DeKalb City Clerk again at center of controversial police comments: ‘A terrorist gang’

DeKALB – DeKalb City Clerk Sasha Cohen, a frequent and outspoken critic of law enforcement, is standing by comments he made this week about the DeKalb Police Department in response to online criticism.

On a DeKalb Police Department Facebook post Thursday announcing recent arrests related to one of the largest drug and weapons seizures in department history, Cohen criticized the department in a post, writing “Get [expletive] pigs.”

Cohen’s comments came under fire by several people online, though he told the Daily Chronicle this week he stands by them.

“The DeKalb Police Department is a terror organization,” Cohen said. “And it is my responsibility as an elected official to advocate for them [the residents] even when doing so necessitates being controversial or offensive.”

Online reaction spurred mixed debate, with some issuing harsh rebuke of the clerk’s sentiments and others supporting them. When asked to respond to the criticism Thursday, Cohen pointed to another social media post that appeared to include several responders who supported his opinions.

“I recognize that there are crimes with victims in which police work can result in prosecution of those who genuinely deserve it,” Cohen said. “However a police department is not the only way to serve justice, and we must look beyond the outdated norms to seek restorative justice in America.”

It’s not the first time Cohen – who’s about 14 months into his first elected role after he ran unopposed for the clerk’s office in 2021 – has made his opinions publicly known while serving an elected role.

“My directive as an elected official is to speak for the needs of my community, not to find common ground with a terrorist gang,” he said.

DeKalb city leaders have in the past issued criticism of their own over the clerk, lamenting a string of absences at public meetings which led to the DeKalb City Council in November appointing a city employee to serve as recording secretary in order to keep accurate record. Several aldermen at the time expressed concerns that Cohen was violating state law by failing to perform clerical duties as required, leading to incomplete city records.

When asked why he wanted to run for DeKalb city government when an arm of that government includes the police department, Cohen said he wanted to serve DeKalb residents.

“I wanted to run to represent my community, despite the fact that a large portion of the city government is run by people I find problematic,” Cohen said. “We should never shy away from fighting for what we believe is right.

“My directive as an elected official is to speak for the needs of my community, not to find common ground with a terrorist gang.”

When asked whether he believes the needs of the community include attending public meetings to take minutes – a responsibility of the city clerk until the DeKalb council appointed an employee last year – Cohen said he believes his presence at the meetings is redundant.

“The public is not served by duplication of work, and as they have chosen to appoint an unelected bureaucrat to record the minutes of meetings, I see my attendance as a use of time comparable to shouting at a brick wall,” Cohen said.

When asked to speak to his attendance record and minute-taking concerns, Cohen declined to comment further.

Appointment of the recording secretary came not before, but after months of inconsistent attendance by the clerk, however. The council said the appointment was needed due to Cohen’s infrequent attendance at public meetings between his swearing in in May 2021 and last winter, and inconsistence record taking when he was in charge of taking meeting minutes.

When asked whether he keeps regular office hours at city hall, Cohen said he doesn’t.

“I am available to any constituent who reaches out and can meet in person, via email or phone at any time,” Cohen said. “I will take office hours for the upcoming municipal election cycle to accept nominating petitions and challenges, but until then have not maintained regular hours, only by appointment.”