Jacksonville, FL – On May 22, a white deputy from Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) murdered 22-year-old Vernell Bing Jr. in Springfield, one of the city's historic Black neighborhoods. Bing was unarmed and fleeing the scene of a car crash when JSO officer Tyler L. Landreville shot him in the head. He was taken to hospital and pronounced dead the next day after losing brain function.
Jacksonville, FL – The atmosphere at Simonds-Johnson Park was revolutionary on May 14, as people from across Jacksonville gathered for the second annual Malcolm X Festival.
Jacksonville, FL – Over two dozen protesters gathered in front of Angela Corey's office, April 27, to demand she be removed from office. In Jacksonville, State Attorney Angela Corey is responsible for leading Florida in the imprisonment of juvenile offenders, most of whom are Black. From 2009 to 2013, Corey's office incarcerated 1475 juveniles in the Jacksonville area alone, compared to just 32 in Miami during the same period. In almost four out of five of cases, Corey threatened the juvenile defendant with being charged as an adult in order to coerce a plea deal, since adult charges carry harsher consequences.
Jacksonville, FL – About 25 people gathered in Friendship Park here, April 9, for a press conference to demand Angela Corey be removed from office. Angela Corey is the Florida state attorney responsible for prosecuting more death penalty cases in Duval County than anywhere else in the country, and for being third in the country for the number of minor offenders charged as adults. An overwhelming majority of those minors charged as adults with felonies are African American. Angela Corey is also responsible for letting George Zimmerman walk after the murder of Trayvon Martin and for locking Marissa Alexander up after Alexander was found guilty of firing a warning shot against her abusive husband. The press conference was called for by the Jacksonville Leadership Coalition, headed by the Reverend R.L. Gundy.
Jacksonville, FL – More than 30 protesters marched on W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractors, Inc., Feb. 28, for its financial support of State Attorney Angela Corey. The mid-morning protest drew supporters from across Jacksonville and around the state who oppose Corey and her racist attacks on African-Americans.
Jacksonville, FL – Members of the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition and other community organizations are mobilizing for protests against Florida State Attorney Angela Corey later in February. Corey is responsible for incarcerating more Black youth than any other state attorney in Florida and for failing to serve justice in several high-profile cases. Corey's record includes failing to convict George Zimmerman in the murder of Trayvon Martin, and locking up Marissa Alexander for defending herself against her violent estranged husband. In 2015, Corey also failed to deliver justice in the case of D'angelo Stallworth, a UPS employee murdered by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO).
I went into Eli Roth's The Green Inferno with very low expectations. Boasting the tagline, “No good deed goes unpunished,” this 2015 horror film follows the gory demise of a group of college student activists from the U.S. who get captured, tortured and eaten by a cannibalistic tribe in the Amazon rainforest.
The minute I read the first sentence of the opening crawl – “Luke Skywalker has vanished” – I knew I was watching Star Wars again. Indeed, Episode VII: The Force Awakens, delivered the goods that fans of the original trilogy craved out of the extremely underwhelming prequel movies. Director J.J. Abrams mixed a potent cocktail of original storytelling, proven plot elements, dynamic new characters and familiar actors (Harrison Ford giving his best performance in 25 years). Over the film's 135-minute runtime, I felt the same childhood sense of awe and excitement that I experienced as a seven year-old watching the original films for the first time.
Jacksonville, FL – A dozen community organizers gathered on Nov. 14 to discuss political theory. The event was organized by members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) at a local union hall owned by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM).
Jacksonville, FL – About 25 people gathered in front of the Florida Times Union Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 5 to protest the visit of Ehud Barak, former Prime Minister of Israel. Barak is a war criminal responsible for the deaths of thousands of Palestinians.
Jacksonville, FL – On Sept. 4, 4th Judicial Circuit State Attorney Angela Corey cleared the two white police officers who shot and killed D'Angelo Stallworth, a 28-year-old African American father in Jacksonville. Two Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) deputies killed Stallworth outside his apartment in May of this year while serving an eviction notice on a neighbor. Stallworth's death sparked mass outrage and several large protests from the community demanding justice.
Jacksonville, FL – On August 8, activists in Jacksonville staged two demonstrations tied to the Black Lives Matter movement. In the morning, community organizers rallied for a press conference outside of the Duval Regional Juvenile Detention Center against the mass incarceration of Black youth. Later that day, young activists led a Black Lives Matter march through downtown Jacksonville against racist police crimes.
Jacksonville, FL – On August 2, more than 35 people from across Jacksonville attended a forum on institutionalized racism. Sponsored by the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition (JPC), the event featured a stack of speakers who addressed the Black Lives Matter movement, the struggle against police crimes and the fight against mass incarceration.
Jacksonville, FL – Over 100 activists and community members gathered here, July 26, to honor Sandra Bland. Bland, who supported the Black Lives Matter movement, became national news when she was found dead in her jail cell after being arrested for a minor traffic offense. Many doubt the official story that Bland committed suicide, especially after video evidence surfaced of Bland being handled roughly by the police.
Jacksonville, FL – On the morning of July 20, protesters began filming on sidewalks and public property outside the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville. Despite the orders of Chief Fourth Circuit Court Judge Mark Mahon, signs criticizing him were proudly displayed. The group marched to the front of the courthouse, shouting “Photography is not a crime,” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho, that Judge Mahon has got to go.”
Jacksonville, FL – On the morning of July 20, protesters began filming on sidewalks and public property outside the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville. Despite the orders of Chief Fourth Circuit Court Judge Mark Mahon, signs criticizing him were proudly displayed. The group marched to the front of the courthouse, shouting “Photography is not a crime,” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho, that Judge Mahon has got to go.”
Jacksonville, FL – The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is targeting United Parcel Service (UPS) for their leadership role in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a corporate policy organization that drafts and pushes anti-worker legislation in state governments.
Protesters calling on state attorney to indict two killer cops
Jacksonville, FL – More than 50 people gathered outside the Duval County courthouse to demand justice for D'Angelo Stallworth, the 28-year-old African American man murdered by Jacksonville police in May. The crowd assembled around noon, carrying signs and wearing t-shirts with the slogan “Justice 4 Dee.”
Next rally planned for June 26 at Duval County courthouse
Jacksonville, FL – Over a month has passed since two Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office (JSO) officers shot and killed 28-year-old D'Angelo Stallworth outside his apartment. The African American father of three was shot six times in the back by two white police officers, who claimed that they thought D'Angelo looked suspicious. Although Stallworth was unarmed at the time of the shooting, State Attorney Angela Corey has still not indicted the two officers for murder.
Jacksonville, FL – On June 13, over 30 activists assembled at the International Association of Machinists hall to discuss methods, share strategies and to discuss points of political unity within the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition (JPC).
