MacClenny, FL — On March 1, the family of DJ Broadus II, an African American man brutally murdered in north Florida, called for and rallied at a second town hall meeting here, at Emmanuel Church of God in Christ. About 80 people showed up to a town hall meeting which was led by Dominic Broadus Sr., the father of the slain Dominic “DJ” Broadus II. Participants included Michael Sampson II and Joshua Parks. Sampson and Parks are members of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, a local Black-led organization that has been helping lead the effort to get #Justice4DJ, along with other organizations such as the Dream Defenders, Color of Change, and the Black community in MacClenny. MacClenny is on the western outskirts of Jacksonville.

Broadus II was found murdered execution-style with three bullet wounds to his head on property that belongs to the Fraser family, a very powerful family in the MacClenny. Gardner Frazier, along with one other undisclosed person, were the only people on the property at the time of the murder and made the 911 call. Gardner Fraser, who was well known in MacClenny for his violent behavior, was terminated from North East Florida Hospital for breaking a patient’s jaw. Gardner Fraser is the son of a former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Deputy who was fired for shooting an unarmed Black man, and then hired by the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, where he eventually retired. Gardner Fraser is also the grandson of Edwin Fraser, who the MacClenny hospital is named after. Edwin Fraser served in the Florida State Senate and the Florida House of Representatives for several years between 1937 and 1963.

At the townhall, community members chanted “Justice for DJ,” as well as “What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now!” Community members talked about their own experiences with the racist criminal justice system in the rural county with a population of just around 27,000.

The family and community had four demands directed toward the Baker County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and State Attorney Bill Cervone of the 8th Judicial Circuit:

1. Instruct the BCSO to make an immediate arrest and charge Gardner K. Fraser for the execution of Dominic Jerome Broadus II.

2. Release the State Medical Examiner's complete autopsy report to the family's independent pathologist so they can complete their analysis.

3. Explain why Gardner K. Fraser has been allowed to roam free for over three weeks without charges for DJ's murder.

4. Petition the FBI’s Public Corruption division to conduct an immediate investigation into Baker County Sheriff’s Office as it relates to procurement of evidence and nepotism within this law enforcement agency.

On March 5, there will be a call-in day to State Attorney Bill Cervone of the 8th Judicial Circuit (at 904-259-3137) to demand an arrest for DJ’s murder and for the FBI to investigate BCSO for public corruption.

The community will continue to rally and demand justice until these demands are met and justice is served for Dominic Jerome Broadus II.

#MacClennyFL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #AntiRacism #Florida #Injustice #DJBroadus

“The killing of Terrance Crutchner by a white police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma is just the latest example of police shooting first, not calling for medical aid, and then making up stories to justify their crimes,” said Suzuki. “In Charlotte, North Carolina, the uprising after the police shot and killed Keith Scott shows that the community is on edge. This should come as no surprise given that a white Charlotte police officer went free after shooting an unarmed Black man ten times and then handcuffing him before he died in 2013.”

Suzuki called for people to continue to build the movement against police killings. “In addition to responding to each and every police crime, the FRSO supports the demand for community control of the police. This institutional change, as seen in the Chicago, Illinois push for a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC), is needed to fight the racism among police that is part of a long history of national oppression against African Americans and other oppressed nationalities such as Chicanos and Native Americans.”

#SanJoseCA #PoliceBrutality #PeoplesStruggles #Antiracism #policeKillings #Injustice #charlotte

Los Angeles, CA – Family, friends and supporters of Edwin Rodriguez united to protest his murder by Sheriff’s Deputies of East Los Angeles, Feb. 20. Rodriguez was pulled over by East Los Angeles (ELA) Sheriffs, beaten and shot to death on Feb. 14th. He was shot over ten times. The sheriffs claimed that Rodriguez was in a stolen car. However, the car was not stolen; it belonged to the driver’s mother. Antonio Rodriguez, the family's attorney said, “There was no reason to pull them over.”

The Rodriguez family led chants against the sheriffs like “Asesinos! Asesinos!” and “What do we want? Justice! For who? Edwin! When? Now!” As sheriff patrol cars passed by, the protesters chanted louder. Other families of police brutality victims joined the Rodriguez family in solidarity. Obdulio Oliva, the father of Carlos Oliva, said, “I'm now scared of cops. I'll never trust that they'll protect me or my family. They're killers!” In 2013 Carlos Oliva, a college student, was shot in the back by Deputy Sheriff Nicolas Castellanos and Deputy Sheriff Anthony Forlano. Juan Mendez, father of Jose Mendez also joined the protest. Jose Mendez was the Boyle Heights teenager who was gunned down by LAPD on Feb.6. Mendez said, “My 16-year-old son was murdered by two LAPD officers. To this day I have not seen his body or know how many times he was shot. It's not right what they're doing to our children and our youth.”

Edwin Rodriguez' aunt, Gabriella, yelled at the top of her lungs, “The cops are a gang of killers! Today it's us! Tomorrow it might be you! We want justice!” A local community group in Boyle Heights, the Centro CSO (Community Service Organization) helped organize the protest. CSO has a long history of fighting police brutality against Chicanos, including the historic 1951 Bloody Christmas case. CSO also fought to get justice for Manuel Jamines, a Guatemalan Mayan day laborer, who was shot in the head on Sept. 5, 2010 by LAPD in the Pico Union community.

Stephanie Yanez spoke in front of station: “Why did they kill him? Edwin was a caring father he loved people. He loved to sing and draw”. Sol Marquez with Centro CSO said, “How will we get justice? By doing what we're doing today! Working hard to keep building the movement! Keep fighting, keep organizing! Keep your head up, and keep being proud of being Brown!”

The protesters marched from the sidewalk to the steps of the sheriff's station. Holding banners that read, “Justice for Edwin,” and “Stop killer cops,” they chanted at the sheriffs inside, “Mexicanos unidos jamas seran vencidos,” and “Chicanos unidos jamas seran vencidos!”

Estela Rodriguez, Edwin's mother, told the protesters, “My son did not deserve this. So many cops against one person, is not justice. I want justice! For my son Edwin! For Carlos Oliva! For Jose Mendez! Who do we call now for justice? Why call the cops? So they can murder our children? I want justice!” The chanting continued and got louder and louder.

Longtime revolutionary and organizer with Centro CSO, Carlos Montes, pointed at the ELA sheriff's station and yelled, “I've been locked up in that jail! We have a long history of fighting for our rights. We have the energy, we have the people: Our youth, our veterans, our families – to fight back! We can win justice, we can win equality, we can win self-determination. We just have to organize ourselves unite and fight back!”

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department in Los Angeles County has a long history of harassing, abusing and killing Chicanos and Blacks. Former Sheriff Lee Baca is currently awaiting sentencing, and his former second in command, Sheriff Paul Tanaka is awaiting trial, over a police abuse incident investigation in the LA County Jails. In the mid-1990s, the LA County Sheriffs provoked a confrontation and killed Smokey Jimenez in the Ramona Gardens Projects, causing a rebellion. Several other Chicanos have been killed by law enforcement in recent years in the Ramona Gardens Housing Projects of Boyle Heights, including Mauricio Cornejo and others.

#LosAngelesCA #PoliceBrutality #PeoplesStruggles #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #California #LA #Injustice #JusticeForEdwinRodiguez