![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/riot-1024x647.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhen it is deemed necessary, the decision must run it up the chain of command before taking action, according to an internal memo obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Col. David R. Holmes, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office’s executive director of law enforcement, emailed district captains Wednesday to say the anti-rioting law threatened to diminish the sheriff\u2019s office\u2019s attempts to connect with the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sheriff\u2019s office doesn\u2019t need \u201cany overzealous deputies utilizing the new law to conduct enforcement that could violate people\u2019s civil liberties,\u201d Holmes said in the email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The so-called anti-riot law that DeSantis signed last week was a response to nationwide demonstrations that occurred in the wake of George Floyd\u2019s murder. Most of the protests against racial injustice were peaceful, but some turned violent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A nonprofit group last week filed a lawsuit in federal court in Orlando, challenging the new law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Opponents of the law said it was a racist reaction to a problem that hasn\u2019t occurred in Florida. They saw it as an attempt to squash the voices of groups like Black Lives Matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new law enhances penalties for crimes committed during a riot or violent protest. It allows authorities to hold arrested protesters until a first court appearance and establishes new felonies for organizing or participating in a violent demonstration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also strips local governments of civil liability protections if they interfere with law enforcement\u2019s efforts to respond to a violent protest and adds language to state law that could force local governments to justify a reduction in law enforcement budgets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also makes it a second-degree felony to destroy or demolish a memorial, plaque, flag, painting, structure or other object that commemorates historical people or events. That would be punishable by up to 10 years in prison.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Deputies in a South Florida county are being instructed not to enforce an anti-rioting law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week unless it’s absolutely necessary. When it is… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":48437,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[128],"tags":[201],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48436"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48436"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48436\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}