MSNBC’s Joy Reid likened Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) to segregationists after his warning to potential looters in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
For the much of the past week, DeSantis has been dealing with the storm’s impact as the death toll continues to rise and Florida faces an astonishing level of property damage. On Friday, DeSantis held a press conference where he spoke about efforts to maintain law and order, and he warned people not to rob homes that were damaged or abandoned in Ian’s wake.
“Don’t even think about looting. Don’t even think about taking advantage of people in this vulnerable situation,” DeSantis said. “You can have people bringing boats into some of these islands and trying to ransack people’s homes. I can tell you, in the state of Florida, you never know what may be lurking behind somebody’s home. And I would not want to chance that if I were you, given that we’re a Second Amendment state.”
Reid noticed DeSantis’ remarks in a video CBS posted to Twitter, and the ReidOut host decided to compare that warning of gun-toting Floridians to the words of infamous segregationist Walter E. Headley.
“‘When the looting starts, the shooting starts,’” Reid said as she quoted Headley. “Didn’t take DeSantis long to return to form.”
“When the looting starts, the shooting starts.”—segregationist Miami sheriff Walter E. Headley, 1967
Didn’t take DeSantis long to return to form.https://t.co/8FJKyzQY1G https://t.co/uS5jbrx29S
— Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid 😷 (@JoyAnnReid)
“When the looting starts, the shooting start,” is a quote frequently attributed to Headley, the Miami police chief historically known for encouraging officers to use force to crack down on civil rights protests. Reid’s tweet included a link to an NPR article that delves into the history of the phrase, and the possibility that Headley lifted it from Eugene “Bull” Connor, another notorious segregationist.
Reid’s insinuation comes shortly after she made fun of DeSantis for requesting federal aid from Joe Biden despite the governor’s less-than-positive view of the president.
* Article from: MEDIAite
(*) This article is somewhat biased, but it’s purpose is to show the distain that Joy Reid has for law and order.
