On June 8, the No Kings activist group released a statement on its website in response to Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles the day prior.
“People are peacefully and lawfully protesting the Administration’s abuses of power and the abduction of their neighbors by ICE,” No Kings said, “Instead of listening, the Trump Administration is escalating tensions. Against the guidance of local leaders, they are deploying military force to suppress free speech. They do not care about our safety—it’s about silencing opposition.”
On Thursday, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier spoke during a press conference before the nationwide protests on Friday.
“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,” Ivey said, “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.”
Florida officials warned that the state would not tolerate unrest.
“We are not California. We do not allow rioting in the state of Florida,” Uthmeier said.
There is little acknowledgement from Florida officials that protests in Los Angeles have been largely peaceful. The vast majority of arrests were for not complying when told to leave the area at the request of police.
On Friday, a federal appeals court temporarily suspended a judge’s ruling that had blocked the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard in Los Angeles.