Ladies and gentlemen,
I was here as a support to the chief.
Our deputies were here
as supports to the Chief.
Clearly and unequivocally,
as a law enforcement community,
we want to say first and foremost
that the death of George in
Minneapolis at the hands of that
police officer was outrageous.
Had that police officer done
here what he did there,
he would have been locked up
in the County jail by sundown.
But mean Annapolis is not Polk County.
Atlanta is not Polk County.
Los Angeles is not Polk County and I want
to say unequivocally that the community
here has been absolutely, totally wonderful.
The protest at Munn Park. Is a good thing.
People have the right to express themselves.
And we expect them to do
that in a peaceful manner.
But please understand.
Let there be no misunderstanding.
At all. That if you come here.
To riot. Talut to injure people.
We're going to lock you up in
the County jail before quick and
it's not one agency or the other,
but it's all of us working together.
Now I want to show you the picture.
That
I brought today this.
Is an organized rioter.
This person did not come to
Lakeland yesterday to exercise
his First Amendment rights.
If you notice and pay close attention.
This guy has a professional mask on.
Professional clothes that are clearly
designed to sell out. Pepper spray.
Or any chemical agents. This person.
Was here to create problems.
Our local police officers and
deputies said we notice cars without
a County and out of state plates.
We saw that the antagonist that
were at Florida in the Boulevard,
the ones that were generating
the energy were not.
Our local folks.
They came here to do nothing
but create problems with the
differences. We're not going to
accept that in this community.
I want to show you this picture.
To see the guy standing on top of the car.
This red car, supposedly.
Bumped into or hit a protester.
Standing in the middle of the road.
We still don't know who that protester is.
The city police have said
over and over and over.
If you were the victim.
If you were hit,
come forward and will investigate.
There is no victim.
But the man standing on the top of
this car with the windows smashed in
is not a protester. He's a rioter.
That's evil and it's criminal and it's wrong.
Even if the person in the vehicle.
Intentionally struck.
The victim, you still don't
respond with this kind of conduct.
But at the end of the day,
there's not even a victim of this alleged
person that was hit by the red car,
which apparently was caught up.
And may very well have been fearful
for their life and was simply
trying to get out of the way.
But we don't know that.
'cause we don't have the other side of
the story from that particular victim.
Come forward,
Ann will investigate.
But this is unacceptable. And
will not will not have it.
In addition to Lakeland last night.
There was information that we were
going to come under attack at Posner
Park in the area of I4 and 27.
And about 8:00 PM.
Well, as you can very well
understand that we had resources
there an A very few cars showed up.
When they showed up, we were there first.
And we stopped that few cars.
We made one arrest.
Several cars fled.
The Highway Patrol did a marvelous job,
absolute marvelous job,
and they chased down and arrested a few more.
But the message is clear.
You come here to peaceably
assemble and protest.
We're going to make sure that we protect
your constitutional right to do that,
and we encourage it.
But for those that want
to come in stealthily.
Among those wonderful people who were
simply making their position known.
The ones that tried to infiltrate
we're going to hunt you down.
And lock you up.
If you engage in any criminal conduct.
Now before I turn it over
to two of our community.
Folks. That I have known.
If you look at this community, you said.
Of Lakeland,
you say who is responsible for leaving
it better than they found it when they came?
It's certainly Reverend Arthur Johnson.
And Don Brown before I have them speak,
let me tell you that under the
power of the Sheriff,
we're going to extend the curfew
one more night.
Will begin at 8:00 PM this evening.
And it will last until 5:00 in the morning.
The reason for that is clear.
We've had criminal conduct afoot.
We've had citizen's injured.
We've had when a window is broken.
And we've had other attempts at
assaulting law enforcement officers and
assaulting buildings that we repelled.
And there are curfews in other communities,
and certainly we don't want to create a
vacuum for people to come here when the
when there's a curfew in another area.
I've spoken with the mayor of Lakeland
and the chairman of the Board of County
Commissioners and shared with them that
under the authority of the Sheriff,
Constitutional Authority of the Sheriff,
that I would extend still
one more night that curfew.
Make no misunderstanding if you're coming
home from work or you trying to get to work,
or you need to go to the hospital.
This curfew is not for you.
It's for those lawless people.
That would wreak havoc in the communities.
We've also received information on
social media now, first and foremost.
I don't accept or on face
value anything in social media,
but we have received information
and social media that some of the.
Criminals were going to take their
criminal conduct into the neighborhoods.
I would tell them if you value your life,
you probably shouldn't do that
in Polk County.
Because the people of Polk County like guns.
They have guns.
I encouraged 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.
And we'll do our best to support
the community.
But ladies and gentlemen,
make no mistake about it.
All of that ugliness has taken away
from what we were united about.
Were united about.
The conduct that you saw with George where
he is life was taken with a knee to the neck.
Is horrific and there's not
enough words to explain that.
Let's keep the focus.
On that.
Let's keep the focus on him as a victim.
On and on our need to not only be
accountable as professional law
enforcement agencies across this country,
but for the community to also
help us be account.