Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren had no venue to publicly comment on the protests happening at Kennesaw State.
What started as a peaceful protest became much more when Warren expressed his “shock” of “ill-informed students” to the Marietta Daily Journal, telling them that “KSU needs to get busy educating these students on more than just passing their classes. They need to learn all that the flag truly represents.”
As an elected official, Warren represents all of the people of Cobb County, some of whom may agree with those who were protesting. By taking a stance on such a politically hot subject, he further divides the constituents he represents.
Not only were the sheriff’s statements unwarranted, they are grossly misinformed. The KSU cheerleaders who kneeled at the Sept. 30 football game were protesting the injustices faced by people of color — injustices he, as a white man, cannot attest to.
To further the narrative that they were protesting people who fought for this country distracts from the actual issues black people face and oppresses their voices.
Despite numerous articulations of what these protests mean, there are those, like Warren, who say it is disrespecting the flag, the anthem and servicemen.
Yes, the cheerleaders were wearing official KSU uniforms during their protest. And yes, they are representative of KSU while in uniform, but they are also students that represent the student body on a daily basis.
People have every right to their opinions, including Warren. But, as a public figure, his commentary can be taken as a loose statement of policy or preference for one side over the other, which stands directly in the way of our “blind justice” system of governance.
In the aforementioned MDJ article, Warren claimed to have had a conversation with KSU President Sam Olens where he expressed his disdain for the actions of the cheerleaders, claiming that Olens “assured [him] that this will not happen again.”
Olens told The Sentinel that the conversation took place, but would not confirm whether or not any assurances were made. If this conversation directly influenced the university’s new policy of introducing the cheerleaders after the national anthem, it would not only be a gross violation of the KSU cheerleaders’ First Amendment rights but a continuation of the backdoor decision making that began Olens’ appointment.
These policies cannot continue. The removal of one’s prior-used venue of free speech, a move the Department of Athletics told The Sentinel was a part of game day restructuring, infringes on those First Amendment rights protected by the Constitution.
The police are meant to be a non-politicized portion of the government — here to enforce the laws that legislators put in the books. Making politicized statements, like Warren did, chips away at the trust the public has for the police to do their job without prejudice against people of certain races or ideologies. Warren should, at the very least, apologize for his statements.
The public must be able to trust the police not to impede on their first fundamental right. Without trust, there will be no rule of law.
The university is missing a prime opportunity to address the grievances of those who feel unheard. The university could improve the lives of those unheard. The students of KSU could bond together to fight injustice, and the citizens of this great nation could band together to make ourselves better.
Nick O’Neill is a junior finance major. If you would like to submit a guest opinion article, email opinioneditor@ksusentinel.com.
