JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX is condemning hateful displays that purportedly appeared on the side of the company’s building downtown during the Jacksonville Jaguars game last weekend.
A swastika and cross were seen projected on the side of the building in a photo that was shared widely on Reddit.
It comes after similar displays across Jacksonville over the last couple of months.
CSX responded to the most recent display, saying, “The increased acts of antisemitism in Jacksonville are unacceptable. They are an appalling display of intolerance, which shows hatred and undermines our greatest strength — our diversity.”
The company added that it will continue to take action to help raise awareness and make sure everyone feels welcome in Jacksonville.
Jacksonville City Councilman Rory Diamond is preparing to file a bill Wednesday making it a crime to display messages on any building, without the owner’s permission.
Councilman Diamond said he hopes by introducing this bill that talks about jail time and fines it’ll send a strong message to people that want to display hateful messages or any messages on buildings to think twice.
“We’re getting all of these hate messages all over our buildings it’s just disgusting and it’s time to stop it,” Diamond said.
The punishment would be a $2,000 fine and up to six months in jail.
News4JAX asked Diamond about the thought the bill could potentially stifle free speech.
“It’s a content-neutral bill that means you can’t project anything on the side of a building or the owner’s permission. That’s a content-neutral bill totally fine under the constitution. That’s why we built it that way,” Diamond said.
And Diamond isn’t the only city council member proposing to file a bill in reference to projected images.
Council member at large Matt Carlucci said councilwoman and candidate for mayor LeAnna Cumber will likely file one and he plans to co-introduce it. But he couldn’t speak about the specifics of it.
“I feel very strongly that our city should do everything we can to prevent this type of behavior,” Carlucci said.
In December, CSX announced a $100,000 donation to the Together Strong Community Fund to fight antisemitism in Northeast Florida, News4JAX news partner WJCT reported.
The Together Strong Community Fund was created in November by Jacksonville insurance executive David Miller after a series of messages popped up around downtown Jacksonville.
Miller committed $1 million to efforts to eradicate hate and encouraged other organizations to join the effort.
CSX said its donation aligns with the railroad’s stance against hate speech, racism and discrimination.