Jacksonville, FL – On March 8, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) organized an action, in solidarity with Minneapolis, demanding justice for George Floyd. Jacksonville was one of many cities to participate in a national day of action, as Monday was the start of the People v. Derek Chauvin trial. JCAC demands that Chauvin be convicted and jailed for the killing of George Floyd.

Over 50 people gathered in front of the Duval County Courthouse to demand justice for George Floyd and all other victims of police brutality. JCAC continues to demand justice for Jamee Johnson, Kwame Jones, Reginald Boston, Leah Baker, Justin Reed and Devon Gregory, all of whom were killed by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

The crowd chanted “Indict! Convict! Send those killer cops to jail! The whole damn system is

guilty as hell!” This chant was fitting for the start of Chauvin’s trial.

Michael Sampson, JCAC organizer, reminded the crowd, “Despite Chauvin being the one who killed George Floyd, the real person on trial is going to be George Floyd.” The nation will have to sit and listen as lawyers attempt to dishonor the memory of George Floyd. The nation will have to sit and listen as lawyers lie about who George Floyd was, as if those lies justify his life being taken at the hands of Chauvin.

Maria Garcia, JCAC organizer, reiterated the demand for community control of the police, which would grant the people of Jacksonville real power in the fight for police accountability. Garcia expressed that “People deserve a say in how their own neighborhoods are policed.” The people also deserve the right to assemble and protest, so the JCAC is calling on people to continue putting pressure on state representatives to vote “no” on Florida House Bill 1 (HB1/SB484).

#JacksonvilleFL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee

Earlier that day at around 11 a.m., Gregory’s family was joined by their attorney, Kevin O’Conner, and organizers from various groups for a press conference on the steps of city hall.

The demands were for a federal investigation of the case, as well as an end to protections for killer cops that are currently in the Florida Officers’ Bill of Rights, so that evidence such as the remaining body camera footage can be subpoenaed by other agencies outside of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

Continuing these demands, the Day for Devon pushed on with a 6 p.m. rally at the Duval County Courthouse. Over 275 people gathered to remember Devon’s life as well as demand the state attorney indict the killer cops.

“Jacksonville is a new battleground,” Bishop Tavis Grant of Rainbow Push Coalition-Chicago said to the crowd. “We can no longer have these militarized zones in cities across the country, particularly here in Jacksonville. We must unite around this nation in cities such as this and send the leaders a message.”

Attorney Kevin O’Conner spoke about the frustrations that legal representation for families of police victims face by being denied access to evidence in a timely manner. “I once had a case where the original report said a police shooting was justified, but upon receiving all of the video evidence in a timely manner, we were able to prove the initial report was a lie and there was justice for that family. But with Devon’s case, it’s already been almost a month – it’s disrespectful to the family, to the community and to the justice process.”

“We need to continue to push for the abolishment of the Florida Officers’ Bill of Rights, outdated legislation that gives police extra protections when they commit a crime against the community. And while we push for the destruction of Jim Crow remnants, we must also push for the creation of a Jacksonville Police Accountability Council to ensure community control of the police,” stated Christina Kittle with the Jacksonville Community Action Committee.

Kittle continued “With community control of the police in the form of such council, external investigations with access to the same raw evidence as the state attorney would even the power imbalance and ensure transparency.”

Families who have suffered from other various of police crimes were also in attendance to show solidarity with Devon Gregory’s family, including the family of Marcellis Stinnet, a Jacksonville man killed by police outside of Chicago; the mother of Leah Baker, a young woman killed by five-time killer-cop JSO John Nobles; the mother of Vernell Bing Jr., a young man killed by two-time killer-cop JSO Tyler Landreville; and Brittany Williams, a survivor of police brutality perpetuated by the same killer cop, Tyler Landreville, that killed Vernell Bing Jr.

Many groups were involved in the December 11 action, including the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, The Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, The Rainbow Push Coalition, Black Lives Matter-Jacksonville, BLM-Alabama and BLM-Lake County Chicago, Women’s March Jacksonville, and others

Follow up actions are being planned for January of 2021.

#JacksonvilleFL #AfricanAmerican #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #CommunityControlOfThePolice #DevonGregory

Earlier that day at around 11 a.m., Gregory’s family was joined by their attorney, Kevin O’Conner, and organizers from various groups for a press conference on the steps of city hall.

The demands were for a federal investigation of the case, as well as an end to protections for killer cops that are currently in the Florida Officers’ Bill of Rights, so that evidence such as the remaining body camera footage can be subpoenaed by other agencies outside of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

Continuing these demands, the Day for Devon pushed on with a 6 p.m. rally at the Duval County Courthouse. Over 275 people gathered to remember Devon’s life as well as demand the state attorney indict the killer cops.

“Jacksonville is a new battleground,” Bishop Tavis Grant of Rainbow Push Coalition-Chicago said to the crowd. “We can no longer have these militarized zones in cities across the country, particularly here in Jacksonville. We must unite around this nation in cities such as this and send the leaders a message.”

Attorney Kevin O’Conner spoke about the frustrations that legal representation for families of police victims face by being denied access to evidence in a timely manner. “I once had a case where the original report said a police shooting was justified, but upon receiving all of the video evidence in a timely manner, we were able to prove the initial report was a lie and there was justice for that family. But with Devon’s case, it’s already been almost a month – it’s disrespectful to the family, to the community and to the justice process.”

“We need to continue to push for the abolishment of the Florida Officers’ Bill of Rights, outdated legislation that gives police extra protections when they commit a crime against the community. And while we push for the destruction of Jim Crow remnants, we must also push for the creation of a Jacksonville Police Accountability Council to ensure community control of the police,” stated Christina Kittle with the Jacksonville Community Action Committee.

Kittle continued “With community control of the police in the form of such council, external investigations with access to the same raw evidence as the state attorney would even the power imbalance and ensure transparency.”

Families who have suffered from other various of police crimes were also in attendance to show solidarity with Devon Gregory’s family, including the family of Marcellis Stinnet, a Jacksonville man killed by police outside of Chicago; the mother of Leah Baker, a young woman killed by five-time killer-cop JSO John Nobles; the mother of Vernell Bing Jr., a young man killed by two-time killer-cop JSO Tyler Landreville; and Brittany Williams, a survivor of police brutality perpetuated by the same killer cop, Tyler Landreville, that killed Vernell Bing Jr.

Many groups were involved in the December 11 action, including the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, The Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, The Rainbow Push Coalition, Black Lives Matter-Jacksonville, BLM-Alabama and BLM-Lake County Chicago, Women’s March Jacksonville, and others

Follow up actions are being planned for January of 2021.

#JacksonvilleFL #AfricanAmerican #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #CommunityControlOfThePolice #DevonGregory

Earlier that day at around 11 a.m., Gregory’s family was joined by their attorney, Kevin O’Conner, and organizers from various groups for a press conference on the steps of city hall.

The demands were for a federal investigation of the case, as well as an end to protections for killer cops that are currently in the Florida Officers’ Bill of Rights, so that evidence such as the remaining body camera footage can be subpoenaed by other agencies outside of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

Continuing these demands, the Day for Devon pushed on with a 6 p.m. rally at the Duval County Courthouse. Over 275 people gathered to remember Devon’s life as well as demand the state attorney indict the killer cops.

“Jacksonville is a new battleground,” Bishop Tavis Grant of Rainbow Push Coalition-Chicago said to the crowd. “We can no longer have these militarized zones in cities across the country, particularly here in Jacksonville. We must unite around this nation in cities such as this and send the leaders a message.”

Attorney Kevin O’Conner spoke about the frustrations that legal representation for families of police victims face by being denied access to evidence in a timely manner. “I once had a case where the original report said a police shooting was justified, but upon receiving all of the video evidence in a timely manner, we were able to prove the initial report was a lie and there was justice for that family. But with Devon’s case, it’s already been almost a month – it’s disrespectful to the family, to the community and to the justice process.”

“We need to continue to push for the abolishment of the Florida Officers’ Bill of Rights, outdated legislation that gives police extra protections when they commit a crime against the community. And while we push for the destruction of Jim Crow remnants, we must also push for the creation of a Jacksonville Police Accountability Council to ensure community control of the police,” stated Christina Kittle with the Jacksonville Community Action Committee.

Kittle continued “With community control of the police in the form of such council, external investigations with access to the same raw evidence as the state attorney would even the power imbalance and ensure transparency.”

Families who have suffered from other various of police crimes were also in attendance to show solidarity with Devon Gregory’s family, including the family of Marcellis Stinnet, a Jacksonville man killed by police outside of Chicago; the mother of Leah Baker, a young woman killed by five-time killer-cop JSO John Nobles; the mother of Vernell Bing Jr., a young man killed by two-time killer-cop JSO Tyler Landreville; and Brittany Williams, a survivor of police brutality perpetuated by the same killer cop, Tyler Landreville, that killed Vernell Bing Jr.

Many groups were involved in the December 11 action, including the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, The Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, The Rainbow Push Coalition, Black Lives Matter-Jacksonville, BLM-Alabama and BLM-Lake County Chicago, Women’s March Jacksonville, and others

Follow up actions are being planned for January of 2021.

#JacksonvilleFL #AfricanAmerican #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #CommunityControlOfThePolice #DevonGregory

Jacksonville, FL – On September 19, over 120 people showed up outside city hall in downtown Jacksonville demanding a people’s budget and community control of the police. This action was in response to the call by the National Alliance Against Racist and Pollical Repression (NAARPR) national call to action. The Jacksonville Community Action Committee is an affiliate of NAARPR.

Speakers from Jacksonville Community Action Committee, University of North Florida SDS, Take ‘Em Down Jax, Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, ACLU, Mount Sinai Baptist Church and other organizations participated. The demands have been consistent as thousands gathered in the streets over the summer and they are as follows:

-- Community control of the police in the form of a Jacksonville Police Accountability Council (JPAC)

-- Abolish Law Enforcement Officer’s Bill of Rights (LEOBOR; Florida statute 112.532)

-- People’s Budget now (to reallocate half of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office budget; currently 40% of the city budget)

-- Drop the charges for the #Tally19 (Stop police repression)

-- Withdraw federal troops from our cities

The crowd chanted in call and response, “What do we want? A people’s budget! When do we want it? Now!” and in reference to the Tallahassee 19, the crowd chanted, “Drop the charges!”

This was the last opportunity to demonstrate opposition to the mayor’s proposed pro-police budget before the finance committee takes a vote. The People’s Budget would effectively re-invest and re-allocate funds that currently bloat the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office budget, which currently sits at $481,594,597 and in the wake of summer uprisings, Sheriff Mike Williams is requesting a $6.1 million increase.

The People’s Budget also calls for People’s Legislation that would direct city officials to make a carve-out in the city’s charter to create a civilian police accountability council; a proposal for a union neutrality ordinance for contractors that gets city contracts to allow their workers the ability to unionize without workplace repression; calls to decriminalize marijuana; greater access to city contracts for small Black businesses and vendors; rent controls to combat gentrification in historically Black neighborhoods like Springfield, and the creation of an Urban Core Development Authority which would direct public and private investment to address community blight and poverty in Jacksonville’s Black neighborhoods.

The JCAC called on city council to reject any budget that doesn’t fund communities yet increases the police budget.

Sara Mahmoud, an organizer with the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, addressed the crowd at Saturday’s rally, “After months of ongoing and historic protests, we are pressing upon the city council to say no to the city budget, and reject stealing taxpayer dollars in order to continue funding crooked killer cops in Jacksonville.”

To follow work with the JCAC, visit: https://jaxtakesaction.org/

#JacksonvilleFL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee

Jacksonville, FL — On Saturday July 18, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee organized a drive-in protest to demand a People’s Budget, a Jacksonville Police Accountability Council (JPAC) and an end to the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights (LEOBOR). Protesters were joined by the families of Jamee Johnson, Kwame Jones and Leah Baker; all of whom were killed by Jacksonville Sheriff Office (JSO) cops.

Organizers took a unique approach to the National Day of Action called by the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression, in an effort to ensure the safety of protesters in the midst of COVID-19 spikes. Close to 200 vehicles filled the grass lot across from the Jacksonville Sheriff Office Memorial Building to hear the rally, with many on foot outside of their vehicles.

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee is calling for a “People’s Budget” prioritizes massive public investment in the people, not the police. Earlier in the week, the group announced their People’s Budget, in opposition to Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry’s budget proposal which still sought to give almost half a billion dollars to JSO. Their People’s Budget called for a large reallocation of city spending to creating living wage, union jobs through the department of public works, large investments in the Black community including public transportation and other social safety net programs and as well, a large investment in mental health services of Jacksonville’s citizens.

On Saturday, Leah Baker’s mother spoke about Leah’s struggles with accessible mental healthcare. Leah was shot and killed by multiple JSO officers after calling for help, fearing that she may be a danger to herself, not others.

Protesters chanted, “Money for schools, not police, money for healthcare, not police!” and “What do we want? JPAC. When do we want it? Now!”

Calls for a Jacksonville Police Accountability Council continued throughout the rally, with speakers like Ben Frazier of the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville calling for community control of the police in Jacksonville.

“Police accountability through a JPAC would ensure that killer cops are not roaming the streets with continued impunity,” said Kiara Joyner of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee and a co-emcee of the rally. “The JSO officers that killed Jamee Johnson, Kwame Jones and Leah Baker would be indicted for their crimes. However, in the current system, these officers are treated as if they are ‘above the law,’ and in some ways they are due to LEOBOR, the Law Enforcement Bill of Rights which gives killer cops and extra layer of due process, which is why that law must be repealed.”

Saturday’s action demonstrated that Jacksonville protesters are not growing weary, and they will not stop until their demands are met. Follow more on the Jacksonville Community Action Committee at https://jaxtakesaction.org.

#JacksonvilleFL #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #JacksonvillePoliceAccountabilityCouncilJPAC #LawEnforcementOfficersBillOfRightsLEOBOR #LennyCurry

Jacksonville, FL – Wrapping up an entire month of action, on June 27, over 400 people gathered in front of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Duval County Jail. Over a month ago, in the wake of COVID-19, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee led a car caravan around the Duval County Jail demanding the mass release of inmates, especially those over 65 years of age and those who are immunocompromised. Those demands were ignored and now 178 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. This rally and march occurred under a backdrop of rising COVID infection rates in the city of Jacksonville as well as recording-setting heat.

The Duval County Jail is already overpopulated by over 800 inmates, and there have been firsthand accounts, including those of protesters who were recently arrested, attesting to the filth and inhumane conditions of the jail.

The mother of a 16-year-old minor who was arrested and is awaiting trial addressed the crowd. She explained how she has received no information regarding the release of her son, that when he calls, he is covering his face with a t-shirt as those incarcerated were not given masks. The Jacksonville Community Action Committee has handed out free masks at every march and rally, while the jail has yet to issue masks to inmates. Family members and loved ones of those incarcerated are left feeling hopeless as they hear that there is no social distancing, no appropriate protective gear, and that inmates are forced to share cells with those infected.

The crowd marched around the jail and chanted “Free my brother! Free my sister!” The inmates pounding on the windows and walls could be heard throughout the crowd.

“There is no excuse for what is happening in this jail and in prisons around the country,” said Rachel Duff, an organizer with the Jacksonville Community Action Committee. “We warned that this would happen and now that it has begun to spread, there must be a swift response by our elected officials, and we will hold them accountable for anything that happens to those incarcerated and exposed to COVID-19.”

As of June 29, JSO Sheriff Mike Williams indicated 50 inmates who had tested positive for COVID-19 had been released over the weekend, after the protests.

Protesters also raised the demand for community control of the police through a Jacksonville Police Accountability Council, as a means to hold JSO accountable through indicting killer cops, overseeing policy and amongst other things, having the ability to defund the police.

Earlier that week, Sheriff Mike Williams asked for a $6 million budget increase, for a department that already makes up over 40% of the city’s total budget. The Jacksonville Community Action Committee is also demanding a People’s Budget, calling for slashing half of JSO’s budget and reinvesting those hundreds of millions back in the Black community.

#JacksonvilleFL #PoliceBrutality #Antiracism #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #JacksonvillePoliceAccountabilityCouncil #FreeThemAll #PeoplesBudget

Jacksonville, FL – On Saturday, June 6, over 10,000 residents of Jacksonville came out to an historic march hosted by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee. This march came a week after 3500 people gathered on the headquarters of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) to demand: Release of body camera footage being held hostage by JSO; an end to excessive force, by instituting community control via a Civilian Police Accountability Council; and transparency in testing and reporting of COVID-19 for those in JSO custody.

With the June 6 march being the largest civil rights demonstration in the city’s history, people from all walks of life united now to demand State Attorney Melissa Nelson: Drop the charges on protesters arrested after taking action to end Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office brutality; prosecute and convict killer cops; and stand up to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s bullying – force them to release the body camera footage.

The march wrapped several city blocks, with chants of “No new JSO,” and “No justice, no peace, no racist police,” echoing through the streets before stopping by State Attorney Nelson’s office to elevate the demands. Within the last week, Jacksonville has shown a capacity for direct action that has not been previously awakened, with events being organized almost daily in virtually every corner of the city, by students, workers and clergy members.

Follow the Jacksonville Community Action Committee by looking for @JaxTakesAction on all social media to stay updated with the ongoing people’s struggle in Jacksonville!

#JacksonvilleFL #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #GeorgeFloyd

Jacksonville, FL – On December 30, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), community members and organizations, along with family and friends of Jamee Johnson, rallied and held a vigil to demand #JusticeForJamee. Around 60 people gathered to remember Jamee Johnson and demanded justice in front of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in downtown Jacksonville.

Jamee Johnson was a senior at Florida A&M University who has been described as kind and driven. He was shot multiple times on the night of December 14, 2019 by JSO killer cop Josue Garriga. Garriga had only been with the JSO for one and a half years, however, this was not the first officer-involved shooting he’s been involved in.

Protesters chanted, “Justice for Jamee” as well as, “No justice, no peace, we want community control of the police.”

Speaking to media at the event, Johnson’s mother Kimberly Austin said, “I just need answers.”

Garriga, according to JSO, was wearing a body camera. However, State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s office along with JSO have refused to release it.

Protesters continue to demand the release of all unedited body camera footage from the night, along with continuing the call for a civilian police accountability council.

“We are here to demand justice for Jamee and make sure that State Attorney Melissa Nelson and JSO know we are watching and it is the people who will hold them accountable,” said Michael Sampson, organizer with the JCAC.

The JCAC and the family of Jamee Johnson said they will continue to demand answers until they get it.

#JacksonvilleFL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #JameeJohnson

Jacksonville, FL – Around 50 people gathered in downtown Jacksonville, Monday morning, July 1, to protest Mayor Lenny Curry and Sheriff Mike Williams’ inauguration. Curry and Williams both ran a campaign this spring based on law-and-order and the promise of lower crime rates. Despite the community’s demand over the last two years for less money for police and more money for community investment, Jacksonville city council and Mayor Curry repeatedly rewarded the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) with an increased budget, although crime continues to rise. The proposed JSO budget is $445 million, which is roughly a third of Jacksonville’s budget and $35 million increase over last year.

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee, Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, Jacksonville Progressive Coalition, community and labor leaders voiced their opposition to Mayor Curry and Sheriff Williams as they chanted slogans such as “Just say no to JSO,” and “Money for jobs and education, not for police and incarceration,” as city council members trickled past the protest into the venue. Community members demanded the city create a “People’s Budget” that invests in poor areas of town, public transit, education, mental health education along with other public services.

“We came out here this morning to let the city council, sheriff and the mayor know that more money to JSO while our communities are crumbling from a lack of infrastructure and public investment is a nonstarter,” said Michael Sampson of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee. “We shouldn’t fund a police state, and city council should serve the people, not JSO’s coffers.”

Activists pledged to continue keeping pressure up as the city council prepares for budget hearings coming up this fall.

#JacksonvilleFL #PeoplesStruggles #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #JSO

Jacksonville, FL – On March 24, over 50 people from the community, along with members of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, gathered to remember the life of Vernell Bing Jr., an African American man gunned down by Officer Tyler Landreville of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in 2016. Along with members of Take Em Down Jax and the Northside Coalition, the Bing’s mother, Shirley McDaniel, thanked attendees for coming. Vernell Bing would have been 25 this year.

Christina Kittle, vigil emcee and organizer with the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, spoke on the need for community control of the police in Jacksonville. “We need a Jacksonville Police Accountability Council to hold JSO accountable for misconduct and put the people in charge over the police, not the other way around.”

Vigil attendees chanted, “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now.”

In 2017, State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s office ruled the shooting justified. The killer cop Tyler Landreville is still patrolling the streets of Jacksonville.

Activists pledged to continue the fight for police accountability in Jacksonville.

#JacksonvilleFL #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #VernellBingJr #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #JacksonvilleSheriffsOffices

Jacksonville, FL – It was a very violent weekend in Jacksonville. There was a shooting at the Raines High School versus Lee High School football game on Friday, August 24, and the following day, August 25, there was a shooting at the Jacksonville Landing during a video game tournament, leaving families and friends all over the city mourning. The Jacksonville city council typically meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, and although rescheduled due to voting in the statewide primaries, the city council meeting on Wednesday, August 29 was attended by many angry community members and activists that wanted answers.

People from all over Jacksonville attended the meeting to demand accountability from the police. There were over 50 uniformed Jacksonville Sheriff Office (JSO) officers at the Raines v. Lee football game and they did not stop the triple shooting that left one person dead. JSO also failed to protect people at the Landing, where three people were killed, including the gunman, who fatally shot himself after injuring a dozen others – proving more cops isn't the answer. This directly contradicts what Sheriff Williams and Mayor Curry keep telling people will stop violence in the community.

Government officials are already opportunistically using the events of this past weekend to try to push a budget that many residents oppose, allocating yet another $30 million to JSO’s already outrageously overfunded budget. JSO’s budget, encompassing almost a third of the entire city budget, has not put a dent in the over 70% unsolved crime rate here in Jacksonville. Instead, we see JSO and the state protecting the white vigilante murderers of people like Keegan Roberts, whose family has still yet to receive justice. JSO has also failed to make an arrest in the murder of a local musician, Maurice Hobbs, and has not investigated the murder properly.

City Council President Aaron Bowman sought to silence public discussion about these issues by suggesting that any council member who would like to respond to a resident should go into a private room, keeping the information discussed away from the public. Councilman Garrett Dennis proposed an appeal of this decision, that these discussions should be allowed to happen in a public setting. Out of 19 council members, only four voted in favor of the appeal.

Upon seeing the vote results broadcast on the screens around the council chamber, the community decided it had finally seen enough. Leader of the Northside Coalition, Ben Frazier, asked the council “What about the voice of the people?” and as the City Council President Bowman directed JSO officers to harass the audience, many people began to walk out, chanting in unison “No justice! No peace!”, as well as “No new JSO!”

“What a slap in the face to Black and other marginalized communities who see poor roads, zero to little programming for our youth and no public infrastructure,” said Michael Sampson, a lead organizer with the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, adding, “yet we can give another $30 million to JSO? That is wrong and the city council needs to stand against it. That money should go towards creating good jobs, housing, education and programs designed to improve people’s lives and neighborhoods – things that families really need.”

Protesters vowed to continue fighting against over policing and underdevelopment in African American neighborhoods in Jacksonville, as well as the 2018-2019 city budget, which allocates $30 million to the JSO, and which already takes a third of the city’s total operational budget. The activists all agreed that residents want better access to health services, better infrastructure, better jobs and better education – not more police or racist incarceration.

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee is calling on all those who oppose an increased police state in Jacksonville to rally with them outside Jacksonville City Hall this Wednesday, Sept. 5, at 6 p.m. on the National Day of Action Against Police Crimes.

#JacksonvilleFL #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #JacksonvilleSheriffsOffice #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #JSO #NoNewJSO

Jacksonville, FL – About 150 people came out to a Trans Lives Matter rally, June 27, in front of Jacksonville courthouse to demand justice. The event was sponsored by many organizations including Jacksonville Community Action Committee, Coalition for Consent, Jacksonville Transgender Action Committee, Equality Florida, and Transgender Awareness Project. This rally was to honor the lives of the three black transgender women murdered here in Jacksonville.

Just this week a black transgender woman, Cathalina Christina James, was murdered in Jacksonville, which makes this the third transgender women to be killed, following Celine Walker and Antash’a English. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) believes that none of the murders are connected in any way, but some community members disagree. This year alone, 13 transgender people have been murdered in the U.S., with 23% of those killed occurring in Jacksonville.

Community members and activists demanded community control of the police at the rally. Christina Kittle led chants, including, “When Black trans women lives are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back,” along with “Black lives matter, Black trans lives matter” and “No Justice, no peace. No transphobic police.”

Kittle told the crowd, “We need to get rid of the illusion that there is a force that equally protects all of us. We need to keep building our communities and hold the JSO accountable.” Kittle and other speakers talked about why it’s necessary for the Jacksonville community, especially the Black community, to fight for community control of the police, making sure misgendering doesn’t persist along the JSO and that police find the possible serial killer attacking the transgender community.

“Revolutionary women of color such as Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson fought the battles and paved the way for gay and trans liberation, and are so often left out of the narrative by rainbow capitalism, but the fight for trans liberation has always been connected to the fight for police accountability,” stated Elias Joseph, a local Syrian trans activist and community organizer.

Many are also calling for the resignation of Jacksonville’s Sheriff Mike Williams, who has yet to make a statement on the murders of the black transwomen, along with Mayor Lenny Curry, whose office has been silent around these deaths.

Protesters vowed to keep up the fight until justice is won.

#JacksonvilleFL #AfricanAmerican #TransLivesMatter #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #CoalitionForConsent

MacClenny, FL – On April 21, around 150 community members and activists, as well as the family of Dominic Broadus II, marched to the Baker County Courthouse to call for justice.

On Feb. 3, Broadus II was found murdered execution-style with three bullet wounds to his head on property that belongs to the Fraser family, a very powerful family in Baker County. Gardner Fraser, who was well known in MacClenny for his violent behavior, was terminated from North East Florida Hospital for breaking a patient’s jaw. Fraser is the son of a former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) Deputy Ryan T. Fraser, who was fired for shooting an unarmed Black man, and then rehired by the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, from which he eventually retired. Ryan T. Fraser, before joining the JSO, was forced to resign after hitting a car, leading to the death of a young woman. Gardner Fraser is also the grandson of Edwin Fraser, who the MacClenny hospital is named after. These connections are the main reason why protesters say there has been no arrest, given how politically connected the main suspect is.

“If the main suspect was Black, that person would already been in jail, but since the killer is white and connected to the sheriff’s department and a politically powerful family, you see this injustice,” said Joshua Parks of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, one of the march leaders.

Protesters met at the Emmanuel Church oh God and Christ and marched to the Baker County Courthouse a mile away, where a rally was held in front. Protesters’ chants included, “All night, all day, we gonna march for DJ,” “No Justice, no peace, Gardner Fraser off the streets,” “All eyes in Baker County,” as well as “Justice for DJ.”

At the courthouse, clergy, other victims’ families and the mother of Dominic Broadus II spoke to the crowd. She thanked everyone for their participation and urged everyone to keep up the fight to get justice for her son.

“This was very constructive,” said Hakeem Balogun, a community member who came from Jacksonville to protest. “The sheriff knows and the people know what is happening and they, the justice system, need to do what’s right before it gets worse for them.”

The community vowed to keep protesting and pressuring the State Attorney William Cervone to file charges against Gardner Fraser as well as rid the Baker County Sheriff’s Department of its racial bigotry, corruption and nepotism.

Be sure to follow the campaign on Facebook at “Justice4DjBroadus” for more updates on the next steps in this important struggle against the national oppression of African Americans in the Deep South.

#MacClennyFL #PoliceBrutality #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #JSO #DominicBroadusII

Jacksonville has a lengthy record of police crimes including but not limited to:

• April 2017- violently attacking five anti-war protesters and unlawfully arresting them
• July 2017- Failure to apprehend the vigilante killer of 22-year-old Keegan Von Roberts
• May 2016 – Killing of 22-year-old Vernell Bing, unarmed black man shot by Officer Tyler Laundreville
• May 2015- Killing of D’Angelo Stallworth, an unarmed Black UPS part-time supervisor
• May 2012- Killing of Davinian Williams, an unarmed Black resident

While the list of victims of police crimes continues to grow, the JCAC found it dangerous that Jacksonville’s Mayor Lenny Curry would propose an increase in police numbers while ignoring the obvious need for accountability. The JCAC called for the community to speak out at city council meetings every other Tuesday through the summer and fall of 2017 to voice these concerns regarding budget proposal 2017-504.

The community responded in record numbers to urge council members to vote no on budget proposal 2017-504. The JCAC used this moment to also begin demanding a Jacksonville Police Accountability Council (JPAC). The JCAC explained how a JPAC differed from already existing review boards because it actually gave power to the citizens and eliminated the problems centering around internal investigations. A JPAC would mean real community control of the police and be a direct blow against the backwards set of Florida laws known as the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights.

City Hall seats that normally remained empty were filled by Black, brown, and Transgender young people who had never been to a public hearing before. Speakers presented data to refute the claims of the mayor which stated that the reason behind the budget increase was “to crack down on crime.”

“There has been no significant spike in crime in Jacksonville Florida since 1997,” JCAC activist and member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) Christina Kittle explained to council. “And for the areas of town where there have been notable increases in crime, there is no correlation between more cops and less crime. There is a proven correlation, however, between more infrastructure, job development, social services, afterschool programs, rehabilitation services and less crime.”

The Jacksonville’s Sheriff’s Office, in a desperate attempt to seem as though they had their ‘facts’ in order, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to conduct their own study. This study was not planned by a statistician, but by an employee of the mayor himself. This employee sloppily put together a study which claimed the majority of black voters wanted more cops. This ridiculous report was ripped apart over the course of several city council meetings.

“A large percentage of the Black population in Jacksonville, specifically the areas that are affected by police crimes, cannot vote due to felonies and other restrictions by the very institution conducting this study. This study is not an accurate representation of what the people want,” Kittle reminded the council.

Two Black city council members were racially profiled by the police. One member was stopped by JSO officers while driving, quickly catching the attention of Councilwoman Katrina Brown who stopped to investigate why JSO had stopped the first council person. They chose to speak out against the profiling and were publicly threatened for doing so by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). FOP President Steve Zona, who spoke during public comment period threatening the council to pass the mayor’s budget, and targeting the two Black members (who were profiled) in his speech. He managed to scare one city council person into giving a humiliating apology to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, but Councilwoman Katrina Brown refused to apologize.

“The Fraternal Order of Police is using their power to strong arm and bully city council into promoting their agenda despite being proven, factually, that they are wrong. They claim to be a union, yet collude against the interest of working-class people. This is a police shake down,” local activist Michael Sampson said of the childish and desperate threats of the FOP.

Ultimately, despite a very public, very heated series of city hall appearances by the JCAC and a large number of concerned citizens, the budget passed – but not without a few compromises. The argument for more funding towards social programs was included in the budget, and money was also given to several afterschool programs in an attempt to appease the masses.

The biggest thing to take away from this series of events was that it demystified the people in power for many citizens in Jacksonville while uniting them in a fight for their own interests. It also, unfortunately, proved that doing things ‘through the system’ rarely favors the benefit of the working class. Organizers and citizens alike adhered to the rules of the city and voiced their opposition to a budget that otherwise would have silently passed, and were still ignored. The people are now more critical of the power structures at work and are still fighting to bring police accountability to Jacksonville.

#JacksonvilleFL #PoliceBrutality #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee

Jacksonville, FL – Over 75 people gathered in front of the Duval County Courthouse, Sept. 20, to demand community control of the police, and to get justice for justice for Vernell Bing and Keagan Roberts. Called by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), just days after Jacksonville State Attorney Melissa Nelson announced no charges against Jacksonville Sheriff's Office cop Tyler Landreville for the murder of Bing in May of 2016, protesters connected the police crimes of the JSO with why a Jacksonville Police Accountability Council (JPAC) is needed.

Vernell Bing, a 22-year-old African American, was unarmed when JSO cop Tyler Landreville fired five shots last year, shooting Bing in the head execution style, near 9th and Liberty Street in Springfield, a Black working-class area of town. This led to mass community protests demanding the firing and arrest of Landreville – who is still on duty.

On July 20, Keegan Roberts, another Black worker, was murdered by a white, racist, George Zimmerman-style vigilante in his own driveway – and JSO has still not arrested his killer, Michael Centanni IV.

Protesters chanted, “When Black lives are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back,” as well as “Justice For Keegan.”

The mothers of Vernell Bing and Keagan Roberts were on hand at the rally and spoke to why they want justice for their sons.

“We came out here to demand State Attorney Melissa Nelson file charges to arrest to Michael Centanni IV for the killing of Keagan and let the sheriff know that will continue to fight for justice for Vernell Bing,” said Jacksonville Community Action Committee organizer and protest emcee Christina Kittle. “We are demanding a JPAC because it'll shift power from the hands of the cops back to the people because we can't trust the state attorney to hold these cops accountable.”

“We are continuing to sign up and talk to members of the community about why we need real police accountability and why community control is necessary,” said Monique Williamson of University of North Florida Students for Democratic Society and the JCAC. “It's gonna take a movement of the people to bring the radical change we want but we know the people united will never be defeated.”

#JacksonvilleFL #PoliceBrutality #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #KeeganRoberts #VernellBing

Jacksonville, FL – On Saturday, Sept. 2, the family of Keegan Roberts called for a protest outside State Attorney Melissa Nelson's office as well as a candlelight vigil at the home where Keegan was murdered by George Zimmerman wannabe Michael Centanni.

Around 60 community members, activists and local organizers were on hand for the vigil. Around 30 people attended the protest earlier that day outside the State Attorney's office.

With chants of “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!”, protesters demanded justice for Keegan outside State Attorney Melissa Nelson's office.

In past weeks since the killing, the family of Keegan Roberts, along with local community organizations such as the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, have been demanding that State Attorney file charges against Centanni for the murder of Keegan Roberts. Centanni is currently using self defense or the Stand Your Ground law to avoid charges.

On July 20, Keegan Roberts, after taking his wife on a date night, was accosted and shot by neighbor, racist and Jacksonville Sheriff's office aspiring police trainee Michael Centanni. On previous occasions, Centanni had badgered Roberts. However that night, Centanni went to Roberts house looking for a fight.

After approaching Roberts’ car, harassing Roberts and his wife, Centanni gunned down Keegan, while Jacksonville Sheriff Office officers (JSO) who came to the scene immediately took the side of the white racist Centanni. JSO cops even put Keegan's wife in a police car and treated her as if she was the criminal.

“They [JSO] just assumed when they got here that Keegan was the aggressor,” said Cecilia Shepard, mother of Keegan Roberts. “They treated Keegan's wife as if she was in the wrong.”

At the vigil on Saturday night, local activists including Ron Davis, father of Jordan Davis, the 17-year-old black teen who was killed by racist vigilante Michael Dunn in 2012, was on hand lending support for the family for Keegan.

“Since Jordan died, look at how many families have lost children, sisters and brothers, sons – killed,” said Ron Davis. “We have to stop this madness.”

Jordan Davis’s killer was eventually convicted for the first degree murder of Jordan Davis after three trials along with major protests demanding Dunn be convicted in Jacksonville.

At the vigil, community members heard from Keegan Roberts mother, wife, sister and other activists on their thoughts on why justice must be won. Keegan's mother even called for police accountability due to how poorly this case was handled by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

“In 2012, we saw a racist vigilante in George Zimmerman murder Trayvon Martin, with the injustice system doing nothing to get justice and it took a people’s movement to see Zimmerman arrested for his crimes and it's gonna take a similar movement here to see Centanni arrested.” said Michael Sampson of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC). “Why add 100 new cops to the streets of Jacksonville when those same police can't even arrest a racist killer? It's clear racist laws like Stand Your Ground gives free range for racists to murder Black people and we need to keep demanding this murderer is jailed but also, we must make sure the police are held accountable too for their inaction in bias in how they handled the case.”

Keegan Robert's family, friends, and organizations like the JCAC remain committed to seeing justice is won in the case.

#JacksonvilleFL #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #Justice4Keegan #KeeganRoberts

TakeEmDownJax has led the way in the fight to remove the Confederacy from Jacksonville, uniting multiple local groups , including the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, Veterans for Peace Jax, Young Workers of Jacksonville, and the Women’s March Jacksonville Chapter. The Tampa TakeEmDown coalition drove four hours to join the fight. This united effort was successful in outnumbering their opposition.

The arguments in support of keeping the monuments came from people repeatedly trying to convince everyone in the room they personally weren’t racist. One woman informed the council, “My daughter’s best friend is black, I’m not racist, but I am of my heritage and these monuments should stay.” This was easily refuted by point out what the white supremacists did in Charlottesville defending those monuments.

Syd Eastwin let everyone know, “Just the fact that this is still something up for debate in the year 2017 by this city council, is a clear sign people care about dead racist statues more than Black lives.” The heated statements continued with the opposition involved until the last quarter of the night when the pro-Confederates were outnumbered byTakeEmDownJax’s supporters.

This united effort to remove the symbols of the Confederacy from public spaces continues to fight in the form of direct action events and call-in days to the mayor and city council members. The next open forum Jacksonville City Council meeting is on will address this issue Sept. 12.

#JacksonvilleFL #Antiracism #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #ConfederateMonuments

Jacksonville, FL – Almost two dozen members of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) spoke at the city council meeting July 25 in favor of police accountability.

The newly launched JCAC is fighting for a Jacksonville Police Accountability Council (JPAC) designed to provide real community control of a currently out of control law enforcement agency. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) has committed numerous offenses against working-class Black people over the past few years. These police crimes include the murder of the unarmed Vernell Bing Jr. last year and the murder of unarmed Selwyn Hall earlier this year.

More recently, JSO made national headlines when Devonte Shipman and another Black man were stopped by JSO officer J. S. Bolen for crossing the street. Bolen harassed and racially profiled Shipman, asking him about weapons and drugs, but he knew his rights. Shipman was issued two tickets by the corrupt officer, one for jaywalking and another for driving with a suspended license, even though he was clearly walking and not driving. Due to public pressure, JSO dropped the suspended license ticket.

It's clear that Jacksonville, like many other cities in the U.S., needs a mechanism for police accountability. The JCAC vowed to continue fighting for community control of the police as a step forward in the fight against racism and national oppression.

JCAC organizer Joshua Parks said, “We need JPAC because historically, the police have never been held accountable to Black, brown and poor communities. The only way to gain accountability is to empower our communities to gain control over the institutions that they pay for with taxes and affect their lives.”

#JacksonvilleFL #PoliceBrutality #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #JCAC #JPAC #JacksonvillePoliceAccountabilityCouncil #JSO

Jacksonville, FL – On June 20, Devonte Shipman, a young African American in Jacksonville, was stopped and harassed by police officers for simply walking across the street. Claiming to have seen him illegally cross the street, Officer J.S Bolen of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) harassed and badgered Shipman, even threatening him with jail time. Shipman recorded the encounter with his cellphone, a clip that went viral and made national and international news.

Currently, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) is calling for its supporters as well as supporters of the national movement against police crimes to call in to the JSO to demand Sheriff Mike Williams terminate Officer Bolen for his blatant racial profiling and badgering of Shipman. Supporters say that #WalkingWhileBlack is not a crime.

On that day, Shipman got two tickets. One of the tickets was for jaywalking and the other for having a suspended license, although Shipman wasn’t even operating a motor vehicle.

“If I was Caucasian, would he have been so quick to jump out the car and say I’m going to jail?” Shipman asked. According to leaders in the JCAC, the answer to Shipman’s question is pretty clear.

“Without a doubt Devonte was profiled and stopped because he’s Black and JSO is very much racist police force,” said Joshua Parks, an activist with the JCAC. “We have been putting pressure on JSO since last week to fire this officer and we won’t stop until we get some real accountability.”

Just yesterday, Shipman received word from JSO that his ticket involving the suspended license was dropped because it was “made in error,” clearly a move done by JSO, bowing down due to widespread public condemnation and grassroots pressure. But the JCAC has vowed to not stop until there is real police accountability in Jacksonville.

“We are calling for community control of the police, a civilian police accountability council with the power to stop widespread police abuses by police officers like what happened with Devonte Shipman and countless others,” said Michael Sampson, with the Community Action Committee. “The current cornerstone of African American national oppression is police violence, which is why we need a real mass movement in the city against police crimes to address it in a real way.”

The Community Action Committee believes that the people should have the power over the police force, not the other way around. The CAC was recently created by grassroots activists to build a movement against police crimes as well as other issues that face the black and marginalized communities.

They are asking supporters to call into JSO at 904-630-0500 and demand Officer Bolen be fired, and also to demand an end to their practices of racial profiling by police.

#JacksonvilleFL #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #Antiracism #JacksonvilleSheriffsOffice #DevonteShipman #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #JCAC