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Lakeland Police don’t anticipate problems this weekend when Polk Pride hosts its annual Pride in the Park event at Munn Park from 10 a.m.–3 p.m, followed by a “No Kings Day of Defiance” march at 5:30 p.m.
“However, if there are problems, we are prepared to address that,” Chief Sam Taylor told city commissioners on Friday.
Taylor said Pride in the Park is a permitted event. That gives organizers the exclusive right to use Munn Park during those hours. Polk Pride has also hired five off-duty officers and a sergeant to provide security.
The No Kings event, protesting President Donald Trump, does not have a permit from the city, but Taylor said it doesn’t need one. He said organizers from Indivisible Polk plan to stay on public sidewalks as they march from Munn Park to U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin’s office at 124 S. Florida Ave.
“I very much support free speech,” Taylor said. “In fact, I’ll help you carry a sign if you want … as long as you stay on the sidewalk.”
But if anyone tries to go into the street, block traffic, disrupt local businesses or damage property, “we’re not going to tolerate that,” Taylor said. No Kings events are planned in more than 1,500 cities across all 50 states on Saturday.
Mayor Bill Mutz said, “Our policy is simple: It’s free speech with civility.”
City Commissioner Stephanie Madden noted that Lakeland has had a few past protests that required police intervention. But typically, the problems stemmed from outside agitators.
“You’re right,” Taylor said. “That’s where we seem to have the problems, when we have folks from other communities that want to start agitating.”
A Black Lives Matter protest on June 1, 2020, became chaotic when marchers blocked an intersection at Memorial Boulevard and Florida Avenue. Protestors jumped on a car and smashed at least one business’s window.
Lakeland Police donned riot gear and used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Polk County instituted a curfew for a couple of days in response.
Taylor said “No Kings” protests will also be happening in Tampa and Orlando on Saturday, and any troublemakers would likely go there instead.
But if people break the law here, “We’re not going to allow that.”
He said LPD officers are trained to de-escalate conflicts. “We’re not going to rush right in. We’re going to ask you to stop. We’re going to educate. We’re going to explain what the law is.”
But in the unlikely event of any rioting, “I don’t care if I have to call [Sheriff] Grady [Judd] and ask him to send me 400 deputies, which he will.”
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