The Left’s favorite playbook got torn to shreds in Jacksonville.
They thought they had another Ferguson on their hands.
And Ron DeSantis delivered one truth that left race-baiters scrambling for cover.
DeSantis backs Jacksonville Sheriff against media mob
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis didn’t mince words when asked about the viral video showing a Jacksonville police officer striking a suspect during a February traffic stop.¹
The media mob and professional race-baiters descended on Jacksonville like vultures, hoping to turn 22-year-old William McNeil Jr. into the next cause célèbre.
But DeSantis saw right through their playbook.
“I haven’t seen it, but I heard it was debunked,” DeSantis stated during a press conference at Wolfson Children’s Hospital.² “What I heard was that this was out there, there was a narrative that was done, and then JSO provided the context and things were a lot different.”
The Governor’s response sent shockwaves through the activist community that was already preparing their next manufactured outrage campaign.
DeSantis made it crystal clear he wasn’t falling for their tired tactics.
“I have every confidence in our sheriff in Jacksonville that if there’s anything that these guys are not living up to the standard, he’s gonna hold them accountable,” DeSantis declared.³ “But it seems to me like this is trying to create a narrative.”
The real story the media doesn’t want you to know
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters released the full body camera footage that tells a completely different story than the carefully edited cell phone video that went viral.⁴
The footage shows McNeil was pulled over for not having his headlights on during the day – even though it wasn’t raining and the sun was out.
When officers asked for his license and registration, McNeil refused to comply.
Instead of cooperating, McNeil demanded the officer call his supervisor and then locked himself inside his car with the windows rolled up.
Officers repeatedly warned McNeil to step out of the vehicle or they would break his window.
McNeil continued to refuse.
The body camera footage also revealed that McNeil had a knife on his floorboard – a crucial detail that was conveniently omitted from the viral cell phone video.
Officer Donald Bowers has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the State Attorney’s Office, though he remains on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.⁵
Two days after his arrest, McNeil pleaded guilty to resisting police without violence and driving with a suspended license.
He was sentenced to two days already served in jail.
DeSantis exposes the Left’s manufactured outrage machine
The Governor drew parallels to the Ferguson, Missouri case that was built on lies and media manipulation.
“I mean, you had CNN anchors saying, hands up, don’t shoot,” DeSantis explained.⁶ “Like, basically, the narrative was you had this guy, innocent, unarmed, has his hands up, and some rogue cop just guns him down. And they were saying race was the reason to do it.”
“Turns out, even Eric Holder’s Justice Department did a thorough investigation and said the officer acted appropriately under the circumstances,” DeSantis continued.
The Governor identified exactly what’s happening with the Jacksonville case.
“You know, you had these situations where people will want to make an issue, but I have every confidence in our Sheriff here in Jacksonville that if there’s anything that these guys are not living up to the standards, he’s going to hold them accountable,” DeSantis stated.
DeSantis called out the real motivation behind pushing these false narratives.
“There’s a desire to try to get views and clicks by creating division,” the Governor said.⁷ “Without even knowing any of the facts, I just know how this stuff works.”
Meanwhile, civil rights attorney Ben Crump – the same lawyer who has made millions off these cases – compared McNeil to Rosa Parks, showing just how desperate they are to manufacture the next racial controversy.
“This is about driving while Black,” Crump claimed during his press conference.⁸
But the facts tell a different story entirely.
This case has all the hallmarks of another manufactured media frenzy designed to divide Americans and cash in on racial grievances.
Sheriff Waters put it perfectly when he noted that “the cell phone camera footage that began viral circulation over the weekend does not comprehensively capture the circumstances surrounding the incident.”⁹
The camera “simply cannot capture what is known to the people depicted in it,” Waters explained.
DeSantis recognized this pattern immediately and refused to be drawn into another false narrative.
The Governor’s unwavering support for law enforcement and his refusal to bow to the mob sends a clear message that Florida won’t tolerate these manufactured controversies.
While other politicians might have thrown the police under the bus to appease activists, DeSantis stood firm with the facts.
That’s exactly the kind of leadership Florida needs to combat the Left’s never-ending assault on law and order.
¹ Isabella Casapao, “DeSantis reacts to viral Jacksonville traffic arrest video he says he hasn’t seen,” Action News Jax, July 23, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Jake Stofan, “’Just scared’: Man hit by police in viral video speaks, DeSantis backs Sheriff’s handling of case,” Action News Jax, July 23, 2025.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ A.G. Gancarski, “Ron DeSantis hasn’t seen violent Jax traffic stop video, but believes it’s been ‘debunked’,” Florida Politics, July 23, 2025.
⁷ Liv Caputo, “DeSantis Suspects That Jax Sheriffs’ Violent Traffic Stop Has Been ‘Debunked’,” The Daily Beast, July 23, 2025.
⁸ Jake Stofan, “’Just scared’: Man hit by police in viral video speaks, DeSantis backs Sheriff’s handling of case,” Action News Jax, July 23, 2025.
⁹ Ibid.
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Author: rgcory
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