Jacksonville honors 30th birthday for Alquan Suydam, killed by police
Jacksonville, FL – On September 26, about 50 people gathered to celebrate Alquan Suydam’s 30th birthday, honoring a life cut short when Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) deputies shot and killed him last year.
The event, organized by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee and A Mother’s Cry – an advocacy group of those who have lost loved ones to police brutality – included food, music and games, as attendees remembered Suydam.
The celebration came days after State Attorney Melissa Nelson ruled Suydam’s death was justified, a decision his family, friends and the community reject as another failure to hold JSO accountable.
Organizers said four police cruisers came to the park in an apparent attempt to intimidate Alquan Suydam’s mother, Samina Suydam. She refused to back down. “That’s my baby. I’m not scared and I will fight for him until the day I die,” she said.
Supporters said the vigil was not only a birthday remembrance, but a demand for justice for Alquan and all victims of police violence.