Orange County Police State - A Commentary

Orange County will become a police state before this year is over if Orlando’s downtown powerbrokers have their way.

In a police state, what average people want does not matter. Just like in North Korea, the rulers do what they want.

The rulers in a police state have the juice to shut down opposition financially, politically…and otherwise. Back in the 1970s Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo, a former racist police chief, ruled that city. It was not pretty.

This commentary is not an exaggeration or a parody. This is for real!

Here is what’s happening right now.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings is running to become the next Orange County Mayor. Next to the Orlando Mayor (more on that in a moment), the Orange County Mayor is the most influential politician in Central Florida.

Orlando Police Chief John Mina is running to become the next Orange County Sheriff. The sheriff leads the largest and best-equipped law enforcement agency in Central Florida.

Congresswoman Val Demings, the wife of Sheriff Jerry Demings, is a former Orlando police chief. She is currently seeking re-election to Congress.

What’s the downside?

After all, Mr. and Mrs. Demings are black, and Democrats, Mina is a wanna-be-Democrat, running under a no party affiliation because he didn’t change his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat until it was too late to run with a D after his name. There are more registered Democrats than Republicans in Orange County.

There’s no way that you work as a cop for decades that it doesn’t affect your view of the world and the decisions you make.

That calls to mind a couple of lines from one of NWA’s biggest hits.

But don't let it be a black and a white one

'cause they slam ya down to the street top

Black police showin out for the white cop

Congresswoman Demings proved that point recently when she teamed up with Congressman John Rutherford, former Duval County sheriff, and an arch-conservative Republican, to cosponsor the Blue Lives Matter bill. That legislation, which was overwhelmingly approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, is a direct attack on the Black Lives Matter movement. It promises federal prison sentences of 10 years to life for people convicted of hurting police.

Can you identify meaningful improvements that Mr. and Mrs. Demings or John Mina, made to Orlando or Orange County? All of them were competent in their jobs, but that’s about it.

They’re counting on winning their upcoming races because voters will recognize their names. Or maybe folks will blindly vote for them because they’re Democrats or received the endorsement of other Democrat leaders (who should know better).

Keep in mind that county mayor is a non-partisan post so you won’t see a D or R after the names of any of those candidates.

Now check this out: Jerry Demings, Val Demings, and John Mina were positioned for the role they have, or the role they’re seeking, by one person: Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.

Mayor Dyer appointed each one of them to serve in the high-profile role as Orlando police chief.

Mayor Dyer is Central Florida’s, political strong man. No one has served as Orlando Mayor longer than Dyer.

If you have any doubt whose interest Mayor Dyer is working for, simply click here to see who bankrolled his last political campaign. There are already two former cops serving on the Orlando City Commission. Their cop attitudes are reflected in their initiatives.

#StayWoke is much more than a trendy slogan.

It’s a call to action in the street and at the ballot box.

This commentary was written by David Porter. He produces www.32805OrlNews.com