ATLANTA, GA — A sheriff in Florida threatened his community on Thursday, stating that if any protesters get violent or break the law, they will be killed.
"We will kill you graveyard dead," said Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey during an "anti-riot" press conference alongside Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
"No Kings" protests have been planned across the country for June 14, coinciding with a military parade scheduled in Washington to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. It's also President Donald Trump's birthday.
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"Peaceful protests are part of our democracy," said Ivey. "The key word in that is 'peaceful.'"
Brevard County is located on the eastern coast of central Florida and is the tenth most populated county in the state, according to census data.
"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're going to go to jail tired because we're gonna run you down and put you in jail. 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," said Ivey. "If you spit on us, you're going to the hospital and 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. 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 at because we will kill you graveyard dead. We're not gonna play."
Ivey emphasized that Florida will not allow the "attacks" on law enforcement allegedly seen in California during multiple days of protests against raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Those protests spread to other cities, like Chicago, Dallas and Louisville, Kentucky.
"We are not California. We do not allow rioting in the state of Florida," said Uthmeier.
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