Jacksonville, FL – On Wednesday, May 17, Adam Putnam, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Republican candidate for governor of Florida, spoke in Jacksonville Beach at a campaign event. Just a few feet outside, his official campaign tour bus was pictured with “Convict the #Jax5” written in large white lettering on the back, directly below Putnam's name.

At the event, Putnam was pictured meeting with known white supremacist and provocateur William Garrett Nix, also known as “Gary Snow.” Nix, who has referred to Black people as “cave beasts” and “ghetto thugs,” provoked a fight at an anti-war protest in Jacksonville on April 7, leading to the beating and arrest of five activists by Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO).

These five activists, dubbed the Jax5, included Connell Crooms, a deaf Black man who was beaten unconscious and hospitalized, along with Willie Wilder, a two-tour of duty Vietnam war veteran and peace activist. Christina Kittle, Toma Beckham and Dave Schneider were also arrested. All face felony charges for organizing and attending a peaceful protest broken up by white nationalists like Nix and police.

Befoe April 7, Nix made videos threatening two of the Jax5 by name, lighting a pan-African flag on fire, and repeatedly shooting the burning flag with a handgun.

Does Putnam believe protesters should be jailed?

The Adam Putnam for Governor campaign has not yet commented on the incident.

“It's unclear whether Commissioner Putnam himself wrote these comments, or whether it was a campaign staffer or supporter,” said Wells Todd, organizer with the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition in a press release. “Either way, Putnam should immediately erase this despicable comment, apologize to the greater Jacksonville community, and if he wasn't responsible, denounce known white nationalists like Nix. This man wants to be Governor of Florida, and yet his campaign bus calls for the jailing of peaceful protesters. That's not a sign of leadership – that's a sign of dictatorship.”

Sara Mahmoud, a Palestinian rights and Black Lives Matter community activist, said, “Putnam posing with Gary Snow is worrisome all by itself, considering Snow's history in Chicago and the way he's making a name for himself in Jacksonville as a right-wing agitator that weaponizes already dangerous police aggression.”

Putnam is far from the first politician to appear chummy with Nix. Just days after the beating and arrest of the Jax5, pictures surfaced of Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams smiling alongside Nix at the Trump campaign headquarters during the 2016 election. Nix also appeared alongside former State Attorney Angela Corey, who became infamous for incarcerating more juveniles than any other part of the state and botching the prosecution of George Zimmerman, the killer of Trayvon Martin, in 2013.

Speaking to this, Mahmoud continued, “Putnam's campaign bus being tagged with the slogan 'Convict the #Jax5' proves that the attack on the Jax5 is a much bigger deal outside of the local community than JSO and the State Attorney's office lets on, as well as Putnam falling in line with the trend of overt right-wing politics resurfacing.”

Thus far, Putnam faces two major Democrat challengers for Florida's 2018 gubernatorial election: Andrew Gillum, the mayor of Tallahassee, and former congresswoman Gwen Graham. Well-known progressive trial lawyer John Morgan has also hinted at entering the race. Putnam also faces two challengers for the GOP nomination: central Florida doctor Usha Jain and small business owner Daniel Zutler.

The fight to win justice for the Jax5 escalates

Community groups across the country have called on State Attorney Melissa Nelson to drop all charges on the Jax5. On May 1, activists with Color of Change – a national civil rights organization – delivered over 60,000 petitions signed from across Florida and the U.S. calling for the charges to be dropped. Later that day, over 200 people rallied outside the Duval County Courthouse for International Workers Day to call on Nelson to drop the charges.

The State Attorney has repeatedly delayed the arraignment for the Jax5, which was originally set for May 1. As of publication, the arraignment was moved to May 31 at the Duval County Courthouse.

Taking action

In a press statement, the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition called on Commissioner Putnam to erase the written attack on the Jax5 from his campaign bus and condemn white nationalists like Nix.

“We hope activists around the country, who have already fought so hard for the Jax5, will take this next step and email Putnam's campaign,” said JPC organizer Fernando Figueroa. “Ask them if they support the disgusting remarks that appeared on Putnam's bus, and if not, urge him to publicly denounce white nationalists like Nix.”

For activists across the state of Florida, the implications are as clear as they are disturbing. “If Putnam doesn't distance himself from Snow – and fast,” said Mahmoud, “he will have inadvertently accepted the associations between himself and a known white nationalist.”

The Putnam campaign email address is info@adamputnam.com.

#JacksonvilleFL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #Antiracism #Antifascism #FreeJax5 #Jax5

Jacksonville, FL – The University of North Florida chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) hosted a panel discussion, April 25, titled “Civil Rights in the Era of the Jax5.” The Jax5 are the five anti-war activists who were brutalized by police and arrested on April 7 in Jacksonville’s Hemming Park.

At the April 25 event, SDS brought together community organizers, student activists, professors and various student groups to discuss what happened April 7, and what it means for activists and the community of Jacksonville. Sponsored by six student groups, the event brought out about around 45 people involved in different movements. The support that this event received shows that students are interested in what is happening in the community, and this event helped bridge the divide between campus and community.

The panel discussion, moderated by SDS Vice President Aitana Arguedas, included, John Phillips, a lawyer in the Jax5 case; Wells Todd of Veterans for Peace; John Aloszka of the UNF Dems; David Jaffee, a professor of sociology at the university, and Ryan McClure of SDS.

The discussion topics focused on moving forward in light of the police surveillance and corresponding police attacks by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. The panel discussed safety measures, long-term strategy and what these attacks mean in the Trump era. The discussion ended by assessing how we bring the campus and community together, and finished with questions from the audience. Everyone vowed to attend a rally at the Duval County Courthouse on May 1 to support the Jax5.

Aitana Arguedas had this to say about the event: “The panel went very well and the audience seemed to be quite engaged with the topic. The panelists gave detailed answers to each question asked, which was insightful and interesting to hear different perspectives. The group of panelists was diverse in terms of political ideologies. People from both the right all the way to the far left were speaking. It was a comfort to see how many people were supportive of the Jax5. Of course, there were questions asked during the Q&A that were difficult to answer. However, people were responsive to the serious call to action each panelist was encouraging the audience to follow. We see a rise of interest in activism. People want to organize progressive movements and change society for the better. Overall, the panel went well. The Students for a Democratic Society at the University of North Florida will continue to hold events such as these so we can engage with both students and the overall Jacksonville community.”

#JacksonvilleFL #AntiwarMovement #InJusticeSystem #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #FreeJax5 #Jax5

On April 7, 2017 five anti-war activists were brutalized and unjustly arrested in a violent attack by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) during a peaceful demonstration against the war in Syria. POWIR stands unequivocally in solidarity with the five who were targets of state repression: Dave Schneider, Connell Crooms, Willie Wilder, Kristina Kittles, and Tom Beckham.

The Jax5, as the group has come to be known, can be seen in multiple videos being attacked without provocation, first by Donald Trump supporter and known white-supremacist, Gary Snow, and then by police. The horrible incident, all caught on cellphone video, shows cops using activists as punching bags, putting them in chokeholds, and slamming them to the floor. One of the five, Connell Crooms, was first assaulted by Snow then beaten and wrestled to the ground by a group of officers who used their tasers, firing at his back while he was pinned to the ground. Crooms, whose hearing aid was knocked out of his ear when Snow attacked him, was left deaf for the rest of the incident which ended with him being dragged into a police car and then into an ambulance, beaten and unresponsive.

The treatment of Crooms and the rest of the Jax5 by the Jacksonville police is despicable. Beckham was taken down by JSO, choked, and almost passed out. Kittle was grabbed and slammed down, then hauled away, and William Wilder was choked and punched repeatedly in the face.  Furthermore, the charges brought against our fellow anti-war activists should be frightening to all who organize against U.S. wars of aggression abroad. All five were charged with felonies. Schneider was charged with “inciting a riot,” simply because he was one of the organizers of this peaceful protest, turned violent only by police actions. We will not stand for these bogus charges against fellow activists in the movement.

The wars abroad always come back home. The use of military force by United States against other countries inevitably manifests within our own borders in the form of increased surveillance and repression of activists speaking out against U.S. imperialism. It is a fact that the JSO were spying on these activists for months before targeting them for arrests. This horrific display of suppression was planned and calculated and could happen to any of us in the activist community. We believe that an attack on one activist is an attack on all. We stand with all those in the anti-war, labor, and Black Lives Matter movements in solidarity with the Jacksonville 5. We find the actions taken by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office against this group of peaceful protestors beyond deplorable and we therefore demand that:

1) All charges brought against the Jax5 be immediately dropped 2) That the JSO be prosecuted for its brutality and excessive use of force 3) A full independent investigation of the JSO is conducted regarding their misconduct, surveillance of Jacksonville community activists, and ties to white supremacists.

#JacksonvilleFL #AntiwarMovement #US #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #PoliticalPrisoners #Antiracism #FreeJax5 #Jax5

Jacksonville, FL – On Friday, April 7, a Peace for Syria demonstration was brutally disrupted by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) in downtown Jacksonville. Community members and activists have wondered about a connection between Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams and Gary Snow, the right-wing counter protester seen in several videos harassing and assaulting the five activists, now known as the Jax5, who were beaten and arrested by JSO despite committing no crime. Gary Snow was not interfered with in any way and was filmed sitting on a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office car after the event.

Two important photos have now surfaced. The first photo depicts Sheriff Mike Williams and Gary Snow posing for a photo at a Donald Trump rally in Jacksonville like old friends. The second photo, a screenshot taken before recent changes to individual Facebook profiles, depicts Mike Williams having a prominent seat on Gary Snow’s “Top Facebook Friends.”

This all comes after Sheriff Mike Williams gave a press conference denying any link to Gary Snow.

When asked about connections to Snow on Tuesday April 11, Sheriff Mike Williams responded that there are “None that I know of. I don’t think – I haven’t heard Gary Snow’s name until Saturday. I don’t think he has any real connection to police officers.”

It seems that there is more to this story than meets the eye. It appears that the JSO used Gary Snow as a resource, allowing him to run amok and disrupt the peace demo, before savagely beating and arresting the demonstrators and allowing Gary Snow to go free.

The answer is clear – the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office must be held accountable for their brutality and misconduct the evening of April 7, and all of the charges against the Jax5 must be dropped immediately. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office will not be able to hide behind Gary Snow and his actions, despite anything the JSO tries to accomplish along those lines.

Readers are encouraged to call the office of State Attorney Melissa Nelson at 904-255-2500 and demand she drop the charges against the Jax5. More information can be found on Facebook: Justice for the Jax5.

#JacksonvilleFL #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #Syria #Florida #HandsOffSyria #Jax5 #FreeJax5 #GarySnow

Jacksonville, FL – Five protesters were finally released on bail from Jacksonville jail on Saturday evening, April 8. The protesters were arrested and several were beaten at a “No War in Syria” rally held on April 7, where police allowed a right-wing provocateur with a Trump flag to enter the protest and physically assault speakers and organizers of the rally.

Instead of stopping the provocateur, the police descended upon Connell Crooms, a deaf Black man, who the provocateur had assaulted. The police savagely beat, kicked and tased Crooms – who is a well-known union activist and Black Lives Matter leader in Jacksonville – until he was unconscious and had to be taken to the hospital. The police also beat and arrested a 74-year-old Vietnam veteran, Willie Wilder; the leader of the Jacksonville Coalition for Consent Christina Kittle; and a transgender activist Toma Beckwith. Finally, the police arrested prominent union leader and activist Dave Schneider and charged him with “felony inciting a riot” for organizing the protest. Police did not arrest the provocateur who assaulted protest participants.

The Jacksonville community quickly rallied to the defense of their beloved community leaders and activists. On April 8, over 200 people, including leaders in the labor movement, Black community, and progressive groups assembled to demand that all the charges against the Jacksonville 5 be dropped. Supporters chanted “Drop the charges” and the mother of Connell Crooms gave a tearful testament to Connell's character. Community leaders called for a full independent investigation into the police misconduct on April 7, and an investigation into the police spying program on progressive activists in Jacksonville. Just weeks earlier, Jacksonville's Florida Times Union reported that the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) had been spying on protesters, amongst them, Dave Schneider, Connell Crooms and Christina Kittle.

Police issued a trumped-up press release claiming that the protesters had “incited a riot” and they attempted to demonize the arrested activists. However, dozens of people took video of the police brutality and the actions of the provocateur whose social media pages contains ties to white supremacy groups.

The JSO then prevented family members from seeing loved ones at the hospital and arbitrarily changed rules at the jail to close off the first appearance hearings. Some family members drove from out of state to be present at these hearings and were at first told the rules of the court. Officials then informed friends and family that only family with the same last name would be allowed. This was again changed to only “parents” were allowed in until they finally settled on shutting off the courtroom entirely and kicking attendees out of the waiting area.

To add insult to injury, the total bail amount issued by the court for all five arrestees came out to over $157,000. Despite this outrageous amount, activists and families were quickly able to mobilize national support and raised the money necessary for bonds in a matter of hours.

There is a continuing fight to drop the charges and investigation into abuses by the JSO. Supporters will soon be able to donate to the legal defense fund.

#JacksonvilleFL #AntiwarMovement #HandsOffSyria #Jax5 #FreeJax5