A Florida sheriff used photographs to illustrate the difference between a peaceful protest and a riot during a press conference when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an “anti-rioting” bill.
“Peaceful protest we encourage,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Monday while showing a photo of people protesting.
“And more riot,” he then said, showing a photograph of a person standing in front of a fire.
“We can tell the difference, and I’ll guarantee you that you’ll be able to tell the difference if you come here and riot. If you come here and protest peacefully, we encourage that, ” he added.
Polk County, Florida, Sheriff Grady Judd shows a picture of a “peaceful protest” and a picture of a “riot.”
“We can tell the difference.
And I’ll guarantee you that you’ll be able to tell the difference if you come here and riot.”pic.twitter.com/cVWW6J7Wdr
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) April 19, 2021
The bill, which DeSantis signed Monday, will make it harder for local governments to strip funding from law enforcement departments and creates a minimum sentence for those convicted of assaulting police officers.
DeSantis described it as “the strongest anti-rioting, pro-law enforcement piece of legislation in the country.”
“We saw last summer some of the local governments were actually telling, not necessarily in Florida, but throughout the country, basically telling these folks to stand, telling police to stand down while cities burned, while businesses were burned, while people were being harmed,” he added. “That’s a dereliction of duty.”
Riots in cities across the country have continued into 2021, with Minneapolis bracing for more unrest once a verdict is reached on Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd last May.
Judd made headlines last year during the summer of unrest when he warned rioters that residents will “blow you back out of the house with their guns” if they came to his county.
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“I would tell them, if you value your life, they probably shouldn’t do that in Polk County. Because the people of Polk County like guns. They have guns. I encourage them to own guns, and they’re going to be in their homes tonight with their guns loaded, and if you try to break into their homes to steal, to set fires, I’m highly recommending they blow you back out of the house with their guns. So, leave the community alone,” he said.
