Miami-Dade GOP Executive Committeeman Jokes About Running Over Protesters

"Turn on off-road mode," the former Proud Boy wrote on X.

June 16, 2025

Image: A protester with her back towards the camera holds a black sign that reads, "Stephen Miller did someone deport your hair?"

People demonstrated in downtown Miami on June 14 to protest Donald Trump as part of the nationwide "No Kings" protests. Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg

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As people prepared to take to the streets for the "No Kings" protests, a member of Miami-Dade County's GOP Executive Committee joked about running over protesters with his car.

In a tweet on Friday, June 13, Chris Barcenas, a former Proud Boy and the committeeman for District 22, which represents parts of Coral Gables, reposted a video of a man dancing in his car and singing to Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" with the caption, "Driving home from work knowing DeSantis gave permission to the good people of Florida to go car bowling this weekend."

Barcenas added, "Turn on off-road mode."

Turn on off-road mode pic.twitter.com/8Hst7et2vM
— Chris Barcenas 🇺🇸 (@ChrisGBarcenas) June 13, 2025

Last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis told Floridians that they do not have to worry about hitting protesters with their cars if they are surrounded and feel threatened.

"We also have a policy that if you are driving on one of their streets and a mob comes and surrounds your vehicle and threatens you, you have the right to flee for your safety," DeSantis said during an appearance on the Rubin Report. "And so if you drive off and you hit one of these people, that's their fault for impinging on you."

Barcenas protested at the Capitol on January 6 but did not enter the building and was not charged with any crimes related to January 6. He testified to the U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 riot, detailing the Proud Boys' involvement in the insurrection and how he got involved with the organization and another local right-wing group, Floridians First. He maintains that he is no longer involved with the Proud Boys. In August 2024, Barcenas won his local GOP committeeman seat. However, he did not secure a state committeeman seat.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office arrested a Dunedin man on Saturday after he threatened to run over protesters in a Facebook post the day before.

"I'm spending so much money on gas driving around just looking and hoping to run across blockading protesters or people closing the street with signs saying don't deport our illegals so I can just run them over," Garcia wrote on Facebook.

After DeSantis gave Floridians permission to run over protesters, Blue Lagoon Farm Miami near Homestead posted a meme of a car running over people on its Instagram account titled "All Lives Splatter." In response, people bombarded the business with one-star reviews on Google.

At the time of this reporting, Barcenas had not responded to New Times' requests for comment.

Naomi Feinstein is a staff writer of Miami New Times where she primarily focuses on news. Naomi started her career with New Times as a summer intern in 2019, then returned as a fellow in August 2022 before joining the staff full-time in February 2023. She graduated from University of Miami where she contributed to the student-run newspaper, the Miami Hurricane. She holds a master’s degree and graduated with honors from the Columbia School of Journalism. In 2021, Naomi was recognized as the College Journalist of the Year from the Society of Professional Journalists of Florida, and she placed second for Best General News Story in the 2021 Pinnacle Awards.

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