Jacksonville, FL – On November 7, Jacksonville community organizers gathered at the courthouse to denounce the recent election of Donald Trump as the 47th resident, following his victory.

More than 250 people joined the protest, chanting, “When Trump says get back, we say fight back!” Speakers addressed the flaws in the U.S. electoral system, with Michael Sampson, of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, stating “it doesn’t matter which party is in power, we have to demand a People’s agenda.”

Jpess Machin of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization noted, “Kamala and Trump unfortunately have more similarities than differences. They are both pro-Israel, pro-NATO, pro-sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela, pro-police, and more.” Machin went on to critique the Biden administration’s billions in funding for Israel, which has fueled imperialist violence in Palestine.

The election in Florida also brought key ballot measures for Florida voters, including Amendment 4, defending the right to abortion, and Amendment 3, proposing the legalization of recreational marijuana. Both received majority support – 57% for Amendment 4 and nearly 56% for Amendment 3 – but Florida’s undemocratic 60% threshold for ballot measures blocked their passage. Maria Garcia, member of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, called this a “shame,” saying, “Governor Ron DeSantis spent over $50 million of taxpayer money trying defeat abortion rights, yet Amendment 4 got more votes than he got last election!”

Event organizers called on attendees to join an organization and contribute to the struggle against capitalism and imperialism, emphasizing that the fight for justice, human rights, and liberation would continue, regardless of the electoral outcome. Many groups attended the protest, including the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, UNF Students for a Democratic Society, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and Take Em Down Jax. The demands of the protest were endorsed by multiple organizations including Black Lives Matter.

These demands were end of police brutality; no to mass deportations and legalization for all; standing up for LGBTQ rights; free Palestine and stopping U.S. aid to the Israeli war machine; stopping the attacks on reproductive freedom, and standing with student rights to free speech.

Organizers reaffirmed that the people united will never be defeated and committed to ongoing resistance against Trump’s agenda.

#JacksonvilleFL #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #FRSO #JCAC #JPSN #UNFSDS #TakeEmDownJax

Activists and local artists began setting up in downtown Jacksonville at about 4 p.m., August 2, despite inclement weather. JCAC and TakeEmDown shared the same street, both causes petitioning and handing out literature. One project that engaged with the JCAC was a news station had a project where in which they encouraged people to fill out a sign that read, “I Love Jacksonville because,” followed by a brief explanation of their answer. Local activist David Schneider seized the opportunity to spread the word about the movement in Jacksonville by responding with “I Love Jacksonville because of activism and the people’s movement,” and encouraged people watching to get involved. Alongside TakeEmDown and JCAC, there were also tables for sex education and feminism. The street acquired the name ‘Activist Alley’ for the night.

JCAC asked that people understand the necessity for police accountability through community control of the police. TakeEmDown provided a historical reference point regarding the racism that still affects the relationship between institutions of authority and the people in Jacksonville, as well as the rest of the Deep South. It was a fluid exchange of knowledge that, when guided carefully enough, could arm the people with the tools necessary to understand the depth of each issue.

Though there was overwhelming support for both campaigns. “Over 100 signatures,” JCAC leadership member Michael Sampson II reported, and there was a standing room only turnout for the TakeEmDown press event. There was also strong opposition.

The exact affiliation of the reactionary opposition was unclear. However, it was quite evident how they felt about the issues being presented by the activists. Sara Mahmoud, a local activist for Palestinian liberation as well as leadership member of the JCAC, and her younger sister, the youngest member of the JCAC, faced intense harassment for being Palestinian. “I had folks looking at my Queer Palestinian Empowerment Network (QPEN) pin and start calling me a ‘Palestinian PLO terrorist’ and ‘Palestinian whore,’” she recounted. The police were of no help to her and her sister, rather, when they approached her sister, they threatened to arrest the 14-year-old activist.

“I know these people [the opposition] are crazy, but we [organizers] can’t let that kind of stuff just happen to people and then say ‘well, he’s just crazy’- it deflects the severity of the situation. We will need to work on that,” said Mahmoud.

Around the time of the TakeEmDown press event, at 7 p.m., a group of about 20 counter-protesters waving confederate flags, Stars and Bars with a Thin Blue Line, and CSA flags marched down activist alley, protected by the police, chanting “USA! USA!”

Maria Garcia, local activist with Coalition for Consent and TakeEmDown leadership member believes the opposition helped illustrate why activist movements in Jacksonville are so dire. “Although we had opposition, mostly middle-aged white ‘patriots’ trying to disrupt the press conference before and during the actual event, we were successful in getting our point across and engaging the public. I think they helped illustrate why Jax needs to ‘take em down’ perfectly. So, thanks, racist creeps!”

#JacksonvilleFL #PeoplesStruggles #Antiracism #JCAC #TakeEmDownJax

Jacksonville, FL – The Jacksonville downtown Art Walk celebration on August 2 brought out several political organizations including TakeEmDownJax, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) and Veterans for Peace. The groups petitioned and leafleted for the causes of removing confederate names and statues from public view and for community control of the police via the formation of a Jacksonville Police Accountability Council. Around 50 local organizers showed up and were met by two groups in opposition, who were confederate flag supporters and self-proclaimed ‘patriots.’

The local authorities kept the opposition at bay until TakeEmDownJAX held a press conference in a local book store. Several powerful speeches were recorded by the local news media. Ben Frazier of the Northside Coalition asked, in reference to the monuments to confederate soldiers scattered around Jacksonville, “What about a memorial for the Blacks who were lynched? Florida was the lynching capital of the U.S. It happened so much it's a part of southern history. Across the street outside at Hemming Park, where the reactionaries are huddled with their ‘blue lives matter’ confederate flags, was the same location of Axe Handle Saturday.” Meanwhile the opposition could be heard outside marching and shouting “USA, USA, USA.”

The fight to keep the confederate names and monuments in place is cloaked in support for veterans. One local organizer, Etta Ettlinger, stood in front of the Veterans for Peace tent and said, “I walked by their group on the way to the press conference and was told if I don't support their cause I don't support veterans. So apparently these people are under the impression confederates who wished to secede and preserve slavery are United States veterans.” This is only one of the backwards, reactionary tactics used by the confederate flag supporters and Southern history apologists to try and win support for their racist views.

Activists with TakeEmDownJax vowed to continue to organize and take down the racist confederate statues in Jacksonville. Support for the campaign continues to grow in Jacksonville.

#JacksonvilleFL #PeoplesStruggles #Antiracism #JCAC #TakeEmDownJax