Law enforcement agents, guns drawn, raid Florida scientist Rebekah Jones’ home (Video)
(December 9 Update:) Earlier today, Rebekah Jones released the following statement on her GoFundMe page.
“The police leaked my home address and telephone number, so I’ve now had to hire an armed security guard to watch over my place. I was warned there would be a lot of unexpected expenses during this fight, and they’re starting to pile up quickly, which is why I’ve raised the fundraising goal.
Thank you to everyone who’s been generous enough to help. The more that is known about this, the clearer it becomes that DeSantis wants to wage a literal war on scientists in his state who don’t do things his way.
I’ll be joining Erin Burnett this evening to talk about recent developments.
Thank you again to everyone.“
Editor’s Note: Rebekah’s interview on CNN concluded this evening around 7:55 p.m. Our original article from December 7 appears below.
Rebekah Jones, scientist, environmentalist, geographer, and former GIS Analyst for the Florida Department of Health who created a computer program, the COVD-19 Dashboard, to track COVID-19 cases in Florida, received national notoriety in the spring of 2020 when she was fired from her position for going public with Florida’s COVID-19 data allegedly being altered and compromised by Florida State officials. A public feud between Jones and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis regarding COVID-19 data manipulation has been making the headlines since her firing. Jones is on record as saying that her superiors had pressured her to alter the COVID-19 data she was sharing – which she refused to do.
Just days ago, DeSantis and his administration came under fire for being, “engaged in a pattern of spin and concealment that misled the public on the gravest health threat the state has ever faced, a South Florida Sun Sentinel investigation has found.”
After her firing, Jones re-created her dashboard for tracking COVID-19 cases and continued to share that data publicly.
But last night around 8:30 p.m., agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) raided Jones’ home, confiscated her personal computer and her cell phone, and waved their guns around inside her home – pointing those guns at she and her kids.
FDLE announced in a release that, “At no time were weapons pointed at anyone in the home,” although video evidence taken from inside the home appears to dispute that statement. The same video also shows an agent, gun drawn, yelling up the stairs at Jones’ husband to “come down the stairs now.”
“They took evidence of corruption at the state level,” Jones posted on Twitter. “They claimed it was about a security breach.” ~ Orlando Sentinel
In a video posted to Twitter, Jones said, “On my phone is every communication I’ve ever had with someone who works at the state who has come to me in confidence and told me things that could get them fired or in trouble like this. And I just want to say to all those people right now—if he doesn’t already, DeSantis will know soon enough that you’ve been talking to me—so be careful.”
Jones believes that DeSantis is behind the raid and initiated it to serve as a show of strength and intimidation against her.
FDLE said that Jones’ home was raided because an IP address tracked to her home was responsible for hacking into the computer system of the Department of Health Emergency. Jones denies that allegation.
Jones accused DeSantis of trying to “intimidate scientists and get back at me, while trying to get to my sources” following that armed raid, according to Newsweek. DeSantis released word to the media that he had no involvement and no knowledge of the raid on Jones’ home or the investigation into her alleged hacking.
“If Desantis thought pointing a gun in my face was a good way to get me to shut up, he’s about to learn just how wrong he was,” Jones tweeted. “I’ll have a new computer tomorrow. And then I’m going to get back to work.”
And late last night, Jones created a “Help Florida Scientist – Legal Fund” on GoFundMe, tweeting, “Looks like I need a new computer and a hell of a good lawyer.” She’s hoping to raise $150,000. As of this writing, she’s more than half-way there.
Education: Jones earned her bachelor’s degree in Geography and Newspaper and Online Journalism and graduated Cum Laude from Syracuse University in August 2012. She received her M.S. from Louisiana State University in May 2014 majoring in Geography and Mass Communication. She also earned a Ph.D. in Geography from Florida State University.
For more on the Rebekah Jones raid, see the video accompanying this article.
~ Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
