News and Views from the People's Struggle
Jacksonville, FL – Over 1000 people marched through downtown and packed the courtyard outside the federal courthouse here on January 27, demanding justice for Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
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.
Jacksonville, FL– On Tuesday, January 20, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) quietly set up a recruitment table on the University of North Florida campus. Shortly after, a member of Jacksonville Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) reported the table’s presence, and the group quickly organized an emergency protest.
Jacksonville, FL – On January 24, the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA) organized over 250 protesters in front of their county courthouse. The action marks the one-year anniversary of both Trump's second term, and the founding of the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance in the wake of Trump's aggressive attack on immigrants.
Jacksonville, FL – On Wednesday, January 7, students at the University of North Florida gathered for a banner-drop demanding the school be declared a sanctuary campus. The demonstration, organized by the Jacksonville chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), was the latest in a long line of protests against the university’s cooperation with ICE.
Jacksonville, FL – On Saturday, January 3 nearly 100 Jacksonville residents rallied to condemn U.S. military strikes on Venezuela, and demand the immediate release of the kidnapped President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. Protesters rallied outside of .U.S Senator Rick Scott’s office, who in October of 2025, alluded to the illegal kidnapping of the President Maduro and his wife, stating, “something is going to happen.”
Jacksonville, FL – 250 community members held a rapid response emergency action January 8 at the federal courthouse to demand justice for Renee Good, a woman who was murdered by ICE Agent Johnathan Ross.
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.
Jacksonville, FL – On Friday, December 5, almost 40 people gathered in downtown Jacksonville in front of Governor Rick Scott’s office to rally in solidarity with Venezuela. Scott has advocated for sanctions against the Venezuelan people and has accused President Nicolas Maduro of being a dictator and says the traitor Marina Corina Machado is a “true champion for freedom and democracy in Venezuela.”
Jacksonville FL – On Saturday, November 29, the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JPSN) marched in commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The crowd first rallied at Memorial Park, marched through the Riverside area, and met again at Riverside Park for a second program of speakers from various other organizations. About 40 people attended, with chants of “No more genocidal cargo, we demand an arms embargo” echoing throughout the area.
Jacksonville, FL- On Tuesday, Nov. 4, former national security advisor Brett McGurk made an appearance at University of North Florida (UNF) for a talk on “Geopolitical Hotspots.” McGurk as a security advisor was an advocate of the U.S invasion of Iraq and is a staunch advocate of the collective punishment of occupied people of Palestine.
Jacksonville, FL – On Wednesday, October 22, students at the University of North Florida gathered to protest the proposed Florida House Bill 113, which seeks to pressure all colleges in the state to rename a road after Charlie Kirk.
Jacksonville, FL – On October 7, over 100 community members gathered outside the Dames Point terminal of the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT). These folks answered the call put out by the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JPSN) to “Rise Up For Gaza!” and to get “Genocide out of JAXPORT!” on the two year anniversary of Al-Aqsa Flood.
Jacksonville, FL – In the week of the Palestinian martyr and poet Refaat Alareer’s birthday, the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network came together with over 50 community members for a weekend of fostering connections, flying kites in solidarity, and honoring the martyrs of Palestine.
Jacksonville, FL — On September 23, the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA) called a protest at Jacksonville's City Hall. They urge people to contact their local city council members to protest Councilman Rory Diamond's proposed amendments to Mayor Donna Deagan's proposed budget.
The amendments were dubbed, by Diamond himself, as “big beautiful budget amendments,” in homage to Donald Trump's “big beautiful bill.”
Jacksonville, FL – On Saturday, September 20, dozens of cars embarked on a caravan led by the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA) from Jacksonville to Sanderson in Baker County, Florida. It was a show of public resistance and solidarity with immigrants who are already being detained at a new detention center, disgustingly named by Governor Ron Desantis as “Deportation Depot.” Activists call it the “Baker Cruelty Camp,” or BCC.
Jacksonville, FL – On Saturday, August 30, workers came out in full force to demonstrate outside of Senator Rick Scott’s office in downtown Jacksonville. This rally, organized by the North Florida Central Labor Council and the North Florida Future Labor Leaders, was in protest to the onslaught on US workers by the current administration.
This protest was sparked by the AFL-CIO’s call for a “Workers' Labor Day.”
Union teachers, plumbers, longshoremen, electricians, logistics workers and city employees showed out and demonstrated the power of union solidarity. LJ Holloway, a rank-and-file member of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), led the chant: “United we bargain! Divided we beg!” Anyone in downtown Jacksonville could hear the echoes of the workers chanting, “Who’s got the power? We got the power! What kind of power? Worker power!”
Monica Gold, a middle school teacher and proud union member, told the crowd, “Within our building we have teachers, paraprofessionals and office personnel. We have maintenance workers, school bus drivers, cafeteria workers and custodians. And I think about how their victories are my victories, and how their losses are my losses, and that we’re so much stronger when we work together. I think it’s high time that we stop asking for things, but that we demand things.”
Many at the rally spoke on the Trump administration’s shameful attacks on unions and the working class as a whole, including the recent ruling on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
Michael Sampson, an organizer and union rep for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) stated, “What we are seeing is the agenda of Donald Trump to starve us, to get rid of our unions, to get rid of the solidarity that we have with each other. Because he knows that having a union means having an organization, and having an organization of workers means having the ability to fight back against the agenda of corporate America.”
Shayne Tremblay, a union electrician and president of the North Florida Future Labor Leaders spoke on the need for solidarity, stating, “I believe that we need to take the winning strategy of solidarity that got us our unions, and we need to aim higher. We need to stand in solidarity, not just with our coworkers, but with every working person in this country. We need to organize all working people to turn this into a country that is for workers, by workers.”
The rally took place in one the most traffic-heavy parts of the city, and the workers got a plethora of honks and expressions of support from folks driving by.
#JacksonvilleFL #FL #Labor #LaborDay #NFFLL #AFLCIO #ILA #AFSCME
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 – On Wednesday, August 27, students at the University of North Florida rallied in protest against their university police department joining ICE’s 287(g) task force, a program that gives officers training and authorization to carry out immigration arrests.
The rally, organized by Jacksonville Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), mobilized over a dozen students. Protesters held signs reading, “We say: No UPD/ICE collaboration” and “No human is illegal,” while chanting, “Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here!” Protesters raised demands including declaring UNF a sanctuary campus and pulling university police from the 287(g) task force.
“Let’s call this what it is – an attack on students,” said Angi Alva, a UNF student and member of SDS.
Alva continued, “We do not need university police acting as ICE on campus. This does not make students safer; it only presents a new danger.”
The rally started small but drew a crowd as it progressed. Several students walking by stopped to grab a sign and participate, saying they were glad to see people fighting back against the threat of deportations on campus. Around half a dozen students joined SDS on the spot.
The UNF Police Department submitted a request to join the ICE task force in April but didn’t receive confirmation until late in the summer. UNF administration has tried to keep quiet about the change, with UNF President Moez Limayem claiming university police are carrying out “business as usual” and saying student protesters are overreacting to the news.
However, recent events show the administration is hiding the severity of the threat to students. On the same day as the protest, UNF confirmed two officers were receiving ICE training, but only four days before, Limayem claimed no such training had been scheduled.
SDS Vice President Lorelai Dodge called out university administration on its lack of transparency, saying, “People need to realize admin is not on our side. The only ones we [students] can count on are ourselves.”
In addition to demanding a sanctuary campus, protesters also raised demands including protections for majors and DEI programs amid state budget cuts, as well as demanding divestment from Israel.
Jacksonville, FL – During the week of August 10-17, JPSN answered the call to action by the Anti-War Action Network for protests demanding an end to the siege in Gaza. The Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JPSN) organized a total of five events during the week of action, with various ways for the community to get involved.