Florida Sheriff Whips Out Cue Cards To Educate Media on Difference Between Riots and Protests
It’s hard to erase the image of MSNBC’s Ali Velshi telling viewers that the Minneapolis riots were “not generally speaking unruly” as an out-of-control fire raged in the background.
MSNBC reporter just now: “I want to be clear on how I characterize this. This is mostly a protest. It is not generally speaking unruly.”
The guy is literally standing in front of a burning building in the middle of a riot. pic.twitter.com/IzCV6On4sF
— Kelb Hull (@CalebJHull) May 29, 2020
Since the May 25 death of George Floyd, many on the left have been unwilling to acknowledge the violence that has swept the country. They’ve provided cover for the rioters, and in some cases, they’ve even cheered on the looters.
On Monday, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference in Winter Haven to announce a new bill entitled the “Combating Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act.”
The legislation is intended to defund cities that defund police and to establish what DeSantis referred to as “clear and predictable penalties” for those who participate in violent assemblies.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd addressed reporters gathered at the event to deliver a message of his own. Lest there be no confusion, the no-nonsense sheriff used visual aids to educate reporters on the difference between riots and protests.
Judd began by praising DeSantis’ efforts to crack down on lawlessness.
“And in this state, there’s a 49-year low crime rate. That doesn’t just happen,” he told reporters. “It doesn’t happen when you listen to a handful of people who think we ought to let criminals out of jail.
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“I can tell you folks, so that there’s no misunderstanding today, this is a peaceful protest,” Judd added, placing a photograph of what appeared to be a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest on the podium.
Placing the second photo, which showed a raging fire, next to the first one, he explained: “This is a riot. We can tell the difference. The governor can tell the difference. Our law enforcement officers can tell the difference.”
Presenting reporters with two new photos — one of a peaceful protest, and one of a person with his hands full of apparently looted goods — the sheriff continued: “In the event you didn’t get that, let me show you something. This is a peaceful protest. This is looting.
“If you loot, the next thing you can try to steal is something off of your food tray at the county jail. Because you’re going to jail. That’s a guarantee. And we’re going to enjoy taking you down there.”
He went on to introduce a third pair of pictures.
“Some people are slow learners,” Judd said, eliciting chuckles from the officials standing next to him.
“This is peaceful protest,” he said, referring to the first photo.
“This is violence,” he added in reference to an image of a man trying to damage a car. “It’s not acceptable. I truly believe in our God-given right, in our constitutional right, to speak openly and freely, to address our government. That’s important. We listen every day.”
From the moment Donald Trump appeared on the national stage as a viable presidential candidate, the establishment media coalesced against him. Suddenly, it became acceptable for journalists to not only “tweak” the truth, which they’d always done, but to lie and in some cases to create their own versions of events.
The establishment media has collectively abdicated their responsibility to report the news. Instead, they see their job as shaping the news to support the liberal agenda, and they call on Americans to ignore what we can plainly see with our own eyes.
It’s refreshing to see Sheriff Judd call them out on it.
And the sheriff wasn’t finished.
“I’ve also watched across this country when law enforcement officers who put their life on the line were told to stand down, allow them to burn the precinct, allow them to rob and loot,” he said. “You have no idea, Governor, and [Republican Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Chris Sprowls], and [Republican President of the Florida Senate Wilton Simpson], how proud we are of you just being here and saying, ‘We’re going to introduce this legislation.’ But just being here and saying that you support us.”
Judd went on to offer more praise for law enforcement.
“The men and women of law enforcement that write you a ticket today will stand in front of a bullet for you tonight. The men and women of law enforcement, who you throw a brick at today, will jump in a river to keep you from drowning tonight,” he said.
“I want you to remember that. We’re not the enemies. We’re your friend. We’re your friend when you don’t have any friends. We’re the ones that make a positive difference in your life when nobody else will help. We’re the ones that every time you dial 911, we respond.”
Kudos to this decent man who is unafraid to speak the truth.
This is not the first time Judd has spoken out boldly against violence.
After hearing that agitators planned “to take their criminal conduct into the neighborhoods,” he issued a clear warning to rioters and looters.
Judd put potential perpetrators on notice at a June 1 news conference, saying, “We are going to hunt you down and lock you up if you engage in any criminal conduct,” according to CBS News.
“I would tell them, if you value your life, you probably shouldn’t do that in Polk County,” Judd said.
“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.”
“The people in Polk County like guns, they have guns, I encourage them to own guns… 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.” STORY: https://t.co/NjG4Frlphy pic.twitter.com/KH0g3X0POC
— FOX 13 Tampa Bay (@FOX13News) June 1, 2020
If I were a rioter or a looter, I would take this man at his word.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
