It’s been a week since Augusta University nursing student Laken Riley went for a run on the campus of the University of Georgia and turned up dead. The suspect in custody for her murder entered this country illegally, which adds a politically charged wrinkle to a heartbreaking case.
Riley’s killing has become a national issue, but it has also sparked plenty of reaction here in Georgia. The reactions fall into two categories, which I’ll call the far left and everybody else.
Let’s start with everybody outside the far left. The outrage over Riley’s murder is something that I’ve seen transcend political boundaries. Members of the Georgia congressional delegation, Democrats and Republicans, gave a heartfelt tribute to Riley on the floor of the House of Representatives this week.
Of course, Gov. Brian Kemp (R-Ga.) has been outspoken about Riley’s murder and the influx of illegal immigration that led to her senseless death. He wrote a letter to the Biden administration requesting information about the open border, and he has appeared on Fox News to speak out. He also spent time with business leaders in Athens, home of the University of Georgia and his hometown, discussing public safety.
A pair of Republicans in the Georgia Senate (including my senator) have introduced legislation that would toughen penalties for illegal immigrants who commit crimes in the Peach State. The press release states:
The first proposal is a resolution amending the Constitution of Georgia, which would empower the Georgia General Assembly to either outlaw parole for undocumented immigrants or establish specific parole terms and conditions for those who fall into this category. The second initiative is a bill delineating the criteria for bail hearings concerning undocumented immigrants, as well as individuals charged with a felony punishable by imprisonment for one year or more and deemed removable or dismissible aliens.
Insurance Commissioner John King has applauded the legislative effort. “As a former police chief, Army officer, and Georgia’s first Hispanic statewide constitutional officer, I deeply value law and order,” he said in the press release. “The proposed measures introduce strict bail conditions and revise parole rules, which demonstrates Georgia’s dedication to these values, addresses federal immigration policy flaws, and enhances the safety and welfare of all Georgians.”
Related: Gov. Brian Kemp Takes on Biden Border Policy After College Student's Murder
On the campus of the University of Georgia, thousands of students, faculty, and local residents from all walks of life turned out for a vigil honoring Riley and another student who was found dead in his dorm the day before Riley’s murder. The vigil moved UGA President Jere Morehead to express his gratitude.
“The display of compassion seen today by the University of Georgia student body was truly moving, and it was my honor to join them at the vigil recognizing Laken Riley and Wyatt Banks,” Morehead wrote on Instagram. “My thoughts and prayers continue to be with their families and friends.”
UGA has expressed a commitment to ramping up safety on campus following the murder. In a press release detailing its new efforts, the university explained:
The new measures, totaling more than $7.3 million, include a permanent 20% increase to the UGA Police Department budget to continue to recruit and retain the very best officers through more competitive pay and to add additional campus safety personnel. Other measures will include more security cameras and lighting upgrades as well as adding license plate readers and the installation of combined security camera-blue light call box systems in strategic locations across campus. The RideSmart program, which provides a 50% discount on Lyft rides for UGA students, is being extended four hours per day and will now operate from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
This latest effort to further bolster campus safety adds to the more than $16 million in campus security measures enacted during the past eight years, bringing UGA’s total investment in safety and security enhancements during that time to more than $23 million.
I don’t know the politics of Morehead (though I’ve long suspected that he’s not a doctrinaire leftist) or the other UGA officials behind this move, but what we’ve seen so far from UGA, Georgia Republicans, and the state’s congressional delegation from both parties is reasonable and proper — which brings me to the other side, the far left.
Athens Clarke County has been a bastion of far-left politics for a long time. The combination of radical progressive university faculty and the impressionable young students who blindly follow them has kept the city-county hybrid government blue.
For starters, there’s the district attorney, Deborah Gonzalez. I mentioned on Monday that she’s not only incompetent, but she’s also so far to the left that her actions inspired Georgia’s general assembly to establish a commission to hold prosecutors accountable for doing their jobs. Gonzalez announced that she wouldn’t seek the death penalty for Riley’s killer; instead, she said she would “take into account collateral consequences to undocumented defendants” (whatever that means).
The death penalty should be sought for Jose Ibarra. But Athens District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez has said she won’t seek the death penalty — and said she will “take into account collateral consequences to undocumented defendants”. I sincerely hope she reverses course. pic.twitter.com/m4ufqOulOP
— Houston Gaines (@houstongaines) February 26, 2024
And then there’s Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz. In his first term as mayor, the lily-white Girtz marched with Black Lives Matter and demanded that his city remain locked down after Kemp was the first governor to open his state up following the first throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He has also done everything he can to make Athens-Clarke County a sanctuary city, even though Georgia law forbids that designation. In a press conference this week, Girtz tried to shift the blame for Riley’s murder away from the city-county government’s policies. As people called him out for his lies, he condescendingly announced, “We are here to listen.”
Athens Mayor Girtz (D) just tried to shift away blame over Laken Riley's death
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) February 28, 2024
Angry residents were NOT having any of it: pic.twitter.com/V6uXFqQAh6
The mainstream press has demonstrated typical left-wing tone-deafness. The Associated Press wrote a feature with a headline that read, “The killing of a nursing student out for a run highlights the fears of solo female athletes.” While that’s a valid concern, it’s far beyond the most important issue at hand.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, an unquestionably progressive news outlet, has covered Riley’s murder in a mostly fair manner, but one article belies the concerns of the far left. The feature, headlined “‘Not fair’: After UGA killing, Venezuelans in Georgia worry about backlash.” Reporter Lautaro Grinspan interviews illegal immigrants from Venezuela who are worried that people are going to go cowboy and target them.
Don’t get me wrong: vigilantism in any form is wrong, as is harming anyone for their ethnicity or national origin. But to gin up fear of nonexistent vigilantism against Venezuelans or to ignore that these people are lawbreakers themselves is irresponsible, even if it’s exactly what we expect from the far left. (“Republicans pounce” and all that.)
Once again, the left isn't worried about the death of a young coed, nor is it concerned about the safety of the campus of one of America's oldest public universities. Instead, it's most concerned about a narrative that cements its grip on power.
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