Sheriff Wayne Ivey of Brevard County, Florida, warned protesters who will take to the streets to express their dissent against the Trump administration that if activists become violent, they will be killed by the police.
“We will be notifying your family where to collect your remains, because we will kill you, graveyard dead”, the sheriff stated. His chilling warning came just hours before the “No Kings” demonstrations scheduled for Saturday, when a mega military parade for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. military will be staged in Washington to coincide with the president’s birthday.
Ivey’s dire statements come at the end of a difficult week that has seen dozens of American cities, including New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Denver, Seattle and Spokane, follow the example of Los Angeles and protest ICE’s increasingly frequent raids. In recent days, law enforcement has arrested about 900 protesters nationwide.
Sheriff Ivey told a press conference that if protestors resist lawful orders or block roads, “they would go to jail” and if they gather round a car they would “get run over and dragged across the street”.
“If you spit on us, you’re going to the hospital, then jail. If you hit one of us, you’re going to the hospital and jail, and most likely get bitten by one of our big, beautiful dogs that we have here”, he added. “If you throw a brick, a fire bomb, or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains, because we will kill you”.
“A core principle behind all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action”, the movement’s activists announced instead, ahead of Saturday’s event. “We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.”
