleged illegal Venezuelan immigrant, was allegedly killed on the University of Georgia campus by Jose Antonio Ibarra.