A sheriff in Florida delivered a blunt warning on Thursday to any individuals contemplating violence during upcoming “No Kings” protests, stating that assaults on law enforcement officers would be met with lethal force.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey’s uncompromising message comes as law enforcement agencies nationwide brace for potential unrest tied to Saturday’s anti-President Donald Trump demonstrations.
The “No Kings” protests, organized by an anti-Trump group, are advertised as a “day of defiance” to “reject authoritarianism” and “show what democracy really looks like.” However, recent riots in Los Angeles and New York City, characterized by property destruction, assaults on officers, and the use of incendiary devices, have heightened concerns among authorities.
Ivey made it unequivocally clear that Brevard County would have zero tolerance for any behavior that jeopardizes law enforcement or leads to destruction.
“If you resist lawful orders, you’re going to jail,” Ivey stated. “If you block an intersection or a roadway in Brevard County, you are going to jail. If you flee arrest, you’re gonna go to jail tired because we are going to run you down and put you in jail.”
He continued with increasingly severe warnings: “If you try to mob rule a car in Brevard County, gathering around it, refusing to let the driver leave in our county, you’re gonna get run over and dragged across the street. If you spit on us, you are going to the hospital and then to jail. If you hit one of us, you’re going to the hospital and jail and likely will get bitten by one of our big, beautiful dogs we have here.”
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Sheriff Ivey’s most potent threat was reserved for those who would escalate to extreme violence.
“If you throw a brick, a firebomb, or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at. Because we will kill you, graveyard dead,” he declared. “We’re not going to play.”
The sheriff’s strong words are a direct response to the escalating violence seen in Los Angeles, where riots have erupted following Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that resulted in the arrest of over 100 undocumented immigrants convicted of serious crimes. In Los Angeles, rioters have burned cars, vandalized property, assaulted police, and thrown Molotov cocktails and fireworks. Emiliano Garduno-Galvez, a Mexican national, is facing murder charges in connection with a Molotov cocktail thrown at ICE agents. Additionally, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have been targeted with rocks, resulting in injuries.
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Florida officials have previously issued warnings, indicating that anyone attempting to riot in the state could face arrest or even be killed if violence is committed. President Trump has deployed at least 2,000 National Guard troops and approximately 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles to quell the unrest, a move that California attempted to block with a lawsuit, though a federal judge temporarily rejected the state’s bid.
Anti-Trump and anti-ICE graffiti, including “Fuck ICE, Trumps A Lame,” has appeared in Los Angeles, and businesses have boarded up windows in anticipation of further unrest. New York City has also experienced anti-ICE riots, leading to dozens of arrests on charges including disorderly conduct.
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