Jacksonville, FL – On April 14, dozens of community members gathered on the steps of Jacksonville City Hall to demand the establishment of a permanent professional mental health team to respond to mental health crises, instead of police.

In 2025 the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office was responsible for more than five killings while responding to mental health crises. Concerned community members and mothers of the victims of this police violence led by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee made their voices heard.

Protesters demanded the creation of permanent mental health emergency response team professionals, for officers on mental health calls to radio-confirm deescalation and non-lethal force only, and consequences for cops that use excessive force.

“Mental health episode should not be a death sentence,” said Amelia Moss in her speech representing the Jacksonville Community Action Committee.

After the rally, the group headed into the city council chambers to reiterate their demands in the meeting's public comment section.

During the comment section of the meeting, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee showed solidarity with sister organization Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network by demanding the trumped-up politically motivated charges on fellow organizers be dropped.

Despite attempts at intimidation by city council members and the police, the people made their voices heard.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #JCAC #PoliceAccountability #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities

Jacksonville, FL – Dozens of people gathered on the steps of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Memorial Building Tuesday, April 7, marking one year since Charles Faggart was killed inside the Duval County Jail.

Faggart's family stood alongside the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), demanding answers.

It's been a full year since Faggart, a 31-year-old food truck owner, was arrested on misdemeanor charges. His bond was set at $8500. On April 7, 2025, he was rushed from the jail to UF Health with critical injuries. The next day, Sheriff T.K. Waters held a news briefing about an injured inmate. On April 10, Faggart was declared brain dead.

Twelve months later, his family still doesn't know what actually happened to him.

No charges have been filed against any of the nine corrections officers involved. The FBI investigation Waters requested is still open, with no updates for the public. And JSO (the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office) keeps pointing to that “ongoing investigation” as the reason they won't release anything.

“We came here today because one year ago, my son was taken from us, and we still know nothing,” said Tracey Karpas, Faggart's mother.

Karpas has sued Sheriff Waters and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office to force them to turn over records, including any video footage of what happened that day. That case is still pending.

The only real window into Faggart's death has come from his medical records.

Family attorneys obtained records from UF Health that tell a very different story than what JSO initially put out. Doctors who treated Faggart found:

-– No fentanyl in his system, contradicting the heavily redacted JSO report that claimed Faggart told officers he had done fentanyl.

-– No seizure, even though JSO listed a seizure as the reason for the medical emergency.

-– Taser barbs removed from his back. That detail never showed up in the redacted JSO report.

-– Multiple broken bones: nasal bone fractures, facial fractures, rib fractures.

-– Significant damage to his kidneys and liver.

-– Lung damage and signs of pepper spray exposure.

Amelia Moss, an organizer with JCAC, tied Faggart's case to the broader fight over a proposed $1 billion new jail. She argued that building a new facility won't fix the problems inside the current one; those problems will just move to a new building. The money, she said, would be better spent elsewhere in the community.

JCAC has pledged to keep standing with Faggart's family and friends until they get the answers they've been waiting for.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #CharlesFaggart #InjusticeSystem #JCAC

Jacksonville, FL— On Tuesday, March 24, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) mobilized to Mayor Donna Deegan’s town hall meeting at Springfield Middle School. Deegan spoke about the city budget and offered the audience an overview of her priorities.

United with the JCAC, a group of mothers A Mother’s Cry, approached Donna Deegan with questions about police violence in Jacksonville, Florida. Yvonno Kemp read aloud a letter that had previously been mailed to Deegan. Kemp said she had not received a response from the mayor’s office. The letter requested a meeting with the mayor, so that mothers impacted by police violence could sit down with Deegan and work on solutions.

The five family members representing A Mother’s Cry had all lost loved ones at the hands of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO). Kemp’s son, 20-year-old Reginald Boston, was shot and killed by JSO in 2020. Since that time, Kemp has been advocating for increased transparency around JSO and demanding answers for the questions surrounding her son’s death.

Vanessa Martin, member of A Mother’s Cry, held up a framed picture of her son, Rashaud Martin, while addressing Mayor Deegan. 32-year-old Rashaud Martin was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and in October 2025 a schizophrenic episode resulted in a Baker Act. Rashaud Martin died in JSO custody soon thereafter.

Martin explained that she is still awaiting answers about her son’s death. She expressed that he was an “intelligent and loved person, struggling with mental health.” Martin is calling on the mayor to send trained mental health professionals to any scene involving a mental health crisis. Deegan agreed to a meeting with the representatives of A Mother’s Cry.

After the remarks made by A Mother’s Cry, Xavier Green spoke on behalf of the JCAC. Green said he voted for Mayor Deegan because of the promises she made regarding police accountability. When running for mayor, Deegan had positioned herself as favorable toward a civilian review board. Green said, “By executive order, you could pass a Public Safety Committee tomorrow, which would allow for community members to have some oversight in regards to policing in the city.”

Green added, “Jacksonville is one of the only cities in the state without any form of civilian review.” Green also passed out a one-pager to the town hall attendees about JCAC’s demand for a Public Safety Committee.

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee is holding their next general body meeting on Thursday, April 16. They invite community members to join and to follow them on Instagram @jaxtakesaction.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #JCAC

Jacksonville, FL – On January 24 families who have lost loved ones at the hands of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office rallied at James Weldon Johnson Park, outside of Jax City Hall. The event, organized by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, centered on shared frustrations over delayed investigations, a lack of communication from authorities, and narratives that misrepresent their loved ones.

The families detailed a common experience of seeking basic facts, such as autopsy reports and investigative findings – only to face procedural delays and silence. This collective frustration has sparked a new effort to organize directly among the affected families to address what they describe as a systemic failure of accountability.

The families of Charles Faggart, Rashaud Martin, Devon Gregory, Reginald Boston Jr, and Alquan Suydam, along with other families negatively impacted by police violence in Jacksonville all rallied to remember their loved ones.

Chants of “Justice for Charles” or “Justice for Rashaud” could be heard all through the area. Someone from each family addressed the crowd, demanding answers.

The newly formed Families Coalition is forming with clear demands – Jax cops stay out of mental health crises, timely release of all information to families, and civilian oversight over the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office through a Public Safety Committee. They gathered to push back against characterizations of their loved ones, insisting the public deserves a full and honest accounting of each incident.

Organizers from the Jacksonville Community Action Committee stated the rally highlights a shift from the often depicted “isolated” cases to showing this is a systemic issue across the city. The growing coalition plans to bring its demands directly to city, leveraging collective power to challenge the current process and continue the demand for community control of the police.

Yvonno Kemp, mother of Reginald Boston Jr. who was killed by JSO in 2020, ended the program reading a letter on behalf of the mothers to Mayor Donna Deegan, pushing that she meet with the families.

The rally ended with a candlelight vigil where emcees yelled the names of the lost loved ones, with the crowd chanting “Say their name!”

The families and the JCAC vowed to keep up the fight.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #InJusticeSystem #JCAC #KillerCops #PoliceCrimes #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican

Jacksonville, FL – In a powerful show of solidarity, nearly a dozen families directly harmed by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) united at Café Resistance on Thursday, December 19.

The “Justice for the Holidays” event was standing room only, organized by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), transforming a space of shared grief into a rallying point for organized action against a sheriff’s office with a notorious record of excessive force. The gathering highlighted many cases and struggles.

The evening was charged with personal testimonies from family members.

The mother and sister of Rashaud Martin, who was killed in JSO custody in October after a mental health episode, spoke. The grandmother of Devon Gregory, who was shot over 23 times by JSO officers, demanded answers. The wife and young son of Justin Knight, who was found beaten and dead after being arrested by JSO, shared their story of loss and the fight for transparency. Yvonno Kemp, mother of Reginald Boston who was killed by JSO in 2020, pledged to keep fighting not just for her son, but for all families.

Xavier Green of the JCAC stated, “Families and loved ones affected by police violence are the glue to our movement for police accountability and justice. This event was about building more community and organization with the families and the fight for community control of the police.”

Families also condemned JSO's use of aggressive surveillance as a tool to intimidate families from speaking out.

Moving from testimony to demands, the families united behind an agenda for action: justice for each individual lost; and the advancement of the community’s call for community control of the police with a civilian-led Public Safety Committee. These demands continue in direct response to JSO’s escalating violence, with 15 officer-on-civilian shootings this year alone.

Families and community members who attended left motivated to keep up the fight. At the end of the event, organizers and families in attendance wrote down dates of action coming up in the new year and ended with their fists up reciting “Assata’s chant.”

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #InJusticeSystem #JCAC #Feature

Jacksonville, FL – On August 29, the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA) held a protest against Governor DeSantis's planned concentration camp within the Baker County Correctional Facility. The protest took place within the center of Jacksonville, at the city's own Friendship Fountain.

After JIRA mobilized over 700 people to Camp Blanding on July 19, Governor Ron DeSantis changed the location of the planned detention camp from Camp Blanding to the Baker County Correctional Facility. The site was previously shut down in 2021, with inhumane conditions being one of the cited reasons.

A JIRA speaker called the project the “Baker Cruelty Camp” rather than the “Deportation Depot” as Ron DeSantis has dubbed it, stating, “Let's be clear: people were tortured in this building. Guillermo Serrabi was held in solitary for 88 days – he was assaulted by a guard who ruptured his eardrum, and he was denied medical care. Ana Doe, a survivor of trafficking, was placed in solitary, stripped, restrained and sexually mocked by guards! This is this facility's legacy. This is what DeSantis is reopening!”

The Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance organized the event which drew support from Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, Jacksonville Community Action Committee, Students for a Democratic Society, the UPS Teamsters Union, FloridaRising, 50501 Veterans, the Malaya Movement, and the Democratic Socialists of America.

As dozens of protesters gathered atop the hill at Friendship Fountain, Monica Martinez with JIRA said, “This cruelty doesn't just affect those who end up inside its walls. This puts a target on the back of every immigrant in northeast Florida. Right now, ICE is operating indiscriminately – kidnapping and attempting to deport community members regardless of their status, tearing families apart and terrorizing our communities.”

Martinez then talked about a person recently detained within Duval County: Diana Marcela Mieja, owner of a small business within the Springfield area of Jacksonville.

“This is not abstract!” Martinez said. “She was detained by ICE after a mental health crisis. She is a legal resident, a business owner, a beloved member of our community. This is who they are targeting! This is why we fight!”

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #ICE #JIRA #JPSN #JCAC #SDS #FloridaRising #50501 #Teamsters #MalayaMovement

Jacksonville, FL – Over 100 community members gathered at Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park, August 9, to demand justice for William McNeil Jr.

McNeil was brutally beaten by a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) officer after a traffic stop in February 2025. The officer shattered McNeil’s car window, forcibly removed him from the vehicle, and assaulted him. The protest, organized by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) in collaboration with McNeil’s family, amplified calls for accountability.

Xavier Green of the JCAC told the crowd, “Jacksonville police do not serve and protect – they occupy and terrorize. They carry out the same mission as the overseer’s whip: control by any means necessary, in defense of white supremacy.”

Attendees chanted “Justice for Will!” between speeches from family members and organizers. McNeil’s family praised his character and shared how traumatic the experience has been for him.

Despite pressure from the community, including a coalition letter signed by multiple organizations, the state attorney’s office has yet to reopen the investigation.

Jamil Davis linked the struggle to liberation theology, calling this injustice a “table-flipping moment” for the community. “Just as Jesus flipped the commerce tables,” he said, “what’s being sparked now is a revolutionary moment.”

The JCAC remains committed to fighting alongside Will and his family for justice. They are also continuing their campaign for a Public Safety Committee, which would help hold violent officers accountable.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #InJusticeSystem #JCAC #PoliceCrimes #PoliceBrutality

Jacksonville, FL – The Jacksonville Community Action Committee, the Families of William McNeil Jr and Charles Faggart, along with dozens of other community members gathered at the steps of State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s office Saturday, August 2. The emergency rally was in response to the viral video showing the brutalization of William McNeil Jr. during a traffic stop. They demanded the reopening of the investigation into McNeil’s case, and justice for all victims of police terror.

McNeil Jr. was pulled over on February 19, for the minor traffic violations of not having his headlights on in inclement weather and not wearing a seatbelt. This “routine” traffic stop was escalated by Officer Bowers when he broke McNeil’s window and punched him in the jaw. One of the speakers at the event, McNeil’s uncle, said, “I have been an activist for a long time. I never thought I would be standing up here fighting for the rights of my nephew.”

When protesters first arrived at the state attorney’s office they were met with heavy police presence. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office had about six officers and squad cars blocking off the block and several other surrounding areas. They had several officers monitoring in the parking garage across the street as well as about ten officers circling the area on bicycles throughout the rally.

Sierra Jones Frishman of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee said during the rally, “We don’t need the police to keep us safe, we keep us safe.” There were speakers from organizations across the city all chanting the same thing, “No justice! No peace! No racist police!”

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee with support from the family sent an open letter signed by over ten community organizations to Melissa Nelson’s office, including Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance, Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, Florida For All, and Black Voters Matter.

The McNeil family, with support from the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, will be having a rally for William on Saturday, August 9, 10 a.m., at Lift Ev’ry Voice And Sing Park

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #InJusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #PoliceBrutality #JCAC

Jacksonville, FL – On June 14, an estimated 4000 protesters transformed downtown Jacksonville into a sea of resistance against the Trump administration's escalating attacks on immigrants, free speech and essential government services. The “No Kings Day” demonstration marked one of Northeast Florida's largest mobilizations in recent memory, with participants decrying Trump's policies at the federal level and local Trump style anti-immigrant measures being passed at the city council level.

“This country is under attack from top to bottom,” said JIRA organizer Maria Garcia. “Whether it's Trump's economic policies hurting working families, his racist rhetoric demonizing immigrants, the ICE raids terrorizing our communities, or activists being targeted – nobody is safe from this administration's attacks.”

The Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance anchored the protest, and their “Stop the deportations” banner led the waves of demonstrators through the city center. Chants of “We want justice – you say how? Stop the deportations now!” reverberated off buildings as the diverse crowd, including labor groups, faith leaders, and allied organizations like the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network and the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, demonstrated growing opposition to the administration's agenda.

The unprecedented turnout sent a clear message about Northeast Florida's resistance to policies that have seen activists targeted, families separated, and communities living under constant threat of raids. With Jacksonville's immigrant population facing dual assaults from federal crackdowns and local legislation, organizers emphasized that attacks on any vulnerable group represent an attack on all working people.

As the march concluded, the energy shifted toward next steps – including pressuring Mayor Donna Deegan to veto Ordinance 2025-0138 and building broader opposition to the Trump administration's policies. The demonstration's size and discipline showed Jacksonville's capacity for organized resistance, with participants vowing to transform Saturday's show of force into sustained political action.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #NoKings #JCAC #JPSN #JIRA

Jacksonville FL – On May 28, over 200 community members rallied at Duval County Jail to demand the release of three community members who had been arrested and brutalized while attending a city council public comment meeting the afternoon before.

Many organizers for the rally had been protesting and doing bail support through the night without sleep, including Leah Grady of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), who had been released on bail at 3:30 a.m. that morning and immediately took up work to organize a rally for her comrades to be released.

When asked about the rally, Grady said, “It was very heartwarming to see the Jacksonville community come together for all charges to be dropped against us and for the remaining two people to be released. At an emergency action organized in less than 24 hours, we were able to pull together many different local organizations together, rain or shine, in a truly remarkable act of solidarity. I'm eternally grateful for the Jacksonville community, for the work that the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network has been doing to forge these relationships and mobilize against political repression and against the genocide of the Palestinian people.”

With a rally called by Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JPSN), multiple groups including Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA), the National Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression (NAARPR), Take ‘Em Down Jacksonville (TEDJ), FRSO, and others spoke to the crowd about the need to strengthen their movement and build an action-oriented unity to defeat the rising political repression.

“JSO wants to beat us into submission, they want to make an example out of us, they want to intimidate us, but are we scared?” shouted Monique Sampson of FRSO at the rally. The crowd replied with a booming “No!” “We're not scared of detention, we're not scared of arrest, we're not even scared of death, because all of those things, every single last one of those things is a small price to pay for freedom in our lifetimes!” she continued, to cheers and applause.

At the end of the rally, with the community invigorated, the group marched to the release center of the jail and continued to chant slogans to demand the release of the organizers for over five hours until their demands were met. Community members remained standing and shouting even through two separate rainstorms. At 8 p.m., one of the two remaining organizers was released, and finally at 10 p.m., Conor Cauley, a leading organizer in JPSN and FRSO general member, was released.

“What struck me most about the attack was that when I made eye contact with the cop, we both knew what was about to happen and that it wasn't about resisting arrest,” said Conor after being released. “I'm very grateful for the local community I have here, their efforts probably saved my life, and their solidarity provides a life worth living.”

JPSN intends to build a campaign around demanding the charges be dropped, including two felony charges being faced by Cauley, and for Maykel Aliaga-Ruiz, the officer who brutalized Cauley, to be fired.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #InJusticeSystem #JCAC #JIRA #NAARPR #JPSN

Jacksonville, FL – On Sunday, May 25, at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office headquarters, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) garnered over 100 community members to recognize the five-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Jacksonville was one of many cities that answered the national call by National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, “All Out for May 25” to remember all victims of police terror and the heinous signing, April 28, of President Trumps Executive Order 14288.

“Executive Order 14288 specifically promotes, ‘aggressively policing communities.’ You tell me this, what is more aggressive than holding your knee on the neck of a man for nine minutes while he begs for his life? Was what we saw with George Floyd not aggressive?” said Ash Chatmon, communications committee member of JCAC. “When Breonna Taylor was killed in her own home, was that not aggressive? When Jacksonville’s Charles Faggart was beaten and killed by officers in that jail, when his family was brushed aside and relegated to finding out about their loved one through the media, was that not aggressive?”

Sunday’s demands included justice for all victims of police crimes, that Congress pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and community control of the police nationwide. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has killed more people this year than the officers had in all of 2024. Dozens of people have told their stories to JCAC about the consistent and unchecked abuse and torture that continues in the Duval County Jail, all while the mayor and city council field proposals for a $1 billion jail.

“These patterns have to be recognized and addressed. We have to learn from each other the way these agencies so clearly learn from each other. And we have to make our voices heard for all those who have had their voices robbed from them from these white supremacist, nationalist agendas!” said Gonzalo Kleinick, from the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance.

The event was organized by Jacksonville Community Action Committee, and co-sponsored by Take ‘Em Down Jax, The Red Alliance, Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, Jacksonville Immigrants’ Rights Alliance, Jacksonville Students for a Democratic Society, 50501 Northeast Florida alongside a coalition of 10 other local grassroots organizations in the city.

Organizers and community members chanted as the rain fell, “Transparency now, we won’t back down” and “If we don’t get it shut it down!” with signs reading “Justice for Charles” and “We remember.”

“There is a movement growing in this city and we must continue to build it stronger than ever,” said Michael Sampson II, the co-chair of NAARPR. “Those in power should fear the people more than they fear the Sheriff or the interests of the ruling class here in Jacksonville.”

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #NAARPR #JCAC #GeorgeFloyd

Jacksonville, FL – 250-plus people gathered on the steps of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) Memorial Building on Sunday, April 13, demanding justice for Charles Faggart and all other victims of police brutality.

Charles Faggart was a 31-year-old Jacksonville resident. He owned and operated the Chop it Up Charlie’s food truck. Faggart died from “catastrophic injuries” while in the Duval County Jail.

On April 1, Faggart was arrested and processed in the Duval County Jail on misdemeanor charges. His bond was set at $8500. On April 7, Faggart was transported from the jail to UF Health hospital with critical injuries. Then, on April 8, Faggart’s bond was reduced, and Sheriff T.K. Waters called a news briefing about an inmate being injured. Waters expressed that nine corrections officers were stripped of their duties pending a criminal and administrative investigation.

On April 10, Faggart was pronounced brain dead. During these developments, JSO made minimal efforts to keep Faggart’s family informed. Faggart’s family has still not been given insight into how Charles sustained the injuries that led to his death. Sheriff T.K. Waters has formally requested that the FBI join the investigation, which marks the first time Waters has made this request in his tenure as the Jacksonville Sheriff. Since announcing this, Waters has also expressed that he will not offer details pertaining to this case, as it is an “open investigation.”

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) organized the rally in response to this police brutality and lack of JSO transparency. Many organizations and community members joined the JCAC to demand justice for Faggart. Faggart’s family and friends were the largest group in attendance.

His mother, Tracey Karpas, tearfully addressed the crowd saying, “I am so thankful for the 31 years I got with him, but I should have gotten at least 31 more, and I’m sorry I can’t speak anymore.” Faggart’s 6-year-old son was also in attendance, wearing a shirt to honor his father’s memory. Those in attendance demanded that Sheriff T.K. Waters and JSO release the names of the corrections officers involved in the ki