Local pastors, civil rights leaders and community activists continue to show their support for the Kennesaw State University cheerleaders who knelt during the national anthem at a football game back in September of this year.
A press conference was held in order to show solidarity with the cheerleaders, students and faculty who 'took a knee' to protest the continued police brutality and injustice going on across the country.
This press conference will also present a community response to the Board of Regents' investigation into KSU's president, Sam Olens, and his 'ethical and legal violations of students' rights, his disregard for the orders of the Regents, and his collusion and cover up of the same with Sheriff Neal Warren and State Representative Earl Ehrhart."
The president of the SCLC, Ben Williams, responded to the investigations into the KSU president and whether or not the cheerleaders were treated unfairly,
“Oh absolutely. There is no question at all about that. Not only is that my sentiment, but also, there is broad support for that sentiment.”
“We represent, if you will, a larger body of folk, who really have come to grips with understanding that the injustice around this thing is really, extremely pregnant.”
Williams also expressed what he felt needs to be done in order to remedy the issue,
“Well, the key thing that, not only the students need to know but also the larger community needs to know, that there the current president has proven to be unfit to lead this institution. He, as the former chief state law enforcement officer, was indeed complicit in and illegal act that violated the first amendment rights which are precious to all of us. And that is our right to free speech. He was complicit in trying to punish them for simply exercising the right to peacefully assemble and to exercise their right to free speech.”
“I think that we have come to agreement on. He is unfit to serve. And he should, as a first act of really bringing this campus back together, should resign or the Board of Regents should remove him as president of this institution.”
Rich Pellegrino, the Field Director for the Cobb SCLC agreed with Williams' sentiments,
“President Olens has a pattern of collusion, and by the way it was very appropriate to have prayer here today because what we’re talking about are both ethical as well as legal violations. So, President Olens has a pattern of collusion with cronies in the Cobb community, not excluding Sheriff Warren and State Representative Earl Ehrhart. Not only in this matter, which has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt by emails gathered by the AJC and others, media outlets, the fact that this whole event, this whole suppression of first amendment rights of the student would not have taken place unless he was pressured by external forces and allowed those forces to control his actions on this campus. Which in it of itself is a reason for his removal or resignation.”
