ATHENS, Ga. — Two sets of protesters gathered on opposite sides of College Avenue in Athens, all in some way expressing their safety concerns following the death of Laken Riley, an Augusta University nursing student killed while running on the UGA campus in February and the arrest of her accused killer, an undocumented immigrant.
Where the sides differ is what to blame for the tragic incident, with one looking to the city's immigration policy while the other focused on violence against women.
At the protest were UGA parents, students and residents.
“The campus is trying to do trying to do things to be safe for our children, but I don’t think the city is, and of course, they live in the city as much as they live on campus,” Darcy Copeland, an Athens resident and parent of a UGA student said.
RELATED: Georgia congressman introduces 'Laken Riley Act' after nursing student's murder on UGA's campus
Another UGA parent at the protest said they have three students at the school and have been worried.
"I’ve been bothered for a while, and I see things getting worse,” Rochelle Willis said.
But on the other hand, there are people who say that looking at the immigration policy is not the cornerstone of the issue.
“This is being turned into something that is a horrible mistake," said an Athens resident, Dale Goodhue. "There are many people who are so anti-immigrant that they’re willing to just forget everything else and say, 'You're an illegal immigrant and you don’t belong here.'"
Another student broke down what she thought should be at the center of the conversation.
“Women aren’t concerned about, 'Am I going to be attacked by an immigrant or a US citizen," said UGA student Trey Holloway, "they're thinking, 'Am I going to be attacked and attacked by who? Attacked by a man.'"
The chaos wasn't just outside city hall either, with tensions running high inside while commissioners ran a meeting. At one point, a resident burst in and began yelling at the mayor, ordering him to resign.
During public comment, both sides took to the podium one after the other, voicing similar concerns, with both sides countering the other.
“Blaming migrants and forcing them to live in the shadows will not make Athens safer," said former Athens City Commissioner Tim Denson as he addressed the current commission.
Representatives from SafeDAthens, a nonprofit that works with law enforcement, city government, state entities, and the University of Georgia, Athens campus to enhance safety, also attended, sharing insights into their efforts.
“With the ever-present criminal activity encountered in Athens, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between the many avenues of crime that Athens had allowed to foster,” the representative said.
During the meeting, the commission voted in favor of a measure that would add public safety equipment like cameras and create a real‐time crime center to help address residents' concerns.
More on the case
The UGA Police Department was called by a concerned friend around noon on Feb. 22 to report that Riley had gone for a run at the fields on UGA's campus but had not returned, according to authorities. That's when officers headed down, arriving around 12:38 p.m. to search for Riley. Not too long after, she was found dead.
UGA Chief of Police Jeff Clark said the evidence suggests this was a solo act and that Riley was killed from blunt force trauma.
Ibarra is charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another person. The Clarke County Sheriff's Office released a photo of him just after midnight.
Clark called the evidence collected so far in the case "robust" and included input from the community. He said they were also assisted by video from the campus security networks.
According to officials, Riley was a UGA student up until the spring semester of 2023 before she transferred to the Augusta University College of Nursing program at Athens. She was enrolled as a junior and on the Dean's List.
The nursing school, in a statement, said Riley, who received her honorary white coat last August and was slated to graduate in 2025, had a "promising future" as a nurse.
Anyone who may have pertinent information to the investigation is asked to call UGA Police; detectives are still collecting evidence in the case.
