Coalition to March on the RNC demands permits for August 27 rally

Jacksonville, FL – The Coalition to March on the RNC applied for permits from the city of Jacksonville, June 17, to hold a rally and march opposed to Donald Trump and the Republican National Convention.

Jacksonville, FL – For the third Saturday in a row, June 13, thousands flooded the streets in downtown Jacksonville to demand police accountability and community control of the police, uniting with the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression’s call for a day of action.

Jacksonville, FL – On Saturday, June 6, over 10,000 residents of Jacksonville came out to an historic march hosted by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee. This march came a week after 3500 people gathered on the headquarters of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) to demand: Release of body camera footage being held hostage by JSO; an end to excessive force, by instituting community control via a Civilian Police Accountability Council; and transparency in testing and reporting of COVID-19 for those in JSO custody.

Jacksonville, FL – Community activists who led a historic 3500-person protest for police accountability in Jacksonville are meeting brutality with solidarity.

Jacksonville, FL – Just hours after 3500 people rallied for police accountability in downtown Jacksonville on May 30, the president of the city’s police union took to Facebook and threatened a local teacher and community activist.

Jacksonville, FL – In an historic mobilization, over 3500 people took the streets in coordination with the National Alliance Against Racist Political Repression national day of action, May 30 to protest against police crimes committed by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO). This was one of the largest demonstrations seen in Jacksonville in decades. The people of Jacksonville were also protesting in solidarity with the uprisings happening in cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, Atlanta, Tallahassee, Tampa, and Los Angeles for African Americans like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. The protests were led by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), The Northside Coalition and other local organizations took part.

Jacksonville, FL – A crowd of more than 200 people, practicing social distancing and mostly wearing face masks, gathered in front of the Duval County courthouse, May 8, in response to the brutal murder of Ahmaud Arbery in nearby Brunswick, Georgia. The Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), Northside Coalition, and the New Florida Majority put the demonstration of solidarity together; UNF Students for A Democratic Society (SDS) was represented as well. Even community members from Brunswick, where Arbery was killed, drove down to attend the demonstration.

Jacksonville, FL – Around three dozen cars joined a Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) protest on Friday evening, April 24, calling for a mass release of Duval County inmates in the overpopulated Duval County jail. Along with the JCAC, the New Florida Majority, Dignity Florida, Northside Coalition of Jacksonville along with other organizations and community supporters came out Friday evening for a caravan protest to demand that Melissa Nelson and Sheriff Mike Williams #FreeThemAll. The protesters taped signs to their vehicles that demanded the release of prisoners, to avoid the Duval County Jail becoming a death trap during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Editor's note: The following article was prepared for the print edition of Fight Back!, which is now on hold due to the pandemic.

Jacksonville, FL – Over 75 people gathered together to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8 in Jacksonville. The program was held in the union hall of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).