The Sarasota Police Department Displays Cracks in its System on No Kings Day
Teens in a diesel truck disrupt a Peaceful Protest
One of the most precious freedoms in our country is the right to protest. Stopping a peaceful protest could be considered unlawful depending on the specific actions and context.
What about drivers of a truck ‘rolling coal’ on protestors?
The folks on the Sarasota and Palm Bay (Florida) Reddit websites are asking the same question as citizens attending the No Kings Day Protests were victims of smoke emitted from diesel trucks.
Wikipedia defines rolling coal (also spelled rollin' coal) as the practice of modifying a diesel engine to deliberately emit large amounts of black or grey diesel exhaust.
Here’s the law on the books in Florida:
In Michigan, there are laws on the books that could call for additional charges of: Reckless endangerment; Simple assault (and); battery. A Google AI overview states: Fines and penalties for rolling coal vary greatly from state to state, with fines ranging anywhere from $100 in Colorado to $5,000 in New Jersey.
Sarasota teacher Derek Reich attended the protest and described his experience on his Facebook page. His story is below:
(Dear Bubbie did minor editing for clarity purposes only.)
What happened during the protest:
Same group of 5-6 teenagers were in a truck "rolling coal" (modifying a truck's exhaust system to let out black exhaust), then purposely revving up engine to throw this exhaust in the face of protestors - specifically at protestors throughout the demonstration. I was on the corner of Main and Mound Streets holding a sign peacefully. While recording them doing this, they did it again at me and other protestors, but this time, the police saw and pulled them over for it.
“Flick me off all day, that's your 1st amendment right, rolling coal in protestors faces is not.”
I walked over to the 5-6 Sarasota Police Department (SPD) officers that had pulled over these teens. While roughly 10 feet from an officer ( who was facing me and standing alone away from the truck but near where they pulled them over), I said very calmly to the officer something to the extent of, "Hello Officer, I was one of the protestors that they just rolled coal in the face of, I would like the opportunity to provide a sworn statement".
Officer (Authoritatively): LEFT OR RIGHT?
I repeated what I just said, adding:
Me: I just would like the opportunity to provide a sworn statement (which under Florida Statute 960.001(1)(a) they are required to do).
Officer (Steps closer to me, escalating the situation physically and raising his voice further): LEFT or RIGHT.
At this point, I walk backwards onto the grass as he clearly would have loved to have arrested me at that point. Would have made his day.
Roughly 3-5 mins later. I speak with another officer.
Law Enforcement Officer: "Sir, we have their information, we just do not have enough staff to deal with this incident right now. Just come in next week and you can file a police report."
Quick, excellent communication, with a calm deescalating behavior. Officer Urbain, shout out for being EXCELLENT at your job! Everything you would want in a LEO.
Monday, June 16
I go to the SPD to file a complaint on one officer and go out of my way to give credit to Officer Urbain. I don't hate cops. I just want this officer to know that this is not acceptable behavior and preferably be retrained on de-escalation.
I spoke to a supervisor who took my complaint.
First, I give Officer Urbain so much credit. Explain the situation. Then, get to the other officer’s actions.
Supervisor stops me several times throughout my interview to defend the officer's actions despite not being there. Then this really got me, I talk about wanting to potentially file a police report on those teens. Rolling coal intentionally has been prosecuted in Florida previously as battery and disorderly conduct.
I didn't want to prosecute those kids, but just have it explained to them that you cannot do that. Flick me off all day, that's your 1st amendment right, rolling coal in protestors faces is not.
Supervisor response verbatim: "The whole day was disorderly conduct to me."
Me: I literally teach US Government at SHS. No, the day was people using their 1st amendment rights of free speech and assembly as the Constitution provides.
Supervisor: Well... I wasn't there.
Me: (Just dumbfounded looking at him)
Supervisor: What do you want out of this?
Me: I don't want the officer fired or any. . .
Supervisor: Oh, he’s not getting fired.
Me: I was saying, I don't want him fired. I would like to see him retrained in de-escalation, because if I acted the way he did in my classroom, as a teacher, I would be fired on the spot.
Supervisor: Ok, what's your name and information?
He could not have been more dismissive of my complaint and defensive of his officer's actions despite not being there.
If this is how Sarasota Police Department treats a teacher, who was calm, went out of his way to first acknowledge the excellence of a SPD officer before filing a complaint, I cannot imagine how they treat people of color in this community.
Reich tagged Sarasota’s Mayor Liz Alpert and City Commissioner Debbie Trice, writing: “I have no idea if this is in your purview at all, but I just wanted to bring this to your attention as well. I couldn’t find this more troubling from this city’s police department.”
Professional Photographer Nancy Guth witnessed the rolling coal and captured the alleged violators.
The latest follow-up comes from Commissioner Trice who forwarded Reich’s Facebook post to the Chief of Police.
Breaking: We just learned of another experience from a Dear Bubbie subscriber:
A woman who was wearing a mask was stopped by three Sarasota police officers. A bystander filmed this incident, and the lead cop said there was an “ordinance” that stated no masks could be worn at a protest. He handed her a piece of paper that supposedly was about this ordinance.
I don’t know if she removed her mask or not, but I know she wasn’t arrested. I tried searching to see what city ordinance this was but couldn’t find any info. I did find an article from June 9 about Trump’s tweet that any protesters wearing a mask should be arrested.
We received information on another incident from a subscriber about a fight that broke out during the protest and are waiting to hear back.
As soon as we receive follow-up information, we will pass it along.
Dear Bubbie and our community are grateful to law enforcement officers. These brave citizens who risk their lives for us are underpaid and underappreciated. We also can’t imagine wearing a bulletproof vest with temperatures in the ‘90’s.
I am hopeful that our police and sheriff departments are grateful to the protestors for their lawful and peaceful protesting in return. I am looking forward to hearing that further training will be put in place.
And so it goes........... Derek's report was excellent. I supported him when he was a candidate. I still wear his shirt :-) If anyone can be taken at his word it's he. It's troublesome and sad that we have men serving as police officers who probably shouldn't be. It makes it difficult for all the wonderful officers that serve.
I have 2 incidents of rollin' coal to report but until now I've kept silent.
1. The first was at the March protest on Tamiami. A black jacked-up truck (no surprise) turned left exiting Marina Jacks onto Tamiami, accelerating quicking and appearing to head directly toward myself and others (on the curb) before swerving to center himself into the far right lane of Tamiami. Then he did the black smoke thing. If the driver continued on his path to jump the curb, I would have been hit by his front grill. I yelled and pointed to the truck. "CAMERA! take pictures". The reaction of the people next to me was "Oh that's happened before".
2. The second incident was at the protest outside of Steube's office on Fruitville in April, 2025. Smaller group of protesters on the curb and a handful of sheriff deputies kept watch. Again, a truck swerved from the eastbound lane, acting as if to go into the right hand turn land, revved his engine, dumped his load of coal onto us, then swerved back into the eastbound lane and headed off. A deputies were right there. Later overheard a conversation between a deputy and a protester asking about the rollin' coal...and the deputy said it is their first amendment right too. Upon reflection, I thought that odd...how do you know the person isn't driving drunk...it seems to be reckless driving at least. But again...protesters just keep protesting with an "oh well, that happens" attitude.
One day we will get a repeat of the Charlottesville murder of Heather Heyer (the murderer got a First Degree murder conviction, a death penalty offense in VA) at some peaceful protest.
Thank you for the information regarding the statute on the books about rollin' coal. Good to know.
Wondering what 50501 or Indivisible would say if every victim of this activity were to make a complaint. Does it hurt the cause?
Don't know who you are Dear Bubbie, but I like you.