Georgia pizza shop owner running for office after Laken Riley murder: 'Reality check' moment

ATHENS, Ga. - A small business owner in Athens, Georgia, is taking matters into her own hands to change local politics, demanding transparency in the community after the murder of nursing student Laken Riley. 

Sidney Anne Waters, who owns Mama Sid's Pizza, joined "Fox & Friends First" to discuss why she decided to throw her hat in the ring to become part of the Athens-Clarke County Commission. 

"I... all of a sudden... had a reality check... There are a lot of us in Athens that really didn't know what our government was doing... The day before… qualifying ending, I decided I would go in and put my name on the ticket," Waters told Todd Piro on Friday. 

Laken Riley

Waters, who is running to oust incumbent Carol Myers in District 8, says her community is very "concerned" regarding its sanctuary city-like policies after an illegal immigrant reportedly murdered Riley when she was on a run at the University of Georgia campus last month. 

"Everybody is quite concerned because we have discovered that our local government is not transparent with us... They have resolutions and agreements going that the public had no idea about," Waters said. "I don't really know how familiar our commission was... with the 2019 resolution that opened up a lot of sanctuary. We're not a sanctuary city, but we have sanctuary policies that somewhat control us.

"Mayor Girtz just came out and read that policy one evening and signed it," she continued. "He personally petitioned the U.S. State Department for us to become a refugee resettlement site. Nobody knew about that, so what does all this mean? How many people have we welcomed into our community and who are they?"

Girtz held a heated press conference following Riley's death last month when he reiterated that Athens is not a sanctuary city, adding that Georgia law doesn't allow for sanctuary cities. 

"There's been no legislation from this government that’s created sanctuary city status," he said.

Although the state doesn't allow cities to become sanctuaries for migrants, critics have pointed to a 2019 resolution in which the government welcomed "people from all lands and backgrounds," including illegal immigrants. Girtz signed the resolution in August 2019. 

He was repeatedly heckled during the heated press briefing, with protesters calling him a "liar" with "blood on your hands" and demanding his resignation.

"When you're standing on the outside looking in and talking with them at different chamber meetings... You don't think they're listening," Waters said. "And the way you get them to listen is to become a part of them... I want to be a part of the commission, so I can at least express my opinion and know that they are heard."

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