Athens mayor's emails in wake of Laken Riley death released

Dozens of pages of emails sent to and from Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz and Clarke County Sheriff John Q. Williams in the hours immediately after the death of Laken Riley, and in the days following her death, provide a detailed look at how the county government – Girtz, in particular − came to grips with that tragedy, whose repercussions are continuing to unfold.

Riley, a 22-year-old student at the Athens campus of the Augusta University College of Nursing, died Feb. 22 from blunt force trauma during an assault while running on a wooded trail near the University of Georgia’s Lake Herrick. Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old undocumented Venezuelan immigrant, has been charged with murder and other offenses in Riley’s death. He was arrested the day after Riley’s body was found, and remains in the Athens-Clarke County Jail.

Through an open records request asking for emails to and from the offices of Girtz and Williams containing Riley’s name, the words “immigrant,” “undocumented,” “sanctuary,” “political,” “community,” and other related words, the Athens Banner-Herald was able to track the unfolding of media interest in Riley’s death, the preparations behind Girtz’s Feb. 28 news conference on the tragedy, behind-the-scenes expressions of support for the mayor, and other aspects of the aftermath of Riley’s death.

‘Sanctuary city’ exchange

One of the most noted email exchanges connected to the Laken Riley slaying was one between Williams and Girtz on whether Athens-Clarke County is a “sanctuary city,” offering extralegal protections to undocumented immigrants.

It was a term bandied about by dozens, if not hundreds, of Girtz critics in the aftermath of Riley’s death. The term has persisted, despite Girtz noting that state law requires the county, and other political jurisdictions in the state, to certify annually that they are not providing sanctuary-type services and protections to undocumented immigrants.

And, as Girtz noted in his email exchange with the sheriff and elsewhere, “The term ‘sanctuary city’ does not have a sole legal or procedural definition; instead it is a somewhat generic term that means different things to different people depending on the context of a discussion.”

More: What does it mean to be a 'sanctuary city'? Athens area officials offer differing views

The email exchange between Girtz and Williams came two days after Riley’s body was discovered, and one day after Ibarra’s arrest. In the email, Williams asks “that someone from the Unified Government stand up and address the ongoing banter about Athens being a sanctuary city. … I am being bombarded with emails, phone calls and social media posts blaming me for the alleged status.”

Going on to state his belief that offering sanctuary-type treatment is not “an authorized or legitimate power of any Sheriff in the state of Georgia,” Williams challenged Girtz that if the local government “embraces being considered a sanctuary, then come out and say so. If not, please clear this up.”

In his response to the sheriff, Girtz notes that Williams’ predecessor as sheriff, Ira Edwards, had eliminated so-called “detainer holds” locally. Such detention holds can be issued from the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement department, and can cover undocumented people who have committed an offense for which a legal resident would not be held in detention.

In the email exchange, Girtz tells Williams he supports the county’s approach to detainer holds as “both humane and following the well-documented propensity of immigrants in the U.S. to be less criminally inclined than the native-born population … .”

Later in the email, Girtz points Williams to a presentation and briefing book that he had reviewed, addressing leading communities through crisis. Quoting from the presentation, Girtz notes that it suggests that communities should “focus on the victim … avoid political messaging … focus on comfort and unity” in the wake of a tragedy like Riley’s death.

Beyond the local tension, this email exchange has in recent days become a vehicle for continuing criticism of Girtz. Both Rep. Mike Collins, the Republican congressman whose district includes Athens-Clarke County, and the conservative magazine National Review, recently took part of Girtz’s response out of context.

A recent online National Review story puts the words from the presentation noted by Girtz directly into the mayor’s mouth. “In his email to Williams,” the story reads in part, “Girtz also stressed that one should ‘focus on comfort and unity’ and ‘avoid political messaging’ in the wake of Riley’s death.”

On the same day, Collins posted the email itself on X, also suggesting the “comfort and unity” language came directly from Girtz. “Instead of prioritizing solutions to prevent tragedies like this in the future, Mayor Girtz treats Laken Riley’s murder as a PR drill to be managed with ‘comfort and unity,’ rather than enforcing the law,” Collins contended.

Expressions of support

In a recent interview, Girtz noted that beyond the emails captured in the Athens Banner-Herald’s open records request, he had received hundreds of emails excoriating him for the killing of Laken Riley before he stopped paying attention to them. Many of negative emails, the mayor surmised, were generated by “bots,” automated programs that spread messaging on social media.

In addition to the negative emails, the mayor also faced loud public calls for his resignation. The calls originated at a Feb. 28 news conference called by Girtz to address the sanctuary city issue and to point out a number of public safety investments made in the community.

Days later, at the March 5 meeting of the Athens-Clarke County mayor and commission, a protest outside City Hall spilled into the commission chambers, during which Girtz, Williams, District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez and Athens-Clarke District 2 Commissioner Melissa Link were loudly threatened with a recall election effort.

The work to collect signatures to get recalls on the ballot is ongoing, but Link has been dropped from the effort after it was noted that no recall organizers live in her commission district.

On the other end of the spectrum, the open records request unearthed nearly 20 supportive emails sent to Girtz following the Feb. 28 news conference and sporadically for the next two weeks. Particularly revelatory are a Feb. 29 email from a local pastor, and Girtz’s response.

The pastor, urging Girtz to “(k)eep strong,” amid the backlash against him following Riley’s death, wrote, “I know that most of this negative reaction doesn’t come from outright malice, it’s mostly based on fear in the aftermath of the murder. It’s difficult when you’re in a leadership position to help people overcome their fear and reestablish peace.”

Laken Riley Conference: Athens mayor heckled by protesters while announcing new security measures for the city

A clearly grateful Girtz wrote back, “I can’t thank you enough for your email. The static that comes with public office will subside, but I am conscious of the things I cannot impact, like reversing the loss of a wonderful young woman who had a great life ahead of here.”

The mayor continued, “I also feel great sorrow for families who come here through enormous difficulty after war or famine, national crises or countries plagued by criminal networks, only to be told they are not worthy of being Americans. I’m reminded that we are a nation of immigrants, and that at least since Moses and the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, people have sought better circumstances for them and their families. It is simply the human drive deep inside all of us, and it transcends any language or border on a map.”

Among the other supportive emails sent to the mayor was one praising Girtz for demonstrating “… great restraint and leadership by keeping your composure and allowing the heckler to remain at the press conference despite his frequent outbursts.” The writer went on to say he was “… saddened to see how you are caught between opposing political forces that care nothing for nuanced discussion of extremely complex issues.”

A March 7 email told Girtz, “we respect you and appreciate the great work you do for our community.”

Also on March 7, the mayor received an email saying “Against the backdrop of some negative comments in our community and about ACCGOV (the Athens-Clarke County government), I wanted to say thank you for serving as our Mayor, and for serving everyone, regardless of qualifier of condition. Hang in there!”

On March 11, one couple wrote, in part, “We were so sad to read about all the criticism that you have received following the unfortunate death of Laken Riley. We’ve been living in Athens for 17 years and you are by far the best mayor that we’ve had.”

Dealing with media inquiries

Not surprisingly, after the initial appearance of Atlanta TV crews in Athens-Clarke County just hours after the death of the young nursing student, it was less than 24 hours before media requests for Girtz to appear on camera were streaming into his email inbox.

The first request, made before Ibarra’s arrest had been announced, came from a booker for the Fox News show “America Reports.” A little more than an hour later, shortly after noon on Feb. 23, CNN was asking the mayor to appear on its primetime news show “Erin Burnett OutFront,” then being hosted by CNN anchor Jim Sciutto.

By the next day, the Atlanta affiliate of Fox News was asking Girtz to appear on its air. Three days after the slaying, ABC News and its “Good Morning America” show were seeking a mayoral appearance. Fox News tried again on Feb. 26, along with the network’s Atlanta bureau, and, once again, the Fox News affiliate in Atlanta.

Also making another attempt to get the mayor on air on Feb. 26 was CNN, this time for their “NewsNight” broadcast. NBC News also contacted the mayor on Feb. 26, seeking comment on Rep. Mike Collins’ comments and other issues. Collins, a Republican who represents a swath of northeast Georgia including Athens in Congress, had criticized Girtz and Athens-Clarke County in the wake of the shooting.

On Feb. 28, a Newsweek staff writer emailed the mayor, seeking “any further comments regarding the criticism you received during the press conference today discussing the death of Laken Riley, with many community members interrupting and criticizing policies.”

CNN was also getting back to Girtz on Feb. 28, this time for an afternoon slot.

Girtz rejected all major media requests, but agreed on Feb. 28 to appear on the then-upcoming March 5 edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s daily “Politically Georgia” podcast.

In most instances, Girtz referred media inquiries to the University of Georgia Police Department, the lead agency in the investigation into Riley’s death. Frequently, Girtz’s response to media inquiries would note, “I am grieving along with the entire community, as with every needless death here in Athens.”

In some instances, Girtz’s responses to media inquiries included language from his email to the sheriff explaining the lack of a single definition for “sanctuary city” designation.

Interestingly, Girtz, a former educator, made himself available to two local student journalists.

According to emails from the open records request, the mayor scheduled time in the middle of March to talk with a Clarke Central High School student for the school’s Odyssey news magazine for a story on women’s safety in the wake of Riley’s death.

Girtz also made time for the student editor of BluePrints, the Cedar Shoals High School student publication, to talk about the effects of the Riley tragedy on the community.

Preparing for the news conference

The Feb. 28 news conference called by the mayor to “discuss community safety initiatives and Athens-Clarke County’s status related to immigration” is now chiefly remembered for the nearly one dozen protesters who used it as a stage to call loudly for Girtz’s resignation.

Collins used a Feb. 27 post on X to publicize the government’s announcement of Girtz’s news conference, under the text, “In case anyone wants to go see their Mayor tomorrow.”

“Good opportunity for he and the Sheriff to announce they are rescinding their current policy of not cooperating with ICE,” Collins wrote.

One of the things revealed by the open records request is some background on how Girtz and the county prepared for the news conference. In emails sent to the mayor on the day before the news conference, the county’s public information officer, Jeff Montgomery, offered some suggestions for the staging the event, which also included Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Jerry Saulters.

Montgomery suggests that, in the minutes leading up to the news conference, held at Athens-Clarke County Police Department headquarters, Girtz and Saulters should “hang out in the lobby,” entering the conference room where the event was held after he introduced them.

“After several questions – however many you feel comfortable answering – ask for 2-3 more questions,” Montgomery suggests. “Once you’re done, thank everyone for coming and you and Chief can head back out to the lobby/ back into the department area so no one would ask any additional questions.”

In another interesting sidelight to the run-up to the news conference, Montgomery tells Girtz in a Feb. 27 email copied to Athens-Clarke County Manager Blaine Williams, “Laken’s roommate emailed us yesterday about streetlight issues on … (a street near the UGA campus) and it being very dark. I responded to her and sent it to TPW (the county’s Transportation and Public Works department) and they looked into the area on their streetlight map. They confirmed that the section did not meet our minimum standards and that lights would be going in there in the coming weeks. I know streetlights are a bit of a complicated issue and keep coming up and you may want to avoid it, but wanted to mention it if it is useful.”

Beyond the emails

Not covered in the Athens Banner-Herald’s open records request, but available to anyone who chooses to follow his account on the social media platform X, are the frequent posts offered up by Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) on Laken Riley and Athens-Clarke County.

In addition to alerting followers to the Feb. 28 news conference, Collins used a March 5 post to alert people to that night’s meeting of the mayor and commission, which included a pre-meeting protest outside City Hall where an estimated 200 people called for Girtz’s resignation.

In the March 5 post, Collins featured a screenshot of the mayor and commission’s meeting time and place, writing, “In case anyone wants to tell Mayor @KellyGirtz and the County Commission what they think of Athens-Clarke County sanctuary policies that enable illegal alien crime, including the murder of Laken Riley.”

Collins’ March 5 post came four days after he introduced the Laken Riley Act in Congress. The proposed legislation would, if passed, require the federal Department of Homeland Security to take aliens who have been charged with theft into custody. Ibarra has a previous arrest on a shoplifting charge.

The proposed legislation also takes aim at the administration of President Joe Biden, noting that the bill “mourns the devastating loss of Laken Riley and other victims of the Biden administration’s open borders policies.”

The bill also expresses the “sense of Congress” that the “Biden administration should have arrested and detained Laken Riley’s alleged murderer after he was charged with crimes in New York, New York and Athens, Georgia.”

The bill passed in the House of Representatives with a 251-170 vote on March 7, and is awaiting action in the Senate.

On April 4, Collins posted Girtz’s February email to Williams on X, contending that the “blatant disregard of law and order by public officials is highly concerning. It reveals the need for accountability and new leadership that will prioritize public safety. Laken’s death was preventable, but nothing will change with leaders like these.”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Emails show Athens-Clarke officials dealing with Riley's death issues