Jacksonville, FL – Four of the five activists beaten and arrested by police at an April anti-war protest spoke out at a press conference, June 5, held outside the Duval County Courthouse. Dubbed the 'Jax5' by supporters, the activists discussed the favorable outcome of their cases and announced a campaign for community control of the police in Jacksonville. It marked the first public statement by the Jax5 since their arrest nearly two months earlier.
Jacksonville, FL – Around 30 members of the Northside Coalition and the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition (JPC) rallied in downtown Jacksonville, June 1, for community control of the police. Northside Coalition leader Ben Frazier spoke on why we need more police accountability in the city of Jacksonville.
Jacksonville, FL – Activists in Jacksonville Florida have a lot to celebrate after the Florida Times Union reported June 1 that the state attorney was dropping the remaining charges on the #Jax5.
_Community activists call on Putnam to condemn statement, white supremacists _
Jacksonville, FL – On Wednesday, May 17, Adam Putnam, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Republican candidate for governor of Florida, spoke in Jacksonville Beach at a campaign event. Just a few feet outside, his official campaign tour bus was pictured with “Convict the #Jax5” written in large white lettering on the back, directly below Putnam's name.
Jacksonville, FL – Millions of people flocked to Washington D.C. for billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump's inauguration – but not in support of the new president. Instead, working people from across the U.S. marched against Trump's anti-worker, racist and misogynistic agenda. Crowd analysts believe more than three times as many people converged on the U.S. capitol to protest Trump than to support him. A day later, on Jan. 21, an estimated 5 million women and men took part in a Women's March nationwide, making it the largest single day of protest in U.S. history by some counts.
Jacksonville, FL – Activists with the Justice for the Jax5 Committee hosted a press conference, May 10, outside of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) building to discuss important developments for the Jax5 and the struggle against police crimes in Jacksonville. The Jax5 are the five activists brutalized and arrested by the JSO during a demonstration calling for peace with Syria on April 7.
Jacksonville, FL – The University of North Florida chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) hosted a panel discussion, April 25, titled “Civil Rights in the Era of the Jax5.” The Jax5 are the five anti-war activists who were brutalized by police and arrested on April 7 in Jacksonville’s Hemming Park.
_Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR) _
On April 7, 2017 five anti-war activists were brutalized and unjustly arrested in a violent attack by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) during a peaceful demonstration against the war in Syria. POWIR stands unequivocally in solidarity with the five who were targets of state repression: Dave Schneider, Connell Crooms, Willie Wilder, Kristina Kittles, and Tom Beckham.
Jacksonville, FL – On Friday, April 7, a Peace for Syria demonstration was brutally disrupted by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) in downtown Jacksonville. Community members and activists have wondered about a connection between Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams and Gary Snow, the right-wing counter protester seen in several videos harassing and assaulting the five activists, now known as the Jax5, who were beaten and arrested by JSO despite committing no crime. Gary Snow was not interfered with in any way and was filmed sitting on a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office car after the event.
![Enter a descriptive sentence about the photo here.](https://i.snap.as/jTCwlidw.jpg "Enter a descriptive sentence about the photo here. \\"Convict the #Jax5\\" written on official Adam Putnam for Florida Governor campaign bus. \(Facebook\)")
