Jacksonville, FL – On Wednesday, September 23, the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JPSN) held their second class in a series of free educational sessions, inspired by the popular education that arose in the First Intifada in opposition to Israel outlawing all Palestinian educational institutions. The second class was held as an introduction to Palestine titled “Life Under Occupation: Finding Hope Through Resistance.”

Over 40 community members attended the teach-in to learn how U.S.-backed Zionism established structural obstacles to Palestinian self-determination as early as the 1910s. Prominent political figures like U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour green-lit the start of the U.S.-Zionist project, against the wishes of Palestinians.

As one instructor with JPSN said, “The legal and military components of this reality were constructed layer by layer over more than a century and tonight we’re tracing that construction.”

Instructors also covered how early components of Zionism still shape modern life under occupation, ranging from present-day resource theft, militarized checkpoints, illegal settlements, and political prisoners, completely bankrolled by the U.S. government under the guise of “aid” to Israel.

Attendees were provided literature and instructed in breakout sessions to analyze the impact of different Zionist policies on Palestinian sovereignty. Each group had the opportunity to present their responses, honoring the revolutionary tradition of popular education transforming students into teachers.

Closing out the class, instructors switched gears to focus on how Palestinians organized for their liberation, citing wins in the national movement resisting Zionist barbarism on multiple fronts, like the legacy of Land Day inspiring generations to come with notable uprisings like the 21-month long Great March of Return, or the prisoners’ struggle, with the unified Palestinian resistance freeing thousands of political prisoners.

Instructors with JPSN concluded the second class with a reading of the poem Here We Will Remain by Tawfiq Zayyad, a lead organizer of the original 1976 Land Day general strike:

In Lidda, in Ramla, in the Galilee, We shall remain, Like a wall upon your chest, And in your throat

Like a shard of glass, A cactus thorn, And in your eyes A sandstorm.

We shall remain, A wall upon your chest, Clean dishes in your restaurants, Serve drinks in your bars, Sweep the floors of your kitchens To snatch a bite for our children From your blue fangs.

Here we shall remain, Sing our songs. Take to the angry streets, Fill prisons with dignity.

In Lidda, in Ramla, in the Galilee, We shall remain, Guard the shade of the fig And olive trees, Ferment rebellion in our children As yeast in the dough.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #JPSN

Jacksonville, FL – On September 26, about 50 people gathered to celebrate Alquan Suydam’s 30th birthday, honoring a life cut short when Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) deputies shot and killed him last year.

The event, organized by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee and A Mother’s Cry – an advocacy group of those who have lost loved ones to police brutality – included food, music and games, as attendees remembered Suydam.

The celebration came days after State Attorney Melissa Nelson ruled Suydam’s death was justified, a decision his family, friends and the community reject as another failure to hold JSO accountable.

Organizers said four police cruisers came to the park in an apparent attempt to intimidate Alquan Suydam’s mother, Samina Suydam. She refused to back down. “That’s my baby. I’m not scared and I will fight for him until the day I die,” she said.

Supporters said the vigil was not only a birthday remembrance, but a demand for justice for Alquan and all victims of police violence.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #InJusticeSystem #JCAC #KillerCops

Jacksonville, FL — On September 22, the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance and the Jacksonville Community Action Committee held a press conference outside city hall while, inside, officials worked on approving the 2026-27 city budget. The groups demanded an end to the 287(g) agreement that allows ICE to collaborate with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, as well as a People’s Budget, a budget proposed by JCAC that addresses underfunded areas of Jacksonville and denies the sheriff’s budget increase request.

They argued that the 287(g) agreement will instill more fear in community members and further fund a sheriff’s office that already receives an inflated share of the city’s resources compared with other underserved areas.

At the press conference, a member of the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance said, “Two weeks ago, ICE followed a man with legal immigration status home. When he tried to go inside his home, ICE cornered his children, strategically separating them from their father, while calling the man a bad father to his face. Now, since ICE can’t detain him, JSO has him in our jail on charges of child endangerment.” The recorded incident quickly circulated online, causing community outcry for the family affected.

Members of A Mother’s Cry also attended. The organization brings together grieving mothers in Jacksonville whose loved ones lost their lives to JSO. They are demanding a mental health response team to handle mental health crisis calls instead of sending JSO officers, who, they say, often escalate situations and kill community members.

Ms. Melody of A Mother’s Cry said at the press conference, “It was my son. Then it was Asia, and this has got to stop. A Mother’s Cry supports JCAC, and we want a People’s Budget and a mental health response team so that no more of our kids die.”

After the press conference, community members went inside for public comment to the city council and stated their demands to the city council at large. The city council approved a $38 million increase for JSO, bringing its budget to a total of $673.6 million, nearly half of the city’s entire general fund, and left the status of the 287(g) agreement unchanged.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #JIRA #JCAC

Jacksonville, FL– As summer comes to a close, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) has completed a second year of their Popular Education in the Park series.

Each summer, the committee chooses a series of public parks in primarily Black neighborhoods to host a teach-in and barbecue. The heart of the series is the outreach. Leading up to each event, the group contacts neighborhood associations, businesses and churches. Most importantly, they knock on doors to invite residents into the space to discuss the needs in the neighborhood. This season, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee knocked on over 600 doors to listen to the concerns of Jacksonville residents who often go unheard.

“The strength of this series is really just meeting people where they're at,” said Ash Chatmon, a community organizer with the Jacksonville Community Action Committee. “I think our city intentionally sets so many important conversations during work hours. They don't want to give us a chance to really speak out. Popular Education in the Park proves people have a lot to say about what's happening in this city and a lot of needs that aren't being met.”

This year's series focused on neighborhoods around Riverview Park, Panama Park and Marion Park. Primary concerns of residents were around infrastructure, such as damaged roads, rising utility costs, mental health resources, and concerns that, as Jacksonville rapidly develops, some parts of town will be left behind in budget priorities.

The series concluded with a special commemoration of Black August. Black August is a month-long observance to honor Black political prisoners and fallen freedom fighters around the world. The Jacksonville Community Action Committee recognized this history by presenting a plaque to honor A Mother's Cry, a coalition of local mothers and siblings who have lost their loved ones to the excessive force of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

The event also included educational sessions on self-determination through voting rights, political prisoners in the Black Belt South, and a dive into JCAC’s joint campaign with A Mothers Cry to establish a Mental Health Emergency Response Team that responds to vulnerable individuals with trained mental health professionals instead of inept and dangerous officers.

The event was uplifted with performances by local poets and onsite childcare.

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee encouraged all attendees to learn more about their campaigns and stay updated on their upcoming events.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #JCAC

Jacksonville, FL – On September 12, the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA) led a car caravan toward the immigration camp in Baker, dubbed Baker Cruelty Camp, to protest the torturous conditions those within are subjected to.

30 brave people marched in solidarity, including members of other activist groups, such as the Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance (TIRA).

With an increase in ICE activity throughout Jacksonville, the local grassroots organization has naturally kept its eye on the nearest detainment camp in Baker County, where residents of Duval County will be taken when arrested by ICE agents.

Recently, there have been hunger strikes by the detainees inside, and while they may have recently ended, the fight has not. Especially when detainees are being denied necessities like clean food and water and necessary medication, leading to severe seizures and, most recently, a case of death due to a detainee being denied his insulin.

The JIRA-led caravan came to a nearby park, where those participating marched to the camp itself in protest. From outside the gates, protesters were able to hear detainees inside banging on their windows and calling out in solidarity.

A member of JIRA stated, “The fire within us, whatever the conditions we face, cannot and will not die. The fire of the people unites us all, beyond the walls of these camps, and the people united will never be defeated.”

JIRA’s end goal is legalization for all, which would eliminate the need for things like Temporary Protected Status, which has been proven can be snatched away at any moment. In the meantime, JIRA continues the fight on the streets to defend the rights of immigrants.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #JIRA #TIRA

Jacksonville, FL – On Tuesday, August 8, community members of the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JPSN) mobilized to Jacksonville City Council to demand the Police and Fire Pension Fund Board of Trustees not reinvest into TEVA Pharmaceuticals and divest its investment portfolios from Israel and Israeli companies.

TEVA Pharmaceuticals is a predatory company that helped fuel the fentanyl crisis, and it functions as an economic and societal pillar of the genocidal, war-mongering state of Israel. Despite the Jacksonville’s Police and Fire Pension Fund (PFPF) being in a 45% underfunded state of crisis, it currently has $200 million invested in Israeli bonds with $2 million invested into TEVA Pharmaceutical junk bonds specifically, one of which is up for renewal on October 1, less than a month away.

The press conference at the start of the mobilization served as the official launch of the new campaign, detailing reasons for the community and the PFPF board to act with urgency on the matter of divestment.

JPSN’s press representative stated, “While everyday Jacksonville residents are struggling to afford basic medical care, in just the past decade, Teva has been found guilty in multiple lawsuits, settling for billions of dollars for fraudulence and drug price fixing.”

Public comment from community members echoed shared sentiments of struggling to afford basic needs and advocated for better funding for social programs. One speaker stated, “The $2 million invested into TEVA could provide 20 million meals, according to Feeding America, for Jacksonville families that have recently experienced a lapse in SNAP benefits.”

Speakers presented the case that investments in companies like TEVA are a root cause of skyrocketing city debt that diverts funds from the community.

Immediately after the mobilization, members of JPSN conversed with Jacksonville residents and found unity on the demands that our tax dollars should benefit the people of Jacksonville, not an Israeli foreign corporate entity, that repeatedly breaks U.S. laws, actively chooses to harm our communities, drains local resources, and perpetuates the genocide of the Palestinian people.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #BDS #Palestine #TevaPharmaceuticals

Jacksonville, FL – On the evening of September 3, at Memorial Park, dozens gathered for Asia Bennett’s vigil.

The gathering was held in memory of Asia Bennett, 22, who was fatally shot by Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Deputies (JSO) on August 11, 2026. Bennett was a victim of domestic violence, and she needed help. JSO instead shot her twice.

Body-worn camera footage was released to the family weeks later. Relatives have since stated that the recording contradicts the official account provided by JSO officials in the days after the incident.

Those close to Bennett describe her as a gentle and kind individual. The vigil drew many families who have experienced similar losses due to police encounters. Representatives from A Mother's Cry, a support organization for mothers who have lost children to police violence, addressed the crowd. Each speaker shared a personal account of loss, and each echoed a consistent sentiment: Bennett posed no threat and should have survived the encounter.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump also attended, offering praise to the ongoing work of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC). He pledged to continue pursuing accountability in Bennett's case and emphasized that they would be “focused like a laser until they get justice for Asia.”

Speakers pointed to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office’s growing budget, which has increased in recent cycles despite repeated incidents involving the use of deadly force. The agency has the largest portion of the city’s budget, yet questions persist regarding its ability to respond appropriately to domestic violence calls without resorting to lethal action.

Community advocates have issued a series of demands, including: criminal convictions for the officers involved, rather than administrative reassignment or paid leave; establishment of a civilian-led Public Safety Committee to provide independent oversight of police conduct; creation of a Mental Health Emergency Response Team staffed by professionals trained in de-escalation techniques, and, an end to police violence in Jacksonville, with advocates citing the need to prevent further loss of life.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #InJusticeSystem #JCAC #KillerCops #Feature

Jacksonville, FL – On September 3, over 20 supporters from around Jacksonville, Florida attended a pro-Venezuela film screening hosted by the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JPSN). Attendees watched The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. The documentary is a firsthand account of the failed 2002 CIA coup attempt against elected Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. It was produced by Irish filmmakers Kim Bartley and Donnacha Ó Briain.

After the film, JPSN’s Hands Off Latin America work team chair and recently released political prisoner Conor Cauley led a film discussion and comparison of the 2002 coup to the current situation in Venezuela. One common theme in that discussion was that corporate media continues to be a favorite weapon of Wall Street and the U.S. government.

In 2002, much of the failed coup attempt was done in direct collaboration with the reactionary news outlets inside of Venezuela. They employed false claims of Chavez supporters shooting at protestors. Some of the privately owned news outlets directly collaborated with CIA-aligned traitors inside the Venezuelan military to organize and execute the coup strategy.

Today, some of those same channels, which represent the wealthy right-wing political minority in Venezuela, work with the U.S. to sell the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and Celia Flores to the American people. In tandem, we see U.S. corporate media excluding from their coverage massive pro-Maduro demonstrations in Venezuela. They also give little attention to the growing number of people here in the U.S. who insist President Maduro and First Lady Flores be released. There is little coverage of American opposition calling for Trump to end his so-called “Donroe Doctrine” attacks on Venezuela, or to lift the U.S. sanctions, or to return control of Venezuelan oil.

After the discussion, participants worked together to write letters to Florida Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody. The group is writing to reinforce demands being circulated by the Anti-War Action Network (AWAN) to end all U.S. sanctions on Venezuela, unfreeze all Venezuelan assets, and free Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Flores.

“Some people might be wondering why we organized this event for Venezuela if we’re a Palestine organization,” said AWAN steering committee member Ryan Delaney, as they recruited attendees at JPSN’s outreach table.

Delaney answered the question, “But JPSN’s analysis is that we aren’t free until everyone is free. That means if we want to fight for Palestine, especially from here in the U.S., that’s a fight against the whole U.S. war machine that makes genocide and Zionist occupation possible. If we want to fight for Palestine, we need to fight for Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen; we have to fight for everyone else that’s been bound up in the fight against U.S. wars and interventions. So, when a longstanding ally to the Palestinian cause like President Nicolas Maduro gets kidnapped by the U.S., after winning an election where the main opposition party was openly campaigning on Zionism, we as a Palestine solidarity organization need to respond.”

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #JPSN #AWAN #Maduro

Jacksonville, FL – On Saturday, August 15, community members and leaders of Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JPSN) rallied to demand an end to the U.S.-Israeli continued murder of Palestinian journalists.

The event was just five days after the anniversary of the martyrdom of Anas Al-Sharif, an award-winning frontline Palestinian journalist. Al-Sharif was murdered by a targeted airstrike on August 10, 2025, by the Israeli occupation forces.

The rally featured several speakers from JPSN who shared stories of the martyred journalists. People understand the journalists as the bearers of truth who risk their lives every day to capture the horrors of Israeli occupation for the world to see.

Reporting from Gaza has been in significant decline due to the systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists. Since the start of the escalated genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023, there has been a recorded 242 Palestinian journalists killed by the Israeli occupation forces.

The loved ones of journalists are targets as well, with many families of journalists killed by the Israeli forces. Even after death, their stories and their voices live on through the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and their unified resistance.

Immediately after the rally, JPSN hosted a vigil to honor all of the martyred journalists, reading aloud the wills of Anas Al-Sharif, Saleh Aljafawari, and Hossam Shabat. This was followed by a moment of silence. Just as Palestinian journalists resolve to report on the war and genocide in the face of death, Jacksonville protesters promised to continue their solidarity effort to not let free speech die.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Gaza #JPSN

Jacksonville, FL – On Wednesday, August 5, Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network held their first class in a series of free educational sessions, inspired by the popular education that arose as a form of resistance in the First Intifada.

Approximately 30 community members attended this teach-in to learn about the phases and effects of the First and Second Intifada, and the history of popular education in Palestine, which was necessitated by the closing of schools by Israeli occupying forces.

Attendees were provided with literature, including a collection of excerpts outlining the origin and revolutionary nature of education in Palestine. During breakout sessions groups were provided with different topics to discuss and present to the class. The conclusion drawn by each group during discussion was abundantly clear – regardless of the force exerted upon them, Palestinians will always remain resilient, and each attack by the enemy only hardens their resolve.

“We see another example of repression just breeding more resistance. Kicking people out of schools simply created another opportunity for Palestinians to root themselves in their identities and open another avenue of resistance,” stated Lindsay Bowyer of the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network.

“It caused education to seep into other areas of the resistance. They responded more fired up because of these policies,” said another attendee.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine

The action happened in the wake of an increase of ICE activity in the area and just days after Juan Jario Carasquillo Durán, a local 28-year-old Mexican immigrant, was struck and killed by a semi truck while crossing a highway fleeing from ICE in Saint Augustine, a city only around 40 minutes away from Jacksonville.

Durán’s death marked the third death in the past week during an ICE interaction, with the second death being Joan Sebastian Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian father and husband who was shot and killed in front of his wife and daughter in Maine.

Around 100 local activists and community members gathered to demand justice for the victims. Organizations such as the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, Jacksonville Community Action Committee, and 50501 Vets were among several groups that spoke. Signs held at the rally said, “ICE out of our community,” “Hands off Nadia Topete” and “Florida will melt ICE.”

“We can’t just let a member of our community pass away and not have anything to say about it,” said a member of the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance, “We can’t just stand by and watch as our other community members for weeks have been terrorized, scared to even leave their own homes to go to their jobs.”

JIRA continues to stand in solidarity with the families of the victims as they fight for justice for their loved ones and advocate for the rights of immigrants in Jacksonville through know your rights initiatives, demanding an end to the cruelty camps, and demanding an end to the 287(g) agreement, which allows local law enforcement to act as ICE.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #ICE #JIRA

Jacksonville, FL — On July 11, the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA) held an emergency rally in an area that has been seeing a growing presence of ICE. There were approximately 50 attendees demanding ICE leave their community for good.

When speaking on the extreme increase in ICE activity within Jacksonville, one of JIRA's own members stated, “I mean look around where we’re at, people in this very community have been taken away from their homes, ripped apart from their family and friends. They target our working-class immigrants at our very doorstep, all because they are the most vulnerable. It doesn’t matter to them if your documents are in order, they profile you immediately based off of their notions on what an immigrant looks like.”

There was an additional call for justice at this rally, as this took place within a week of the murder of ICE Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.

JIRA stands in solidarity with the Lorenzo Salgado Araujo family in their demand for answers, as ICE has lied denied the family the right to claim his body while claiming to investigate their own crime.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #ICE #LorenzoSalgadoAraujo

Jacksonville, FL – While heat warnings shortened celebrations of the 250th July 4, the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network took to the hot Florida pavement to protest U.S. aggression both domestically and abroad, including its support for the genocide in Gaza.

The rally started at Memorial Park in the heart of Riverside, where members of organizations spoke on the injustices carried out by the U.S.

A member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) told the crowd, “Over the last three years, at least 75,000 Palestinians have been murdered in Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which the United States government has been bankrolling, another 1200 citizens in Syria killed in the regime change in their country, and another 3600 Iranians killed in the senseless war against their country and as if that's not bad enough, we have another 100 civilians of Venezuela killed in the kidnapping of their president, Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores.” The crowd yelled “Shame!” in response.

Focus was also brought to the attacks the Trump administration has made on immigrant communities. Crystal Aguilar of the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance stated, “250 years of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But for who? Certainly not for me, or for the millions of working-class people living in America. Not for the immigrants who die crossing the border every day to enter this country, those who have died in ICE detention, and those whose labor is being exploited by greedy corporations. Is this what we choose to stand for? Is this what we are going to continue to allow in our country?” The crowd yelled back, “No!”

The rally became mobile as the participants began marching down Riverside Avenue toward the bustling arts market hosted under the Fuller Warren Bridge. Patrons of the market could hear the marchers steadily approach as the chanting and drumming grew louder. Anyone in the vicinity could hear roars of, “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air! U.S. out of everywhere!”

The chants echoed across the market with the help of the bridge's acoustics. Ryan Delaney of the Anti-War Action Network (AWAN) and a co-organizer of the march addressed the market’s attendees: “We are out here today as part of a national day of action called by the Anti-War Action Network. We are organizing in cities around the country, saying that we reject this idea of 250 years of freedom when we continue to take the freedom away from people around the world and in our own country.”

Most of the market patrons stopped what they were doing to see what was going on. They listened intently as a call to action was issued, “Everybody who's here at the Riverside Arts Market, I want you all to know that we are going to continue to fight for this. And we want all of you to get involved. We want every single person here to wake up and rise to this occasion and get ready for the real fight ahead of us. So for every single one of y'all out here, if you're with us, we want y'all to march with us. Because we are going to continue to march, and we're going to go back to Memorial Park, where we're going to continue our program.”

The march made its way back to Memorial Park with more people than it had started with. Upon returning, the attendees cooled down in the shade. Food and water were distributed as folks socialized and built community.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #JPSN

Jacksonville, FL- On June 10, the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network held a press conference before the dismissal of the State Attorney’s Office’s municipal charge against Leah Grady for “resisting an officer without violence.”

The Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, in coalition with the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, maintained Grady’s case as a flagrant attack against freedom of speech. State Attorney Melissa Nelson was further emboldened to attempt double jeopardy, another breach of constitutional law. On May 29, the state had already charged and sentenced them for a misdemeanor of the same title.

In the eyes of the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network and the people of Jacksonville, the cases of Conor Cauley and Leah Grady have represented repeat violations of constitutional rights, most prominently the right to freedom of speech and protections from double jeopardy.

The targeting of activists was made clear to the public, as Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters had spoken to the press, demanding Grady and Cauley be made into an example. The collusion between city council officials and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was prevalent in pushing an identical agenda. As Ryan Delaney with JPSN reported, “the Director of City Council Jason Teal demanded an example needed to be made out of him [Conor Cauley]” in order to justify the harsh sentencing.

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee asserted Leah Grady and Conor Cauley’s cases are inextricably linked, contributing to the growing trend of repressing views that oppose the Jacksonville City Council and their continued injustices in the city. When interviewed by First Coast News, Monica Gold with JCAC noted, “They [Grady and Cauley] are being targeted for their political speech, for their practice of speaking out, for their practice of going to city council, for pointing out flaws in Jacksonville and trying to make Jacksonville a better place.”

Despite the aggressive year-long mission to repress the Palestine movement by State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s Office, the dismissal of Leah Grady’s second charge was a result of consistent community pressure and a competent defense campaign. Today’s win shows that the people will not accept these political attacks by Melissa Nelson or the Sheriff’s Office, and JPSN will work tirelessly to find the same victory in the upcoming appeals process.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #ConorCauley #LeahGrady #Palestine #AntiWarMovement #JPSN #JCAC

Jacksonville, FL – Friends, family, and concerned community members gathered at Riverview Park on Saturday, June 6, to honor the life of Rashaud Martin.

The vigil was planned by A Mother’s Cry, a Jacksonville Community Action Committee coalition of family members who have lost their loved ones to police violence.

The afternoon was filled with music, poetry and reflection. Loved ones spoke on their fond memories and held balloons in Rashaud’s favorite colors. They also lamented that they are still looking for answers and justice.

On October 24, 2025 his family called for help during a mental health crisis. Rashaud was diagnosed with schizophrenia eight years before. Rashaud was Baker Acted (involuntary mental health examination and detention) by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Despite his mother receiving a call that he had arrived for care, Rashaud died in JSO custody in transport to the hospital. He was never admitted. Rashaud was 32 years old.

Despite eight months of the family’s demands, JSO has still refused to release body-worn camera footage of the incident.

“Raushaud Martin was someone’s child. And to deny anyone the closure of knowing why someone so important was taken from them– is a purposeful tactic to delay the inevitable fist of justice. But that is exactly what it is– inevitable,” said Moriyana Nieves, a speaker for the Jacksonville Community Action Committee.

For these grieving family members, Rashaud’s story is all too familiar. As a result, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee has taken up their fight for an emergency mental health response team in Jacksonville, Florida.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #RashaudMartin #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #PoliceAccountability

Jacksonville, FL – El 29 de mayo, Miembros de la comunidad protestaron la sentencia grave de Conor Cauley y Leah Grady, dedicándose a seguir la lucha contra sus cargos y exigiendo la liberación de Conor Cauley, que actualmente se mantiene como prisionero político en la Cárcel del Condado Duval.

A pesar de las fuertes lluvias, más de 60 miembros de la comunidad protestaron delante del juzgado y, luego, detrás de la cárcel del condado bajo carpas que se combaban y rompían con el peso del agua de la lluvia. Esto no desanimó a los asistentes, que continuaban a gritar y concentrarse contra el tratamiento injusto a los organizadores contra la guerra.

Estas manifestaciones fueron dirigidas por la Red de Solidaridad con Palestina de Jacksonville junto con organizaciones comunitarias incluyendo la Comité de Acción Comunitaria de Jacksonville, la Alianza de Derechos de Inmigrantes de Jacksonville, los Brentwood 300, los Socialistas Democráticos de América, y la Organización Camino de la Libertad.

Cauley fue sentenciado a 60 días encarcelado y tres años de aprobación. Ya está siendo ordenado a quedarse más de 1000 pies del Policia Maykel Aliaga-Ruiz, el oficial que instigó el arresto inicial el año pasado por agarrarlo por el cuello a Cauley y tirarlo por una línea de sillas. La condición tendrá el efecto, como lo ha notado el abogado de Cauley en el juzgado, de efectivamente prohibirlo de asistir a las reuniones del consejo municipal en donde Aliaga-Ruiz trabaja, atacando directamente su derecho de hablar al aire libre con sus propios políticos elegidos y de ser organizador en la ciudad.

Grady fue sentenciada con seis meses de aprobación, 50 horas de servicios comunitario, y una orden de la corte de escribirle una “carta de disculpa” a la Presidenta Republicana del Consejo Randy White.

Ambas sentencias fueron más graves aún de lo que habían recomendado los prosecutores. La prosecución recomendaron tres meses de aprobación y 25 horas de servicio comunitario para Leah Grady y recomendaron 30 días de encarcelación y un año de aprobación para Conor Cauley. En los dos casos, los jueces o doblaron o triplicaron el castigo. Esto sale tras llamadas por el Sheriff de Jacksonville T.K. Waters que los jueces hagan un ejemplo de los organizadores de RSPJ así para intimidarlos políticamente.

Todo esto ocurrió a pesar de un despliegue enorme de apoyo comunitario en apoyo a los dos organizadores. Más de 40 cartas de carácter fueron entregadas a la corte por Conor Cauley, y testigos de gran nota hablaron a favor de Cauley, incluyendo la directora ejecutiva del local 1408 de la Asociación de Estibadores Internacional (AEI), Courtnee Staples.

“¿Quién salió hoy para acá para defender a Conor?” hizo la pregunta un miembro de la Organización Camino de la Libertad durante la concentración frente al juzgado. “Los profesores, vecinos, obreros de sindicato, estudiantes y gente de todas partes de Jacksonville – para resumir, un microcosmo de la comunidad entera. La ciudad no podía hacer más que rodear unos pocos para hablar contra Conor, y a quienes escogieron? La directora del consejo y el jefe de la policía.”

La Red de Solidaridad con Palestina de Jacksonville está comprometida a luchar contra los veredictos de los dos Conor Cauley y Leah Grady, habiéndo ya desarrollado un plan para oponer sus condenas de apelar contra ellas y pedir nuevo juicio. Harán más manifestaciones para exigir la liberación de Cauley hasta que esté fuera de la cárcel.

“Es por esta cárcel que, durante los próximos 60 días, Conor no verá justicia,” dijo Ryan Delaney de la Red de Acción Contra la Guerra. “Pues eso significa que nosotros seremos la razón por la cual, durante estos próximos 60 días, esta cárcel no sabrá ninguna paz!”

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #MoviemientoContraLaGuerra #SistemaInjusticia #RepresiónPolítica #JPSN #AWAN #Palestina #ConorCauley #Destacado

Jacksonville, FL – Dozens gathered at Marion Park on Saturday, May 30, for “Popular Education in the Park.” Marion Park, located in Jacksonville’s historic Northside, served as the backdrop for an evening of community dialogue and connection as well as the kickoff for the Jacksonville Community Action Committee’s annual participatory budgeting drive.

Hosted by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, the gathering brought neighbors together for a circle discussion under the trees while children played nearby. Attendees shared food and conversation, with the evening’s programming centered on the People’s Budget, a JCAC initiative to reimagine public safety and measure the impact of community reinvestment.

A major focus of the discussion was mental health. Community members advocated strongly for redirecting portions of the city budget away from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) and toward a dedicated mental health clinician program.

Committee members began preliminary discussions of proposing a mental health clinical response program modeled after the nationally recognized CAHOOTS program in Eugene, Oregon. Participants argued that such a program would provide a more effective, humane response to mental health crises than traditional policing.

The urgency of the conversation was underscored by data from a recent JCAC report analyzing police use of force across the city. The report found that police shootings are heavily concentrated in Northside neighborhoods like the one surrounding Marion Park, with Districts 4 and 5 accounting for 48 of the 126 serious use of force incidents examined since 2020. Black residents appear in the largest share of these incidents, despite representing a minority of Jacksonville’s overall population. Even more alarming, the report found that Jacksonville’s rate of police killings is more than double the national average.

“We’re not just talking about the statistics you read online. We’re talking about our cousins, our neighbors, our children,” said a longtime Northside resident who attended with his two children. “When 64% of Black people in this city are worried about police brutality, it highlights a problem and that number is simply a reaction to a pattern. And it’s happening right here, in our zip code.”

The discussion also turned to accountability. Attendees expressed frustration that Jacksonville remains one of the only cities in Florida without a civilian oversight body responsible for independently reviewing police use of force. This is an initiative that works in tandem with the participatory budgeting campaign to give residents a greater say in how they are policed and kept safe. According to the report, only 43% of residents believe misconduct investigations are adequately reported to the public, and Patrol Zone 5, which covers much of the Northside and has a 72% Black population, has reported some of the lowest approval ratings of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

Popular Education in the Park is an ongoing series “created to truly meet folks where they are in Black and working-class communities,” according to the event program. JCAC will continue selecting parks in Jacksonville’s Black and working-class neighborhoods throughout the summer, canvassing and deepening community ties to further refine the People’s Budget with direct input from residents most affected by budgetary shifts and chronic disinvestment.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #InJusticeSystem #PeoplesStruggles #JCAC

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following update from the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network regarding the sentencing of pro-Palestine Jax activist, Conor Cauley.

Conor Cauley was sentenced to 60 days with time served, 3 years of probation, court fines, 150 community service hours and a stay away order from the same officer, Officer Aliaga Ruiz, who threw him over a row of chairs!

We will reiterate what our beloved member Conor Cauley has repeatedly mentioned, this fight is for every single person in the city of Jacksonville, and this sentencing will not deter us. We know Palestinians experience torturous conditions in Zionist prisons, and we also acknowledge the decrepit nature and condition of the Duval County Jail.

From Palestine to Jacksonville, Zionists and imperialists will use the system as it’s designed; to break you down and destroy your spirit. But we know the power of the people is greater than the people in power!

Please visit and donate to Conor’s Gofundme and we will see folks later to protest at the Jail! Find the Gofundme here.

SHAME ON MELISSA NELSON!

SHAME ON JSO!

FREE CONOR CAULEY NOW!

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #ConorCauley #JPSN #CSFR #AWAN

Jacksonville, FL – On May 29, Community members protested against the harsh sentencing of Conor Cauley and Leah Grady, vowing to continue the fight against their charges and demanding the release of Conor Cauley, who is currently being held in Duval County Jail as a political prisoner.

Despite heavy rainstorms, over 60 community members protested in front of the courthouse and, later, in front of the county jail under tents buckling and breaking from the weight of rainwater. This did not discourage attendees, who continued to chant and rally against the unjust treatment of anti-war organizers.

These protests were led by Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network alongside community organizations including Jacksonville Community Action Committee, Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance, Brentwood 300, Democratic Socialists of America, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Cauley was sentenced to 60 days jail and three years of probation. He is additionally being ordered to stay more than 1000 feet from Officer Maykel Aliaga-Ruiz, the arresting officer who instigated the initial arrest last year by violently grabbing Cauley by the neck and throwing him over a row of chairs. This condition will, as Cauley’s lawyer pointed out in the courtroom, effectively ban him from city council meetings where Aliaga-Ruiz works, directly attacking his right to speak openly to his own elected officials and organize in the city.

Grady was sentenced to six months’ probation, 50 hours of community service, and court-ordered to write a “letter of apology” to the Republican City Council President Randy White.

Both sentences were heavier even than what had been recommended by the prosecutors. The prosecution requested three months’ probation and 25 hours community service for Leah Grady and requested 30 days of jail and one year of probation for Conor Cauley. In both instances, the judges either doubled or tripled the sentences. This comes after public calls by Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters for judges to make an example out of the arrested JPSN organizers in order to politically intimidate them.

This was also in spite of an overwhelming display of community support for both organizers. Over 40 character letters were submitted to the court for Conor Cauley, and high profile character witnesses spoke in Cauley’s favor, including the executive director of the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) Local 1408, Courtnee Staples.

“Who came out to defend Conor today?” asked a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization during the rally at the courthouse. “Teachers, neighbors, union workers, students and people from all walks of life in Jacksonville – in short, a microcosm of the entire community. The city could only wrangle up a handful of people to speak against Conor, and who did they pick? The director of city council and chief of police.”

Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network is committing to fight the verdicts of both Conor Cauley and Leah Grady, having developed a plan to fight their convictions through appeal for retrial. They will be rallying to demand Cauley’s release until he is out of jail.

“It’s because of this jail that, for the next 60 days, Conor will see no justice,” said Ryan Delaney of the Anti-War Action Network. “Well that means that we’re gonna be the reason that for the next 60 days, this jail will see no peace!”

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #JPSN #AWAN #Palestine #ConorCauley #Feature

Jacksonville, FL- A broad coalition, led by Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JPSN), rallied outside Duval County Jail on May 20 to condemn the guilty verdict against local organizer Conor Cauley, who now faces up to five years in prison.

A crowd of over 50 people mobilized within an hour of the verdict. Cauley, who was originally facing ten years with two felony charges, had one felony for resisting violence dropped after a year-long grassroots campaign against the district attorney Melissa Nelson. He is now in jail awaiting sentencing.

Hundreds of people from Jacksonville and across the country called and emailed State Attorney Melissa Nelson, calling on her to drop these trumped-up charges. But, as highlighted in a statement by JPSN, “Melissa Nelson proved to the people that her allegiance is not to them, it's to a corrupt Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and city council that have publicly called for the state to make an example out of us in hopes that they can stop our movement.”

The rally called out the backward political slant of the trial, and the unjust rulings by the judge. Among them were the judge's refusal to allow the political nature of the arrest to be discussed in trial, banning the keffiyeh from the courtroom, not allowing Cauley's lawyer to question arresting Officer Aliaga's history of harassment complaints, and not allowing political repression to be described to the jury.

The judge elected to revoke Cauley's bond upon the guilty verdict, remanding him to police custody. This comes after public pressure on the judge by Sheriff T.K. Waters and multiple Trump-aligned city council members to make an example of Cauley.

“They think they are gods!” shouted Maceo George, president of the Central Labor Council as he spoke to the crowd. “We have to send a message to city council that they won't be in office if they don't support the people!”

The rally was composed of community members, labor leaders, and organizers from JPSN, Jacksonville Community Action Committee, Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance, Democratic Socialists of America, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), AFL-CIO's Central Labor Council, and Students for a Democratic Society.

“Here are our demands: Free Conor, no jail time, protesting is not a crime! We want Conor back home with us,” declared María García-Gerardo of FRSO. JPSN and the coalition in attendance have committed to continue the campaign, shifting now from one demanding the state drop the charges to a “Free Conor Cauley” campaign. Cauley is set to appear in court on Tuesday, May 26 for the setting of the sentencing date.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #JPSN #Palestine #PoliticalRepression #ConorCauley #InjusticeSystem