'We can't pull it off': Florida sheriff says he can't muster security for GOP convention

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

The sheriff of Jacksonville, Fla., said he can’t provide security for the Republican National Convention because of a lack of clear plans, adequate funding and enough law enforcement officers.

“As we're talking today, we are still not close to having some kind of plan that we can work with that makes me comfortable that we're going to keep that event and the community safe,” Duval County Sheriff Mike Williams told POLITICO.

“It’s not my event to plan, but I can just tell you that what has been proposed in my opinion is not achievable right now ... from a law enforcement standpoint, from a security standpoint.”

The controversy deals one of the biggest potential blows to Trump’s decision to hold an in-person nominating convention during a pandemic. The proposal has already been beset by concerns over safety and reports of high-profile Republicans declining to attend.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/20/florida-sheriff-gop-convention-security-373089

[rzemanfl]

1. A bunch of Repukes without adequate

security? What could possibly go wrong?

[NurseJackie]

14. I don't know. Let's try it and find out.

[NonPC]

33. I Second the Motion

Absolutely. Might thin out the herd a bit.

[TeamPooka]

17. I say let them convene and get together. Let them shout and breathe on each other all day

Let every prominent Republican be there and breathe in the conservationism and Covid.
But that's just me....

[lagomorph777]

18. And then lock the doors from the outside.

[davsand]

20. Can they be nailed shut?

Asking for a friend.

[Thekaspervote]

2. Bawwahwahwahwah! Good for the safety of the people of Jacksonville

[Miguelito Loveless]

3. Trump can send in his Gestapo goons from Portland

to deal with any unruly conventioneers.

[Iliyah]

7. Yep . . .

t-rump can send in his secret police . .

[PatSeg]

9. That was my first thought

and he'll probably do just that. Good for the authoritarian image he's trying to project to his brain-dead base.

[2naSalit]

22. Exactly...

I was waiting for this one. Calling Erik Prince.

[lark]

26. I bet he is planning on sending us other ones, leaving those where they are.

He wants to look tough and thinks this will do it. Of course, Jax and FL are run by repugs, so maybe he won't try to destroy our city? I know I will not be going anywhere near there at night when his thugs will come out. My sister and I have agreed that if we are in town, we will protest in the daytime, wearing masks and socially distancing.

[pandr32]

30. Now there's a plan

[keithbvadu2]

4. Dotard can send his secret police. Such great optics. BIGLY!

[Kaiserguy]

34. They would look even better

if they all got nice Brown Shirts to wear just like the real Nazi goons did.

[yellowcanine]

5. I am sure the Trump/Barr Gestapo would be available to help out.

[Jose Garcia]

6. Funding shouldn't be a problem if Trump is as rich as he claims to be

[fleur-de-lisa]

37. He never spends his own money (if he even has any.)

The rubes pay for it.

[CaptYossarian]

8. They'll have to deal with hookers and blow, Kid Rock, and a bunch of Russians.

In other words, the Moral Majority.

[SergeStorms]

25. And if Kid Rock is there....

Pamela Anderson can't be far behind! Jacksonville just can't handle that shit.

[CaptYossarian]

38. A round of Penicillin on me.

They'll need it.

[SergeStorms]

43. She has...

antibiotic resistant STDs. Best go in with full personal protective gear, respirator included. Kid Rock. Poor little rich boy rebelling against "the man". Save me, please!

[mcar]

10. This is perfect

[matt819]

11. Republicans just can't say it

The sheriff is a republican. And, yes, his comments reflect a solid grounding in the reality-based universe. But he can't help but waffle.
Per the article, he wouldn’t definitively say that there is no way the event could be held. But he said he had grave doubts about it, especially in an era of heightened protests concerning police use of force.

Maybe it's because he's a republican. Maybe he just doesn't want to admit that his department can't deal with this event safely. And it's not really his decision. But leaving that opening is going to be his downfall.

[3Hotdogs]

12. What's security gonna be needed for?

Ain't nobody gonna go to the convention.

[Chainfire]

13. Desantis will probably find a reason to can the sheriff

and replace him with someone with a more "can do" attitude......

[Phoenix61]

16. Sheriff is an elected official. Nothing DeSantis can do. nt

[Chainfire]

44. Nothing new to replace a sheriff:

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Broward Sheriff Scott Israel has been replaced by former Coral Springs Police Sgt. Gregory Tony, who has an extensive background in active shooter training. "Sheriff Israel has repeatedly failed and has demonstrated a pattern of poor leadership," DeSantis said in a statement.Jan 11, 2019

[Roc2020]

15. I lived in Jacksonville for 3yrs

I can't think of any outdoor venue that could safely hold such an event. They can try Jaguar Stadium but that's a tough logistic and the Jax Landing is too small.

[Fritz Walter]

24. The Landing is gone. A vacant expanse on the riverfront now.

And good riddance!

The "TIAA bank field" (Jaguar Stadium)? In late August? Sure, why not? Let the pale-as-ghosts MAGAts get 2nd-degree sunburn. Unless, of course, a tropical weather system decides to dump torrents of rain and throw gale-force winds at them. Either way, what else could go wrong?


Not so concerned about the MAGAts, but rather about the hospitality workers, civil servants, their kith-and-kin and others who will be exposed to these disease vectors.

[Roc2020]

40. the landing is gone??

man downtown jax must feel like a ghost town now. Yeah didn't think that stadium was a good site either.

[NCjack]

19. Jacksonville's best play is to cancel. Trump plans to stiff them with the bill.

[lark]

27. The mayor is staunch repug and he 100% will not cancel drumpf's show.

They are so stupid they don't care if they get bilked, they will just take more money from the public schools.

[mysteryowl]

21. Now is their chance to bring their guns!

They can provide their own security. If one starts shooting though.... well, it might not work that well.

[SergeStorms]

23. Oh no!

If the divisions of well trained and Soros funded Antifa soldiers get wind of this Jacksonville is history!



--TO ALL LURKERS, THIS IS A JOKE!--

[marybourg]

28. I'm enjoying this thread!

[nilram]

29. Only Putin can save them now

Trump couldn’t organize his way out of a paper bag.

[chriscan64]

31. Meanwhile...

Dems say let's do remote to be safe and everyone says okay. No drama.

[grantcart]

32. Another thing Trump doesn't know anything about

The advance security work for a convention takes months.

Every tenant in a high rise has to be checked for background

Every foot has to be sanitized a month before and every package and person checked after that

Every sewer lid has in the security zone has to be welded shut.

Hundreds of street cameras need to be installed.

Hundreds of hours training for thousands of police and civil service workers that will be used in various capacities.

When Trump announced he was moving it I told a d it will never happen.

He really is an uneducated doofus.

[erronis]

35. If there not enough protestors, they'll manufacture their own. They'll create havoc for the show

It's not like Jacksonville is a top golf venue for trump anyway.

The forewarned (r)s will not attend. The ones that are there are expendable.

Bring in the militarized thugs to "protect" the convention. Then bring in the artificial protestors threatening the (r)s.

Mayhem ensues. Emergency orders are issued. Sounds like a non-reality T.V. show by a failed barker.

[OMGWTF]

36. Maybe Shitler's Goon Squad in Portland can help.

[Xolodno]

39. Doesn't help when Trump also...

...stiffs you on the bill.

[Sherman A1]

41. Pardon me for a moment

[TexasBushwhacker]

42. What a waste of time and money

There is no point in an in-person convention for either party. The candidates have already been decided.