A Florida sheriff on July 1 vowed to deputize legal gun owners if chaotic protesters threaten to bring violence to his county as Black Lives Matter and related protests continue to sweep the nation following the death of Black American George Floyd.
“Yes, we’ll protect your constitutional rights as long as you remain under the umbrella of peaceful protest or peaceful march. But the second that you step out from under the protection of the constitutional, we will be waiting on you and we will give you everything you want—all the publicity, all the pain, all the glamour, and glory,” he said.
“If we can’t handle you, I’ll exercise the power and authority as the sheriff and I’ll make special deputies of every lawful gun owner in the county and I’ll deputize them to this one purpose: to stand in the gap between lawlessness and civility,” Daniels said on behalf of his officers.
Daniels did not give any indication in his video that any demonstrations are planned in his suburban Jacksonville county.
He is facing challenges from six opponents to retain his position in the upcoming election. Meanwhile, he has been alleged of having an affair with a co-worker in his previous job running the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office jails. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is currently investigating the allegations. Daniels, who is married, is also accused of ordering a deputy to falsely arrest the woman during an incident with himself and his wife.
Daniels said in his video that his message is a commitment to keeping the county safe.
“That’s what we were sworn to do and that’s what we’re gonna do,” he said. “You’ve been warned.”
Officers Trapped
His video message came a week after a Florida police chief said a situation he’s described as an ambush is one of a number of incidents that show people ostensibly protesting in recent weeks aren’t always peaceful.Nine officers responded to a reported shooting in Tampa in the early hours of June 20 but found no evidence that a shooting occurred, including no victim.
Officials describing the protests as entirely peaceful “are not depicting the whole story,” Tampa Police Chief Brian Duggan said last week.
“They’re leaving the portions out that fit their narrative. We’ve had police cars with smashed windows … looting, defacing property, and it’s just not getting out there,” he said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.”
Protests against police brutality and racial injustice have taken place across the United States since Floyd died in policy custody in Minneapolis on May 25. The four police officers involved in the arrest have been fired from the force. They were later charged with murder or aiding and abetting murder.
In some cases, violence, including destruction of businesses and assault on individuals, has accompanied the protests or occurred near them.