Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s been going on in the county.
A Sheriff’s Office Summer Camp just ended recently.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “It’s always something here at MCSO, we’ve always got stuff to do. But our goal every day is to keep our citizen, visitors safe and secure and that’s something that we really strive every day to do. We’re doing good stuff here. Traffic’s flowing really good throughout the county. We do have some construction projects with the aqueduct authority that continue on, but overall, we’re getting into a little quieter time of year right now. So I think we’re looking pretty good there. We just got done with our summer camp for the kids graduated on Friday at Bernstein Park. We had the county, a good partner let us use that property for the camp. Had like 50 something kids. We call it Harmony in the Streets. It’s a sheriff’s office, Sheriff’s Association, summer camp that’s put on for the kids in this community, and we do it every year. It’s a big event. I want to thank everybody who came out to help aid and assist, a lot of volunteers had to come out, a lot of our sheriff’s office team members every day showed up to talk to the kids, teach the kids, demonstrate different stuff we do. This is part of our ongoing relationship to foster these relationships with our kids in these earlier days, so they realize for sure, and they know in their head, that we are the good guys and gals, and it’s good for the parents at this time of year, parents looking for what to do with the kids, keep them busy, not have to worry about daycare because they’ve got jobs. So I think these events like this is a win win for everybody involved.”
There was a lot of talk about the nationwide protests over the weekend, including some in Monroe County and the sheriff’s office was ready.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “It was kind of what I expected. We’ve seen protests over the years in the Keys, but they’ve always been peaceful. That’s how this community roles. People have a right to go out and exercise their opinion and protest and speak up and freedom of speech, so that’s not an issue. But we’ve got our citizens here who respect other people’s rights, so we don’t have issues for the most part. They’re not violent, but I always make it clear, we’ll support people who are in their rights to assemble. As long as it’s peaceful in nature. We’re here to protect everybody, whether it be the protesters, anti protesters, citizens, non citizens. We want things to be peaceful, orderly, not impact others. We said all along, as long as that occurs, there are no problems. But if anybody touches, batters or assaults somebody, they’re going to go to jail. We said, If you damage or destroy any property, you’re going to jail. And we said, If you block intersections and roads, you’re going to jail. We’re not going to allow disturbances, disruption. We don’t want a young lady who may have a young child in a car driving down the road to be boxed in and feel threatened for her and the safety of her child in a car or people that can’t get to or from work. But what I predicted is what happened. The citizens would assemble. They’d have their signs and their bull horns and would have their chance, whatever it may be, but at the end of the day that we wouldn’t have any nefarious acts or ruckus or violations of law, and that’s what exactly happened. There were protests in three parts of the county, North, Central, South, I think some busses even came in from Miami, with some people that were bussed in, best I could tell, but they weren’t violent. They weren’t agitators, where we see a lot of other places, a lot of the violent agitators were bussed in, or paid actors, or taking what would normally be a peaceful event and just turning into a scene, trying to get PR and really just get more attention. But that wasn’t the case here, and I’m glad to see that. It makes me feel good to live here when I see people assemble, but assemble in a peaceful manner.”
Unfortunately other violent events are happening in other cities around the country.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “It is very sickening. We see Portland, which, at one time, was one of the top five places to live and retire and be, and I’ve been out there years ago, this beautiful area, those people destroyed that community. Now it’s the top five worst place to be. What they’ve destroyed that area, economies and businesses and jobs and they have not learned from their past practices that they’ve done so much damage out there. But we see these officers in these bigger areas, which are combative. Rocks being thrown, bricks being dropped off overpasses onto patrol cars, Molotov cocktails. Officers battered, attacked, rocks being pelted at these officers, fireworks being shot at them. They’re out there just doing their job. They’re just trying to keep it peaceful. They’re not trying to break up these protests. They just are trying to keep people from hurting other people or disrupting businesses or damaging, looting. And because of they’re trying to do their job, they become the enemy, and then they’re being attacked by mobs. It is so sad to see. This is not America when I see that type of stuff, but this is a very small portion, just a very small group of people that are having an adverse impact, the majority of Americans anywhere, I think Republican, Democrat, Independent, or even non registered voters, don’t think that this is a good thing, and can’t support acts of violence towards law enforcement and military and National Guard. They’re not there because they want to be. They’re out there because they’re being deployed out there. Then they become the enemy. It’s sad to see, innocent people that just have to do their jobs are being placed in harm’s way and treated like this. It’s a sad day. We’re celebrating the 250th anniversary United States Army, and during this time we’ve got, a protest against the military or against police or against these cities, and it should be time to celebrate why we’re here, and the freedoms we have, and the military personnel and law enforcement who ensure that we have these freedoms. But sometimes things just aren’t how maybe they should be.”
There has been discussion about immigration enforcement in Key West recently.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “I’ve heard some of this rhetoric towards law enforcement in the Keys with this type of stuff and it’s a shame that they’re trying to scare, bully people into other actions. Our actions have been clear. My actions have always been the same as they’ve been during the Biden Democratic administration or this Trump administration. We have always said we’re not going to be out there doing roundups, we’re not going to job sites. We’re not looking for people in this country illegally, but we’ve always said in the course of our daily jobs, if we become aware that someone’s here illegally, we are going to notify the federal government. We’re not going to hide, harbor people that are in this country illegally, and as well as if they’re in my jail as a detainer, we’re going to honor detainers. We’re not going to hide people and sneak them out the back door and push them back in our community, especially people that are arrested on local charges. If they’ve entered this country illegally, you’ve committed a crime, and if you get in my jail, you’re committing local crimes. I’m sure as heck not going to sneak you out, put you back out there to potentially harm this community. But we’re not ICE, and we’re not trying to be ICE. But I’ve always said too as well, if any local, state, federal or military office calls asking for help from MCSO, we are going to respond and help. We’re not going to leave officers, state, local and federal, in harm’s way. We’re going to respond to try to help deescalate whatever is going on. We’re going to try to be there to make sure that the officers that are asking for help are safe and secure. We’re going to be there to try to help the people that they’re out with, whether they’re here, legally or illegally, that they are safe. A good presence, visibility is a good thing. If we’re asked to respond to transport someone that they put in custody to our jail, we’re going to help transport somebody. We’re not going to be martyrs and try to block the system. These officers from the federal government are doing their job as well. They’ve got the United States Code, and they’re being directed by hierarchies to exercise their jobs and do their jobs. They’re not bad people. They’re just like everyone of us who work at some location, who have a boss, we’re there to follow the laws, rules and regulations, do what you’re told to do. Immigration, we’re never going to get people to agree on everything. I have always said, the majority of people in this country illegally are good, hard working people who just want a better way of life and are doing really difficult, challenging jobs that most Americans wouldn’t do and it has to get done, the service industry or restaurants or hotels or commercial fishing. There’s so many jobs that need to get done that these people want to do and do well and can be good to our community. Now, same token, there is a lot of trash in this nation that has come into country illegally, that are criminal, hardened criminals, murderers, rapists, drug dealers, sex traffickers, really bad people that I don’t think have any business in this country and if you’re in those type of categories of violent criminals, I support them being picked up and brought out of this country. Now, due process is needed. Always. I am in support of the due process mechanism. But at the end of the day, MS 13, TDA, these violent criminal gang members, if they’re identified that they are those type of gang members, I think they should be deported out of this country. If you are a sexual predator and been convicted sexual offenders, and you’re in a registry in Florida as a sexual offender, where monthly checks have to be done, and you’re in this country illegally, you should be brought out, we shouldn’t condone these type of people that want a better part of our life, I don’t think. But at the end of the day, there’s nothing that anybody can do will make everybody happy, but the people that are tasked to have to do these type of jobs, whether it be state, local, federal, military, are put in terrible positions that are a no win position, and it’s not fair for anybody in society to attack these people verbally or electronically or physically. The rule of law always has to prevail. A lot of people will talk about the rule of law when it comes to due process for migrants. I believe in that. But the rule of law also applies to how you treat the fellow men and women, if they’re on protest or police, local, state, federal, military, should be no different. You can’t say on the left cheek you want this to happen for fairness and due process and but then the right side, you don’t get the same opportunity to your state, local, federal, military partners either. That’s just not fair, but hey, life isn’t always fair, right?”