Jacksonville, FL -Two dozen activists gathered in front of State Attorney Angela Corey's office, Feb. 4, to once again demand justice for the Jax 19. The Jax 19 are 19 protesters who were arrested after they blocked the Hart bridge in response to the racist decision to let Eric Garner's killer, a New York police officer, walk free. Several members of the Jax 19 were present, along with supporters from multiple organizations, including the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition.

Gathering in front of State Attorney Angela Corey's office, the spirited protesters began chants like “Drop the charges – on the Jax 19,” “One, two, three, four – Angela Corey out the door! Five, six, seven, eight – drop the charges, we won't wait,” and “Jail killer cops – not justice protesters.”

Organizers of the demonstration could tell that inside of Corey's office, those who opposed justice and supported the criminal ‘injustice’ system were getting nervous at the people-power on display outside. Several agents of Corey were dispatched to take pictures and film the protesters in an attempt to intimidate the activists. Rather than backing down, the activists decided to begin a moving picket around Corey's office.

After marching around the office for half an hour, the activists decided that they were sick and tired of injustice and attempted to enter into the public office and demand a meeting with Corey, who is an elected public official.

As soon as the activists approached the door, security and police officers inside bolted the revolving door shut and started screaming at the protesters to back away from the door. After a few moments, about half a dozen security and police officers stepped outside and confronted the protesters. They told organizers that they couldn't have a meeting inside with Corey.

The activists laughed and Jacksonville Progressive Coalition Organizer Dave Schneider summed up an important point, stating “Angela Corey wants people to think the activists in front of her office pose a danger simply for demanding justice, but the real danger lies in the police officers who occupy the Black community and who murder Black people without fear of prosecution. Under capitalism, you're more likely to get attacked by the 1% for holding a picket sign than for brutalizing Black people if you've got a badge.”

Since all the doors to the office were bolted shut, the activists resumed their roaming picket around Corey's office. At the same time, a member of Teamsters Local 512, Connell Bam Crooms, spoke out and shamed the police officers who were keeping the people from entering Angela Corey's public office.

All the protesters vowed to keep fighting for justice until the charges were dropped against the Jax 19 – especially the charges against Jacksonville activist Siddhi Friar, who the system is targeting front and center for her commitment to activism and social justice.

#JacksonvilleFL #PoliceBrutality #politicalRepression #AngelaCorey #Jacksonville19

During the hearing, about 15 community members and activists crowded into the courtroom on the third floor of the Duval County Courthouse to show their support. Outside, activists held a spirited solidarity picket and carried signs, “Jail killer cops, not justice protesters.”

The news came on the heels of a request by State Attorney Angela Corey's office to delay the court date for Siddie Friar, the one protester charged with two felonies. The rest of the protesters were charged with misdemeanors for obstructing traffic. As of Dec. 29, court records indicate that the state attorney has only filed the two felony charges on Friar. She is scheduled to appear in court for her arraignment on Jan. 12.

This ongoing case emerged from a protest on Dec. 8 that stopped traffic on the Hart Bridge to demand justice for Eric Garner. Garner was the African American man who the NYPD choked, leading to his death. A New York grand jury refused to indict the white police officer Daniel Pantaleo, adding fuel to the flames of a nationwide protest movement against racism and police brutality.

Police seized every phone, camera and other storage device from the 19 bridge protesters after arresting them. Officers claimed they were seizing these personal belongings to use as evidence against the protesters and to identify the people who attended another protest earlier on the same day. As of Dec. 29, several phones and all cameras were still held in evidence.

The Jacksonville Sheriff Office sergeant at the scene originally told protesters they would receive verbal warnings and written citations for their offense, a misdemeanor in Florida. However, activists say the protesters were then arrested after a communication from Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford, who gave the order to arrest everyone.

Local activists say that Corey's office is hoping to make an example of Friar and the other protesters. The Hart Bridge shutdown came amid a citywide campaign launched by the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition demanding Corey's immediate resignation. Many of the Jacksonville 19 are active in the “Angela Corey Out Now” campaign.

Far and away, Corey's Fourth Judicial Circuit leads the state of Florida in direct commitment of juvenile offenders, most of whom are African American. From 2009 to 2013, Corey's office incarcerated 1475 juveniles in the Jacksonville area alone, compared to just 32 in Miami during the same period, according to the Florida Times-Union. In nearly four out of five of those cases, Corey threatened the juvenile defendant with being charged as an adult in order to coerce a plea deal, since adult charges carry harsher penalties.

While Florida and the U.S. incarcerate a disproportionate amount of African American and Latino people as a whole, the situation in Jacksonville is even more disastrous. In the entire state of Florida from 2006 to 2011, 52% of the male juvenile offenders tried as adults were African American, while white male juveniles comprised only 25% of those tried as adults. These inequalities alone are staggering, but in Corey's Fourth Judicial District during the same period, African American males comprised 70% of all juvenile offenders tried as adults, while white males comprised just 18%, according to an April 2014 report by Human Rights Watch.

Local activists will continue rallying support for the Jacksonville 19 throughout their court dates. They are demanding that Corey's office drop all charges on the protesters and return all belongings immediately.

#JacksonvilleFL #PoliceBrutality #EricGarner #DropTheCharges #Jacksonville19

The protesters, dubbed the 'Jacksonville 19' by local activists and media, stopped traffic on the bridge on Dec. 8 to demand justice for Eric Garner. Garner was the African-American man who NYPD choked, leading to his death. A New York grand jury refused to indict the white police officer Daniel Pantaleo, continuing a nationwide protest movement against racism and police brutality.

On the morning of Dec. 8, about a dozen protesters parked cars and blocked traffic on I-95 northbound. Carrying signs that read, “Black lives matter” and “I can't breathe,” the group halted traffic until police arrived and forced them onto a nearby overpass.

Then in the afternoon, 19 protesters blocked traffic on the Hart Bridge. The protesters slowed their cars to a crawl on the two-lane highway and many walked between the cars holding signs. Police eventually led the protesters off the bridge to a parking garage near EverBank Field, where they detained the entire crowd.

According to several activists, police informed the crowd they would be receiving verbal warnings and written citations for obstructing traffic. However, activists say, the police sergeant then received an order from Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford to arrest all 19 protesters.

The protesters were held in a parking garage near the John E. Goode Pre-trial Detention Facility for several hours. Police seized everyone's phones, cameras and other media storage devices, claiming them as evidence to identify the activists who attended the morning traffic shutdown. No cell phones or other seized devices are yet returned to protesters as of Dec. 12.

Most of the protesters were charged with obstructing traffic, a misdemeanor in Florida. They were given court dates and released in the middle of the night, after a jailhouse solidarity protest called by the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition (JPC).

However one protester, Siddie Friar, was charged with two felonies – one for resisting arrest with violence and the other for assaulting an officer. Friar was held longer, and State Attorney Angela Corey pushed the judge to raise her bond. Corey's office sent several attorneys who presented printouts of Friar's Facebook posts to argue for raising her bond. The judge kept her bond the same, and later that night, activists from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the JPC bonded her out.

Most of the protesters, the Jacksonville 19, are scheduled for court appearances in late December. The Jacksonville Progressive Coalition and other groups are calling on State Attorney Angela Corey to drop all charges against the protesters and return all seized items immediately.

#JacksonvilleFL #PoliceBrutality #JacksonvilleProgressiveCoalition #EricGarner #BlackLivesMatter #Jacksonville19