There is no ambiguity from Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch regarding the potential for out-of-hand protests coming to Mobile, similar to what is underway in Los Angeles.
During his monthly appearance on Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5's "Midday Mobile," Burch said decisive action would be taken in response to any deadly threats against a law enforcement presence, if necessary.
Relevant portion begins at 28:08:
"[W] e're getting some intel that there may be some protests in Mobile this weekend, and we're preparing for it," he said. "I've had frequent conversations with Mobile Police Chief. But let me say that I watch the things that happen around the country, and not just in LA, but some of the other unrest that's been going on. And it's not protesting. It's rioting. But it angers me when I see these rioters trying to pull barricades out of the hands of police officers and shoving police officers to try to grab the barricades and break the perimeter."
He added, "I can tell you they do that in Mobile, Alabama — the orthopedic hand surgeons are going to have one hell of a weekend to start fixing barricades out of hands. That barricade can become a weapon. And one thing I will say too, and I saw some of the fire bombs being thrown — that's deadly force. And our policy is you meet deadly force with deadly force. And I'll leave that at that."
Jeff Poor is the editor-in-chief of 1819 News and host of "The Jeff Poor Show," heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile's FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
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