Tallahassee, FL – Tallahassee students rallied in front of the First District Court of Appeals, June 7, to protest Michael Dunn’s appeal hearing. Dunn was convicted of murder in 2014 for the shooting of the unarmed Black teenager Jordan Davis in Jacksonville.

Supporters held signs that read “No appeal” and “Jail racist vigilantes.” Additionally, the students rallied with chants such as “Indict, convict, send Michael Dunn to Jail, the whole damn system is guilty as hell!” behind a banner that read “Justice for Jordan Davis.”

After the rally and the several speeches, the group entered the courthouse where they heard oral arguments from Michael Dunn’s lawyer Terry Roberts and the Florida state attorney. The mother of Jordan Davis, Lucia McBath, was also present. After almost 40 minutes of deliberating, the judges adjourned the hearing.

“Michael Dunn should not be granted an appeal because he murdered a Black teenager in cold blood. The State of Florida has repeatedly shown it represents the interests of white supremacy,” said Jon Mitchell, from Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at Florida State University.

Katherine Drakken said, “We must continue to build the struggle against these types of vigilantes and the racist system that create them.”

#TallahasseeFL #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #JordanDavis #MichaelDunn

Jacksonville, FL – Duval County became the center of international attention following the murder of 17-year-old African American youth Jordan Davis by a racist vigilante in 2012. Jordan, along with three friends, was shot in a parked SUV at a gas station by Michael Dunn, a white 46-year-old man. After state prosecutors failed to win a guilty verdict for the first-degree murder charge of killing Jordan, Dunn was retried and eventually convicted in 2014, receiving a sentence of 90-plus years in prison.

On April 17, I had the honor of attending a sold-out advanced screening of 3 ½ Minutes, a new documentary about the murder of Jordan and the ensuing Dunn trial. The documentary, directed by filmmaker Marc Silver, opened at Sundance Film Festival in January to widespread acclaim. Since then, HBO licensed the television rights for the film, and a full theatrical release is planned for July.

I met Marc Silver in February 2014 during a march on State Attorney Angela Corey's office after the initial mistrial verdict was announced. As one of the many Jacksonville organizers of the Justice for Jordan Davis protests outside the courthouse, I was eager to see the film in its entirety, especially after the international attention it received at Sundance. In no uncertain terms, it exceeded even my highest expectations. Especially in light of the uprisings in Ferguson and Baltimore, 3 ½ Minutes is a must-see documentary for activists in the Black Lives Matter movement and people organizing against racist discrimination everywhere.

3 ½ Minutes largely follows Ron Davis and Lucy McBath, Jordan Davis's parents, as they seek justice for their murdered son. There was hardly a dry eye in the theater as friends and family recounted, on-screen, their memories of Jordan, especially his girlfriend's final interaction with him. The film's lack of any filmmaker narration stands out strongest in these scenes, as we are asked to consider the life of Jordan Davis from the people who knew him best. We get an intimate portrait of a very normal 17-year-old young man whose life was taken in the most brutal and unexpected manner.

The fact that 3 ½ Minutes covers Davis’s life from this perspective is no small detail. The corporate media and the powers that be often try to demonize the victims of racist killings and police brutality. For instance, during the trial of his killer, George Zimmerman, the media effectively put Trayvon Martin on trial for having smoked a little weed and enjoying hip-hop. Even major newspapers like the New York Times and liberal commentators like Bill Maher got into the act after last year's killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a racist cop in Ferguson. The Times called Brown “no angel” in an editorial that highlighted his alleged past, and in one of his shows, Maher claimed that Brown was “acting like a thug.” 3 ½ Minutes cuts through any media tropes of Davis, and in doing so, challenges the deep-seeded racist stereotypes about Black men that fuel these murders.

One of the most important points the documentary emphasizes is that the trial of Michael Dunn was about racism, not “loud music,” as the corporate mainstream media wanted many to believe. CNN constantly referred to the legal proceedings as the “loud music trial.” State Attorney Angela Corey's prosecuting team at times seemed to echo Dunn's defense attorneys in downplaying the obvious racism that motivated the killing.

But 3 ½ Minutes doesn't shy away from this fact and forces the audience to confront it. In one scene, Dunn's fiancé testifies that he said to her, after pulling into the gas station and hearing music coming from Jordan's car, “I hate that thug music.”

“'Thug' is the new n-word,” says one of Jordan Davis’s friends, when talking about Dunn. “He just seen four Black kids.” Indeed, 3 ½ Minutes offers a lot of insight into the not-so-coded racist terms used to describe and dehumanize Black and Latino people. Recently, politicians from Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake all the way up to President Obama drew controversy by denouncing many Justice for Freddie Gray protesters as “thugs.”

True to the actual course of events, 3 ½ Minutes diligently covers the courthouse protests and marches taking place across Jacksonville for Justice for Jordan Davis. While certainly not the focus, the documentary makes clear that the people of Jacksonville, particularly the Black community, responded to the killing of Davis and demanded justice in the streets. Silver interviewed many organizers of these protests, who are shown and heard in the film. Wells Todd, an organizer with the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition, says at one point, “It's time to pick up where Dr. King left off” in building a mass movement against racism.

3 ½ Minutes follows the mass mobilization in the streets of downtown Jacksonville on the night of the mistrial verdict, which marched on State Attorney Angela Corey's office to demand a retrial. Having marched that night, I thought the film captured the outrage felt by the crowd, many of whom flocked to the courthouse after hearing the verdict. Corey's office already felt massive pressure from the people of Jacksonville over her botched prosecution of George Zimmerman and her persecution of Marissa Alexander, the 35-year-old Black mother who fired a warning shot to fend off her abusive husband. That night's march on her office, however, forced the prosecution to go back to the drawing board and pull out all the stops to get a first-degree murder conviction of Dunn.

After the screening, director Marc Silver and Jordan's parents took questions and spoke about the film and the trial. “There are people out there who are so fearful of someone of another nationality, because of the color of their skin, they will actually pick up a gun and kill you,” said Ron Davis, the father of Jordan, in an interview after the screening. “This film is a call to action to stop the killing of our children.”

Although the film is masterfully shot and edited to perfection, 3 ½ Minutes is difficult to watch at times, especially for people living in Jacksonville. The film has a lot in common with another highly acclaimed documentary about racism in Jacksonville, Murder on a Sunday Morning (2002), which covered the police framing of then-16-year-old Brenton Butler for a murder he didn't commit. Murder on a Sunday Morning won the Academy Award for Best Documentary that year, and there's no question that 3 ½ Minutes deserves the same honor. Sadly the relevance of powerful documentaries like these reflects how racist killings continue to happen more than 50 years after the Civil Rights Movement. In light of the mass uprising against racist police crimes in Baltimore and last year's rebellion in Ferguson, 3 ½ Minutes' message could not be more timely.

#JacksonvilleFL #InJusticeSystem #Movies #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #JordanDavis #MichaelDunn #3½Minutes

Jacksonville, FL – After a week and a half of keeping watch over the Duval County Courthouse, a verdict has been reached in the retrial of Michael Dunn, Oct. 1. Dunn is the white racist who murdered African American youth Jordan Davis in 2012. After two years and a mistrial, the family of Jordan Davis finally won some measure of justice today when the jury came back with a guilty verdict.

Activists with the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition (JPC) and other groups kept a presence at the courthouse since the retrial began on Sept. 22. Many of the activists were also present during the first trial of Michael Dunn earlier this year, where a mistrial was declared on the first degree murder charge for killing Jordan Davis. Activists had tables, banners and signs at the ready for several hours each day since the start of the retrial, many reading, “Justice for Jordan Davis,” and “Angela Corey out now.” Angela Corey is the state attorney who let George Zimmerman off the hook after he murdered Trayvon Martin and she's also responsible for botching the first trial of Michael Dunn. Corey, however, seems to have no problem going after African American Marissa Alexander and trying to increase her sentence to 60 years for harming no one as she defended herself from an abusive husband.

Dozens of reporters were present on at the courthouse and many were asking about the JPC's message regarding Angela Corey. Wells Todd, a spokesperson for the JPC, was present through the original trial and retrial of Michael Dunn. Todd explained why the JPC wants Angela Corey out of office, even though a conviction was won during this retrial: “Angela Corey has locked up more Black and Latino youth in her jurisdiction than anywhere else in Florida, and if she had her way, there wouldn't have been a retrial of Michael Dunn in the first place.” For those reasons and many others, the JPC summed up that it was the people's struggles that won the retrial and won the guilty verdict. People power carried the day and forced the conviction of Michael Dunn, despite the efforts of Angela Corey and the ruling class she works for.

Todd spoke to half a dozen news cameras, saying, “Jordan Davis was a teenager doing what teenagers do when his life was taken. One of the main reasons for the second trial was the pressure that came from the parents and the community. They turned up the heat on Angela Corey and made this case visible not only to Americans across this country, but around the world. I live near Jacksonville Beach, where white teenagers drive around listening to loud music all the time and nothing happens to them.”

Tefa Galvis of the JPC quickly organized a press conference once the verdict was announced. Speakers announced that the JPC would be continuing to organize to get Angela Corey out of office and would turn their attention to the Marissa Alexander trial coming up at the end of this year.

JPC organizer Dennis Thomas has been coming to the courthouse since the retrial began, holding signs and using organizing skills picked up while fighting to free Marissa Alexander and protesting the injustice going on in Ferguson. Dennis said, “We needed that guilty verdict especially because of what's been happening regarding violence against young Black men in America. We fought hard to say that it's not open season on young Black men and that justice must be served.”

The struggle is far from over, but it's right to celebrate a victory against the racist ruling class. Members of the JPC closed out the press conference by chanting “Free Marissa now!”

#JacksonvilleFL #JordanDavis #JacksonvilleProgressiveCoalition #MichaelDunn #AngelaCorey

Jacksonville, FL – Two dozen protesters gathered outside of the courthouse here, Sept. 22, demanding justice for Jordan Davis as the retrial of Michael Dunn gets underway. Jury selection began today and protesters, many from the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition gathered at 8:00 a.m.

Michael Dunn is the racist killer who murdered Jordan Davis, a 17-year-old African American youth.

Present at the opening of the trial was the father of Jordan Davis, Ronald Davis, who was part of a group prayer asking for justice. Also present was the mother of Trayvon Martin, Sybrina Fulton, who spoke about her son's case and its relationship to the Davis case.

Protesters vowed to remain outside the courthouse for the duration of the trial until Jordan Davis's family received justice and Michael Dunn went to prison for the murder of their son. Members of the Progressive Coalition have a rally planned at 3:00 p.m. outside the downtown courthouse where the trial is going on.

#JacksonvilleFL #JordanDavis #MichaelDunn

Jacksonville, FL – The steps of the Duval County Courthouse were filled with protesters and community members on Saturday, February 15. They waited to hear the verdict in the trial to convict Michael Dunn for murdering Jordan Davis. Groups ranging from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, to the New Black Panther Party (NBPP), to the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition (JPC) held up signs, gave speeches, demanded justice, and marched around the courthouse. The day of protest began with a 9:00 am press conference and lasted long into the evening. So many people showed up throughout the day, it was hard to find a spot to sit or stand on the giant steps leading to the courthouse.

Inside the court, the jury was deliberating for a fourth day over the November 23, 2012 murder of Jordan Davis. Jordan Davis and his friends were in their Dodge Durango outside a Jacksonville gas station, when Dunn fired eight times into their vehicle. Michael Dunn, a white man, drove over, parked next to them, and then brutally murdered Jordan Davis in cold blood “for playing his music too loud.”

All week outside the court, organizers and everyday working people, especially African American community members, gathered eagerly awaiting justice. Everyone was there to demand that Michael Dunn be found guilty of all charges, especially the charge for the first-degree murder. Sunday February 16 would have been Jordan Davis's nineteenth birthday, surely a difficult day for his parents.

On Saturday, the crowd grew more and more energetic as they chanted and listened to speakers. Then came an announcement that the jury was deadlocked on the charge of murder one for Michael Dunn. Protesters were stunned, but quickly identified the problem as State Attorney Angela Corey. Corey botched the prosecution of George Zimmerman who stalked and murdered Trayvon Martin. Corey’s mishandling allowed Zimmerman to walk free after killing the African-American youth in Sanford, FL. Now she was mishandling another prosecution.

In another problematic case, State Attorney Corey was aggressive in prosecuting Marissa Alexander, an African American woman given 20 years for defending herself against her abusive husband. Angela Corey also has a long history of locking up African American and Latino youth, and trying them as adults – as was the case for both Christian Fernandez and Travis Swanson.

Later on Saturday, another announcement was made from the doors of the courthouse. The nearly one hundred protesters turned their attention to the announcement: “On the count of murder one, a mistrial had been declared.” People grew outraged and began shouting “We want justice NOW!” and “Justice for Jordan Davis!”

Protesters rallied on the steps and issued statements to a big circle of news cameras. The Jacksonville Progressive Coalition called for an emergency march to Angela Corey's office to demand her resignation that same night. The New Black Panther Party called for civil disobedience and for people to wear black ribbons and black armbands this week on Black Ribbon Tuesday.

Protest leaders next drafted a letter on poster-board demanding Angela Corey's resignation. People crowded in to sign the letter to State Attorney Corey. Then the protesters took to the streets and marched in the roadways blocking traffic on their way to Angela Corey's office. Jacksonville Progressive Coalition member Tefa Galvis led the crowd chanting “Hey-Hey! Ho-Ho! Angela Corey has got to go!” and “Murder is a Crime! Michael Dunn should do the time!” The dozens of police officers present just watched, so visible was the crowd's anger and focused determination to get justice for Jordan Davis.

After marching for about a mile, the crowd gathered in front of Angela Corey's office and heard speakers denouncing the “mistrial” verdict. Activists placed the letter demanding Angela Corey's resignation in front of the revolving door at her fancy office building. Tefa Galvis urged the community to stay involved in the ongoing fight for Jordan Davis, and minister Mikhail Mohammad from the NBPP closed out the night with a prayer.

The fight for Jordan Davis is far from over, while Angela Corey's career is in question. Galvis said, “The people will determine whether justice is found for Jordan Davis. The people will also work to put an end to Angela Corey's reign of terror and repression against young African American and Latino men and women.”

Fight Back! News Service urges everyone to travel to Tallahassee on March 3, 2014 for Moral Monday. Look for more information from Fight Back! in the coming weeks about this important event.

#JacksonvilleFL #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #InjusticeSystem #JordanDavis #MichaelDunn #AngelaCorey

Jacksonville, FL – Protests continue to grow outside the murder trial of Michael Dunn. Dunn is the racist vigilante who shot and killed 17 year old African American youth Jordan Davis for playing loud music. Forty people chanted, “Turn up for Jordan Davis” and “Murder is a crime, Michael Dunn should do the time” outside the Duval County Courthouse on February 14.

Members of the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference are leading the protests.

The atmosphere outside the courthouse was tense as the majority-white jury deliberated on the first-degree murder and attempted murder charges faced by Dunn. Many protesters discussed the disturbing similarities with the George Zimmerman trial, in which the killer of Trayvon Martin received a not-guilty verdict. State Attorney Angela Corey's office failed in its prosecution of Zimmerman and now their case against Dunn seems shaky.

“The only way we can be counted and heard is to speak up loudly when injustices are happening,” said Estefania Galvis, an organizer with the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition. Galvis was one of the lead organizers of the Justice for Trayvon Martin protests after the Zimmerman verdict in Sanford, FL last year.

Critics of State Attorney Corey point out that she did not charge Dunn with hate crimes, despite letters Dunn wrote from jail that contain explicitly racist messages, referring to young African Americans as “thugs”.

“Michael Dunn has shown a supremacist attitude, not only towards the young African American man he murdered, but also toward the woman in his life,” said Galvis. “He denies that the word 'thug' is part of his vocabulary, and calling his partner 'emotionally incapable of remembering' his mentioning a gun, are examples of his racism and sexism.” Dunn's fiancé, who was in the car with him when he killed Davis, testified that Dunn never mentioned seeing a gun the entire day after the shooting took place.

After the jury deliberations ended for the day, Jordan Davis' father, Ron Davis, gave a short statement to the press on the steps of the court. He thanked the media and people of Jacksonville for supporting his family and his son throughout the trial.

Activists outside the trial are holding a press conference at 9:15 am on Saturday, shortly after jury deliberations resume. Courthouse demonstrators will hold vigil throughout the day, and organizers plan a large rally after the verdict. Many are dismayed that the jury is deliberating such a clear-cut case of cold-blooded murder. They are worried the result will be a hung jury, or even worse “not guilty”. Turnout for the Saturday protest is likely to be bigger.

Before the protesters dispersed for the night, Galvis added, “It is important for the people of Jacksonville to come out and demonstrate given the fact that it's the only way we can truly be represented – by raising our voices and taking a stand for justice for Jordan Davis. We need justice for all Black and other oppressed nationalities that are being imprisoned and murdered every day.”

Rally organizers are asking people on social media websites, like Twitter and Facebook, to show their support using the hashtag, #Justice4Jordan.

#JacksonvilleFL #AfricanAmerican #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #JordanDavis #Antiracism #JacksonvilleProgressiveCoalition #MichaelDunn

Jacksonville, FL – On February 12, the prosecution and defense attorneys in the trial of Michael Dunn made closing arguments. Dunn is the racist vigilante who shot and killed 17 year old African American youth Jordan Davis. The jury began deliberations at 5:02 p.m. and met for several hours before agreeing to reconvene on February 13.

Before the jury ended deliberations for the night, they asked to review a key piece of evidence for the defense: surveillance videotape from the Gate gas station. This is where Dunn fired at least eight shots at a Dodge Durango, killing Davis and wounding three other young passengers. The SUV then drove to get away before Dunn could fire again. The defense alleges that Dunn opened fire on the SUV after he was threatened with a gun. There is no evidence that Davis or the other passengers had a weapon.

Over 20 protesters gathered outside of the Duval County Courthouse starting at 10:00 a.m. demanding 'Justice for Jordan Davis'. Carrying signs that read, “Will this be another Trayvon?” and “Thou Shalt Not Kill,” the protesters drew a large crowd of people passing by the courthouse. Members from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition, and several labor unions in Jacksonville attended the event. Marching around the courthouse, the crowd chanted, “Turn up your music for Jordan Davis,” a reference to the loud music coming from Davis' vehicle that Dunn complained about before shooting him.

Everyone outside the courthouse voiced strong concerns for State Attorney Angela Corey's handling of the trial.

According to protesters, Corey deliberately downplayed Dunn's long history of racism and his violently anti-Black views expressed in letters he wrote to friends and family from jail. Rather than additional charges for hate crimes, Corey's office limited it to first-degree murder charges against Dunn. Corey never entered Dunn’s racist letters and rants into evidence for the jury. Many people assembled outside the courthouse fear that Corey's deliberate negligence in the case weakens the prosecution and opens opportunities for the defense to make bogus arguments to the jury.

Dunn's fiancé, who was in the car with him when he killed Davis, testified that Dunn never mentioned seeing a gun the entire day after the shooting took place. Instead, the couple drove to a bed and breakfast suite in St. Augustine and casually ordered a pizza, just hours after killing Davis and injuring the other passengers. Evidence brought out in the trial shows that Dunn did not mention seeing a gun until police questioned him more than a day after the shooting. This strongly suggests that he lied about the entire story to protect himself.

Dunn wrote letters to family members from prison exposing the racist attitudes that led to Davis' murder. In one letter, he said of African Americans, “The more time I am exposed to these people, the more prejudiced against them I become.” Other letters from Dunn included an open call for genocide, in which he said to his girlfriend, “This may sound a bit radical, but if more people would arm themselves and kill these f—-ing idiots when they’re threatening you, eventually they may take the hint and change their behavior.” None of this was introduced by Corey's prosecution team into evidence or presented to the jury.

Legal analysts and leaders from Jacksonville's activist community believe the jury will reach a verdict on Thursday, February 13. The trial looks like a horrifying case of deja vu for those outraged at the not guilty verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman. Zimmerman is the racist vigilante who murdered Trayvon Martin in February 2012. Protesters say Corey mishandled and botched the prosecution of Zimmerman, including withholding key pieces of evidence from that trial.

Others draw contrast with Corey's prosecution of Marissa Alexander, the 33-year-old African American mother given 20 years in prison for firing a warning shot above her head to fend off her abusive husband. Corey personally prosecuted Alexander's case and pursued the highest possible sentence. The jury deliberated Alexander's case for only 12 minutes before handing down a guilty verdict. An appeals court granted Alexander a re-trial late last year, which is currently scheduled for the summer 2014.

Activists are planning marches, protests, and civil disobedience in the event of a not guilty verdict or a hung jury. People in Jacksonville interested in demanding justice for Jordan Davis are encouraged to come to the courthouse on February 13 at around 10:00 a.m.

#Jacksonville #JacksonvilleFL #AfricanAmerican #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #JordanDavis #Antiracism #MichaelDunn #JusticeForJorda #Jacksoville #DunnTrial #AngelaCorey

But racism and the system of national oppression in the U.S. South sits at the heart of the murder of Jordan Davis, just as it does the murder of Trayvon Martin and the state persecution of Marissa Alexander. Although police brutality and vigilante violence against African Americans occurs across the country – for example the shooting of 16-year-old Kimani Gray by police in Brooklyn last year – Florida and other states across the Deep South continue to be ground zero in the struggle against racist discrimination.

Consider Dunn, a white thug who fired eight shots at a vehicle full of high school students in Jacksonville, Florida, killing Davis and injuring three others. Dunn said he felt threatened by the loud music coming from Davis' vehicle and fabricated a story for the police that he had seen one of the passengers pointing a gun at him. His claims were all lies. Police found no weapons, guns or otherwise, in Davis' vehicle, which never left the Gate gas station where the shooting took place. Dunn, on the other hand, drove to a bed and breakfast suite in Saint Augustine with his girlfriend and casually ordered a pizza, just hours after slaying the African American youth.

Unlike Zimmerman, Dunn was arrested after calling the police a day later. From prison, Dunn wrote letters to family members exposing the racist attitudes that led to Davis' murder. In one letter, he said of African Americans, “The more time I am exposed to these people, the more prejudiced against them I become.” Other letters from Dunn ranged from absurd claims that he was the victim of racial discrimination to an open call for genocide, in which he said to his girlfriend, “This may sound a bit radical, but if more people would arm themselves and kill these f—-ing idiots when they’re threatening you, eventually they may take the hint and change their behavior.”

Dunn should be charged with hate crimes in addition to first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder. However, state attorney Angela Corey, who is prosecuting Dunn despite her botched prosecution of Zimmerman last year, and the other representatives of the criminal injustice system want to downplay the real trial taking place in the minds of oppressed nationalities around the U.S. – the trial of the injustice system itself.

Opening statements in Dunn's trial began on Feb. 6 and a verdict is expected by Feb. 14. Even if Dunn is found guilty, though, the system that creates and empowers racist vigilantes like Dunn and Zimmerman to brutally gun down African Americans will continue victimizing more people.

It's no surprise that the historic home of slavery, the plantation system, lynchings, the Ku Klux Klan and Jim Crow segregation remains the epicenter of violence against African Americans, like Davis, in 2014. More than 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation legally ended slavery and 50 years since the Civil Rights Act's passage, African Americans continue to suffer from racist killings, police brutality, higher unemployment rates, job discrimination, less access to quality health care and underfunded public schools, among other things. In the South though, these inequalities are greater and sharper than the rest of the country.

North Florida, including Jacksonville, sits on the edges of the Black Belt, which is the agricultural region historically farmed by Black slave labor and sharecroppers. Within the Black Belt exists a distinct nation made up of African Americans, formed on the basis of a common history, territory, economic life and culture. This nation, forged out of chattel slavery and the betrayal of radical reconstruction by the federal government, is oppressed by the imperialist ruling class of the U.S. for its labor, resources, and land. Racism and white supremacy are two particular forms that the national oppression of African Americans take within the U.S., which are enforced through state and local laws, mass incarceration, police brutality and vigilante violence.

The Black Belt South has been home to the key battles of the modern African American freedom struggle. From the Birmingham, Alabama Bus Boycott, to the Greensboro, North Carolina sit-in at the Woolworths' lunch counter, to the Mississippi Freedom Summer, the Black Belt South saw many battles by African Americans against Jim Crow segregation and for equality. These battles are part of the larger struggle for self-determination by an oppressed nation. This right to self-determination includes the right to a separate nation.

As part of the Black Belt, Jacksonville's African American community experiences the national oppression felt across the U.S. South. In the 1950s and 1960s, civil rights activists fought to desegregate lunch counters and restaurants in the city in the face of tremendous repression. The most infamous example of racist backlash happened on August 27, 1960 – called “Ax Handle Saturday” – when a group of about 200 Klansmen and white racists attacked civil rights activists in downtown Jacksonville's Hemming Plaza with ax handles.

Just a year earlier, the racist United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) pressured the city's school board to change the name of Valhalla High School to Nathan Bedford Forrest High School, named after the infamous slave trader and first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. The UDC's publicity stunt was in response to the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which desegregated all-white schools throughout the country. Last year, activists in the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition led a successful campaign to change the name of Forrest High School, despite much protest from wealthy racist whites in the city.

The murders of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis, along with the incarceration of Marissa Alexander, speak to the continued presence of laws in the Black Belt that specifically oppress the African American nation. Florida's state government, much like other state governments around the U.S. South, is controlled by the Republican Party, which generally represents the far-right sector of the capitalist class. This sector profits from exploiting agricultural workers and other workers in labor-intensive industries, meaning they materially profit from the brutal racism and national oppression of African Americans. Laws like Stand Your Ground, while nominally defending the right of self-defense, are applied in Florida to empower white racist vigilantes like Dunn and Zimmerman, while denying the same rights to African American women like Alexander who defend themselves from domestic abuse. The hypocrisy isn't simply misguided lawyers and judges. Instead, it is a fundamental part of oppressing African Americans in the Black Belt on the basis of nationality.

Like modern Afghanistan or Iraq under U.S. occupation, the U.S. imperialist ruling class writes laws and enforces its policies on the African American nation for the purpose of making itself richer. National oppression and racism benefit the imperialists, who favor busting unions, cutting food stamps and keeping wages low. These attacks affect the entire working class, but the brunt of their offensive in the South is directed at African Americans. In Jacksonville, for instance, over 66,000 black workers are in poverty (27% of the black population), which is both higher than the state average for black workers in Florida and more than 1.5 times the total number of white workers in poverty in Jacksonville alone.

The imperialist class uses the murders of Jordan Davis and Trayvon Martin to enforce terror in the Black Belt, whether the terror is committed by police or vigilantes. White southern landowners used the Ku Klux Klan similarly during Reconstruction, when African Americans gained unprecedented rights after the Civil War to own land, vote, hold political office and organize.

The struggle for justice for Jordan Davis is part of a larger freedom struggle for African Americans against racism and national oppression. Florida's system of laws that are designed to oppress black workers and youth, like mandatory minimum sentencing and harsh drug laws, are not unrelated to the wealthy elite in the US. Instead, they are an essential part of American capitalism designed to keep an entire nation within the borders of the U.S. in poverty and fearful of violence and prisons.

When activists around the country take to the streets to demand justice for Jordan Davis, Trayvon Martin and Marissa Alexander, they are striking a blow to this system of racism and national oppression. The protests, marches, rallies and building occupations strike at the heart of imperialism by exposing the racist system for what it is and empowering the masses of African Americans to defend their communities and struggle for self-determination. Demanding a guilty verdict for Dunn is a crucial battle in this larger struggle.

#JacksonvilleFL #NationalOppression #AfricanAmerican #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #JordanDavis #Antiracism #MichaelDunn

Jacksonville, FL – About 15 protesters assembled outside of the Duval County Courthouse, Feb. 6, as jurors heard opening statements in the first degree murder trial of Michael Dunn, the racist killer of 17-year-old African American youth Jordan Davis. Members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition and the New Jim Crow Movement held signs and spoke to people at the courthouse to demand “Justice for Jordan Davis.”

Protests began on Feb. 4 outside the courthouse as activists vowed to stop a repeat of the not-guilty verdict in last year's George Zimmerman trial, in which the killer of Trayvon Martin was acquitted on all charges.

“I came out to rally for justice for Jordan Davis,” said Biko Misabiko, a Jacksonville activist who protested the Zimmerman verdict in Sanford, Florida last year. “[I came out] to end the injustices of the legal system to the minority – not to allow this to be another mistrial case like what happened to Trayvon Martin. We will stand and demand justice for all.”

Dunn, a 45-year-old white racist, fired eight rounds from a handgun at a Gate gas station in Jacksonville in November 2012, killing Davis and injuring three passengers in the car with Davis. When asked by police, Dunn claimed that he felt threatened by Davis and fabricated a story about the four youths threatening him with a weapon. No weapons, guns or otherwise, were found in Davis' car. Dunn immediately left the scene of the crime to drive to Saint Augustine with his girlfriend, where they checked in to a hotel and ordered pizza just hours after slaying the African American teen. Dunn is charged with first degree murder and three additional counts of attempted murder.

Protesters held signs that read, “Stand up, fight back for Jordan Davis” and “Jail the killer.” Others held signs criticizing State Attorney Angela Corey, whose office is prosecuting Dunn. Although protesters are demanding a guilty verdict, many worry that her botched prosecution of Zimmerman, which allowed him to walk free, may repeat itself in the Dunn trial. Corey has also drawn criticism for disproportionately targeting African Americans for prosecution, including Marissa Alexander.

Despite attempts by Judge Russell Healey and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office to restrict protesters and media access to the trial, people continued demonstrating on the front lawn of the courthouse.

Four members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense also rallied separately.

At a short press conference, rally organizers announced plans to continue building the movement for justice for Jordan Davis. The SCLC will continue having a presence outside the courthouse and other organizations will work towards mobilizing the Jacksonville community for larger events.

Legal analysts and courthouse staff believe that the trial will last fewer than two weeks, with a verdict delivered around Feb.14.

#JacksonvilleFL #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #TrayvonMartin #InjusticeSystem #JordanDavis #MichaelDunn

Jacksonville, FL – Over 35 protesters gathered here outside of the Duval County Courthouse, Feb. 4, for the first day of jury selection in the trial of Michael Dunn, the racist killer of 17-year-old African American youth Jordan Davis. Holding signs and chanting together, the crowd demanded “Justice for Jordan” and the conviction of Dunn.

The case has drawn national attention for its similarities to the murder of Trayvon Martin in February 2012. Dunn shot and killed Davis in November 2012 at a Gate gas station in Jacksonville, for Davis allegedly playing loud music from his car. Prosecutors charged Dunn with first-degree murder after his arrest.

Members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the New Jim Crow Movement and the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition attended the protest, along with other concerned members of the Jacksonville community.

“The sentiment of the people out there was, enough is enough,” said Wells Todd, an organizer with the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition and one of the protesters. “The theme was that we need to get rid of Angela Corey, stop stand-your-ground [laws] and win justice for Jordan Davis.”

Todd's quote speaks to the continued outrage by African Americans and others in Florida at state attorney Angela Corey's role in the botched prosecution of George Zimmerman and her racist prosecution of Marissa Alexander, the 33-year-old African American mother whose conviction for resisting domestic abuse was recently overturned.

Corey's office, which is prosecuting Dunn, drew criticism from the Jacksonville community when she filed a motion to limit the public and the media's access to the trial. Judge Russell Healey, who is handling the Dunn trial, agreed with Corey's stance and ordered to prevent the public from accessing evidence and case materials for 30 days. A First District Court of Appeals decision overturned Healey's decision, allowing the public and the media greater access to the trial.

At one point in the protest, local police from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office instructed protesters to leave the courthouse on orders from Judge Healey.

“A police officer gave me a court order from the judge that forced us to move from the courthouse onto the grass,” explained Todd. “If there was a large enough turnout from the community, there's no way they could control where we stood.”

The trial has drawn international attention and controversy. An English documentary crew was present outside the courthouse and interviewed protesters about the issues at play in the trial.

Although the fact that Dunn shot and killed Davis unprovoked is not in dispute, protesters still doubt that the legal system will deliver justice for Davis and other African American youth victimized by police and racist vigilantes. Most of the people at the protest were active in the Justice for Trayvon Martin movement that erupted across the country when the court failed to convict George Zimmerman last July.

“With the atmosphere the way it is, it could go either way,” said Todd. “I don't see a slam dunk. I think people saw a slam dunk with Zimmerman too. The reason I say that is because the pressure has to come from outside, and from what I see, it's not there yet. The fear that's been out there for so many years, brought on by the mass media and the politicians, has really divided the white and black communities [in Jacksonville].”

The prospects for a larger movement demanding an end to the racist killing of African American youth are not without hope, though. Todd continued, “What I thought was interesting yesterday is that the people who walked by the signs we were holding – whether they were white or black – agreed with what we were saying. People who walked by made supportive comments – white or Black. But we don't know what the courts are going to do. The courts are this racist institution that's hell-bent on oppressing and demoralizing the African American community. It's something the African American community needs to understand.”

Jury selection concluded on Feb. 5 and the trial will begin on Feb. 6. Another courthouse protest is planned for the morning of Feb. 6 to coincide with the first day of the trial.

Organizers from the SCLC, the New Jim Crow Movement and the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition plan to hold events throughout the trial to pressure the criminal injustice system into delivering a guilty verdict.

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