Florida sheriff makes clear to radicals that riots won't go their way: 'We will kill you'
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey made abundantly clear to radicals during a press conference on Thursday that Florida handles rioters a whole lot differently than authorities on the West Coast, underscoring that violence will be met with violence, and the odds are not in radicals' favor.
Sheriff Ivey, flanked by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, noted at the outset that Americans are moving to the Sunshine State in record numbers, in part, "because they know their families will be safe here, their businesses will be safe. They won't have to contend with what we're seeing in places like Los Angeles and New York and Chicago."
Ivey indicated that this coveted safety is the result, in part, of Florida law enforcement's approach to crime and the state AG's support for law enforcement.
'We will be notifying one of your family members where to collect your remains.'
Uthmeier announced Thursday that violence and intimidation against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will not be tolerated and indicated he had directed the Florida Highway Patrol to partner with federal law enforcement to ensure that Florida-based federal agents doxxed by radicals have a direct line of communication with local FHP leadership. The Florida AG also instructed FHP to have troopers conduct routine welfare checks on doxxed agents' residences to ensure their safety and the safety of their families.
"Border Patrol and ICE agents enforcing immigration law deserve protection from leftists trying to harm them," Uthmeier said in a statement. "If the left doxxes these agents, we will have their backs. Whether you make the poor choice to riot or publish an agent’s personal information online to bring harm, you are committing a crime in Florida. We will find you and hold you accountable."
Sheriff Ivey noted that peaceful protest is welcome and "part of our democracy" and that peaceful protesters will enjoy the protection of law enforcement.
"If you let it turn violent, hoo," continued Ivey. "You do not want to do that in Brevard County."
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Photo by BENJAMIN HANSON/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
"If you resist lawful orders, you're going to jail. Let me be very clear about that. If you block an intersection or a roadway in Brevard County, you are going to jail. If you flee arrest, you are going to go to jail tired because we are going to run you down," continued the sheriff. "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 most likely going to get run over and dragged across the street. If you spit on us, you are going to the hospital and then jail. If you hit one of us, you are going to the hospital and jail — and most likely, get bitten by one of our big, beautiful dogs."
Ivey kept working his way down his list of promises, adding, "If you throw a brick, a firebomb, or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying one of your family members where to collect your remains at because we will kill you, graveyard dead. We're not going to play."
'We must stand for law and order.'
The sheriff expressed disgust over the attacks on law enforcement further afield, especially the attacks on ICE agents in Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's California.
"Go protest all you want. Do it peacefully," said Ivey. "But don't you dare break the law."
There are a handful of "No Kings" uprisings planned for Saturday in Brevard County. The protests, championed by billionaire Walmart heiress Christy Walton and backed by numerous radical groups and NGOs, are billed as a "response to the increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration."
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in an interview Tuesday that his state has taken a decidedly different approach to illegal aliens and leftist violence than California.
"California under [Newsom's] leadership is the Shangri-la of sanctuary states. They invite illegals in. They pay for their health care. They give them in-state tuition. Obviously, they don't cooperate with ICE, but they're taking it to a whole new level," said DeSantis. "The governor of California and the mayor — part of it's ineptitude, but part of it's by design — are actually siding with the people who are creating the unrest."
"We must stand for law and order," stated DeSantis.
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Why did unhinged LA minivan driver do 'street takeover' donuts amid rioting and get pelted by protesters?
Among the many unsettling scenes from the anti-ICE riots Sunday in Los Angeles was a nighttime clip showing a minivan driver doing "street takeover" donuts at an intersection — and protesters pelting the vehicle.
Afterward, the driver bolted from the scene and went on a high-speed rampage.
One of the KTLA commentators reporting as part of the station's live coverage guessed that the driver of the minivan may have stolen it and was going on a 'joyride' of sorts.
Blaze News has reported extensively on street takeovers — when lawless people gather at predetermined intersections and watch while participants perform dangerous donuts and hold up traffic in the process. Street takeovers seem to have been occurring around the country with greater frequency over the last several years.
The question is: What was up with the driver? Whose "side" was the motorist on?
Given all the calamity rioters were causing, viewers may have assumed — at first, at least — that the minivan motorist was with the rioters, just out for a bit of bravado as his comrades gathered 'round to watch.
But that didn't seem to be the case.
If anything, the flag-waving folks near the donut driver didn't appear to be on his side at all. In fact, a close-up video from @BGOnTheScene shows the crowd at Main and Alameda repeatedly pelting the minivan with what appeared to be pieces of brick or cinderblock — around 20 times in total — before the driver speeds away.
Many commenters under the KABC-TV video capturing the chaos believed the motorist and the protesters were on opposing sides — and that the driver had a right to be angry at them:
- "The part the Communists won't tell you here is the van driver was on his way home from work and was done with being blocked by terrorists waiving [sic] Mexican flags," one commenter opined. "He probably honked at them and they pelted him with rocks. Frankly, I can't blame him, and I hope he sues."
- "The rioters were throwing and vandalizing this person's vehicle!" another user wrote. "So [the person] did what they needed to do to get them away from their vehicle!"
- "I hope the driver is OK," another commenter wrote. "I am sure it is terrifying being surrounded by gang members throwing bricks at you."
- "Looks like self defense to me," another commenter said.
Whatever the driver's motive in the intersection, his high-speed rampage that followed was much more of a head-scratcher.
KTLA-TV reported that the driver — dressed in a pair of shorts and shoes — drove "erratically throughout downtown, taking corners at high speeds, running at least one red light and nearly hitting pedestrians."
One of the KTLA commentators reporting as part of the station's live coverage guessed that the driver of the minivan may have stolen it and was going on a "joyride" of sorts. The motorist next appeared to drive toward a group of protesters, stopped short of them, and then drove backward down a street. He soon encountered more protesters, who threw more objects at him. One of the commentators believed the driver might be intoxicated and appeared to be set on continually going after protesters and "looking for a target."
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The KTLA helicopter continued to follow the speeding minivan motorist before he parked it, exited, appeared to shake out broken glass from a shirt or jacket, and then walked over to another vehicle — to which he appeared to have the keys, as lights went on as he approached the second vehicle — and opened two of its doors and threw in his shirt or jacket.
Soon, members of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department drove up and arrested the driver, KTLA reported.
LAPD's Central Division noted that the driver "is now in custody. Multiple charges to follow."
Police on Monday afternoon didn't immediately reply to Blaze News' questions regarding what charges the motorist is facing or what may have been his motive.
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State Department issues worldwide caution to US citizens; embassy in Lebanon tells Americans to flee
The U.S. State Department issued an alert Thursday afternoon advising Americans worldwide to "exercise increased caution." Extra to this general warning, U.S. citizens in Lebanon have been told by the embassy in Beirut to hightail it out of the country if possible.
In its announcement, the State Department said that Americans abroad should "stay alert in locations frequented by tourists"; "enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive information and alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency overseas"; and "follow the Department of State" on social media.
The reasons given for this worldwide caution were increased tensions, the potential for terrorist attacks, and "demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests."
The State Department has recommended that U.S. citizens should especially exercise vigilance if located inEgypt, Iraq, Muscat, Oman, and America's supposed NATO ally Turkey.
These warnings come nearly a week after the State Department told travelers headed to Israel, the West Bank, or Gaza to "maintain a high degree of situational awareness[,] exercise caution at all times" and to identify the "location of the nearest bomb shelter."
The risk to westerners appears to have grown in Arab nations in recent days, as evidenced by the swarming of American, Israeli, French, and British embassies, reported the Telegraph.
Within hours of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi stating, "The flames of the U.S.-Israeli bombs, dropped this evening on the Palestinian victims injured at the ... hospital in Gaza, will soon consume the Zionists," hordes gathered outside the British and French embassies in Iran, with some chanting "death to France and England."
Amid threats of fire farther afield, rioters in Beirut nearly set the U.S. embassy ablaze. Palestinian flag-waving and stone-throwing rioters managed to torch a neighboring building, but U.S. embassy spokesman Jake Nelson later indicated that "embassy personnel and facilities remain secure and undamaged," reported Reuters.
The New York Post indicated police had to deploy tear gas to disperse the rioters, but not before one demonstrator could scale the outer fence to attach a Palestinian flag to the embassy's flagpole.
The U.S. Embassy in Beirut updated its travel advisory for Lebanon Wednesday, stressing, "Do not travel."
"We urge U.S. citizens not to travel to Lebanon. We recommend that U.S. citizens in Lebanon make appropriate arrangements to leave the country; commercial options currently remain available," the embassy noted on X. "We recommend that U.S. citizens who choose not to depart prepare contingency plans for emergency situations. ... U.S. citizens who need assistance should contact the U.S. Embassy in Beirut at BeirutACS@state.gov or +961-4-543-600."
For Americans whose confidence wasn't shaken after the Biden administration's botched Afghanistan withdrawal, the embassy further underscored the need to "have plans to depart that do not rely on the U.S. government."
The trigger for the latest anti-Western hostilities was the accusation by the Hamas-run Gazan Health Ministry that Israel had bombed the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza and killed hundreds.
Various Western media outfits helped stoke the fire by parroting the terrorist-linked ministry's claims, which have since been discredited. The New York Times, for instance, ran a front-page story entitled, "Israeli Strike Kills Hundreds in Hospital, Palestinians Say."
The New York Times has since reported that American officials have since come to agree with Israel's assessment that the Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Islamic Jihad had launched a missile that malfunctioned.
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Minneapolis City Council to pay out $50,000 each to 12 people allegedly injured when police tried to restore order amidst BLM riots
The city of Minneapolis is going to pay $50,000 each to 12 people allegedly injured by police amidst the protests and violent BLM riots that swept the nation in 2020, resulting in billions of dollars in damage and between six and 20 homicides.
This payout is the result of an October agreement between the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota and the city, approved by the city council on Oct. 20 and by Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey six days later.
The agreement was accepted by a federal judge on Wednesday.
In addition to the $600,00 payment, numerous so-called reforms were also agreed to, limiting police's ability to maintain order in the event of future supposedly peaceful protests.
What are the details?
Reuters reported that 12 plaintiffs, 11 Minnesotans and one former Iowa resident, allegedly suffered various injuries including bruising from nonlethal munitions, "psychological trauma," and lingering respiratory issues resultant of police officers' use of tear gas.
The ACLU suggested that the use of these nonlethal tactics "has chilled their desire to protest in the future."
According to the Star Tribune, among the so-called protesters were former NAACP Minneapolis chapter president Nekima Levy Armstrong, her husband, Marques Armstrong, and Hennepin Healthcare's Dr. Max Fraden.
With the help of the ACLU, these individuals filed a class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Minnesota against the city of Minneapolis, police Chief Medaria Arradondo, police union head Bob Kroll, and others.
The suit claimed that police had targeted members of the rabble, who were allegedly peacefully protesting, and further alleged that officers used unnecessary and excessive force.
TheBlaze previously reported that the plaintiffs were part of a mob that illegally shut down I-35 on a west-side bridge on May 31, 2020, "and then surrounded a trucker and almost lynched him."
So-called protesters can be seen attempting to yank the truck driver out and stomp him in this video:
RAW: Protestor captures moment semi plowed into large crowd on I-35W in Minneapolis youtu.be
Miles Kipper, a man in the crowd who rushed in to protect the driver, told KARE11, "It felt very much like an angry scrum with a team of really angry people punching and kicking and screaming bloody murder."
In an effort to save the life of the trucker upon whom violent onlookers descended, police utilized riot control techniques to disperse the crowd.
It is now unclear if police would be able to attempt such a life-saving intervention in the future.
The settlement requires that Minneapolis prohibit police from using physical force and from deploying chemical agents, foam projectiles, and concussion grenades against so-called peaceful protesters. Furthermore, according to the ACLU, the agreement prohibits the city from arresting or threatening to arrest demonstrators.
The Star Tribune reported that in the first few days of so-called "peaceful protests" in Minneapolis, the Third Precinct was torched and heavily vandalized along with a U.S. Post Office. Over 700 buildings were ultimately destroyed and 1,500 buildings were vandalized.
The Major Cities Chiefs Association indicated that during the riots, over 2,000 law enforcement officers had been injured.
Plaintiff Jordan Meyer stated, "I hope other police departments across the country see this outcome and proactively adopt these same policies and standards."
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January 6 protester gets 17 years in PRISON while violent BLM rioters walk away unscathed
When someone is sentenced to 17 years in prison, naturally you assume they must have committed some violent atrocity.
But when it comes to Proud Boys leader Joe Biggs, that’s far from the case.
Yesterday Biggs was sentenced to seventeen years behind bars “for seditious conspiracy on January 6, 2021 at the Capitol.”
What exactly did Biggs do that day? Murder someone? Assault police officers? Incite mass violence?
Far from it.
Sara Gonzales plays a clip showing Biggs pulling down a piece of temporary fencing and then videoing himself afterward with his friends celebrating the feat as “a day in infamy.”
“To be clear, all of that was wrong,” says Sara, “and he should have been charged with something and held accountable, but seditious conspiracy?”
“According to the United States Code, here is the definition of seditious conspiracy: if two or more persons in any state or territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspired to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States or by force to seize, take or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be defined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.”
“This is what Joe Biggs did: he didn't touch anything in the Capitol, he didn't break anything in the Capitol, he didn't steal anything in the Capitol; he used the bathroom, washed his hands, found a police officer, asked him how the hell do I get out of here, and left after the cop showed him the way out,” recounts Sara.
“I'd be willing to take this more seriously if the government had shown any of this law-and-order energy for any of the Black Lives Matters protesters burning down cities, burning down cop cars, looting Louis Vuittons. Not only did they not get sentenced severely, they just got their charges dropped – like poof, nothing ever happened,” she rants.
“But if you're a white conservative who's ever worn a red hat in your life, they want you to know that if they want to manipulate the law to throw you in jail for as long as they want, that’s exactly what they will do.”
“They're making an example – it's the scare tactic,” says Jaco Booyens.
“They own the mechanism to define those words and also the enforcement of it; we're just completely on the back foot,” adds John Doyle.
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