JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The city of Jacksonville came together Monday to observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, which recognizes and provides support for victims and survivors of violent crimes.
Members of the mayor’s Victim Assistance Advisory Council (VAAC), local nonprofit partner organizations, Jacksonville’s Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office all attended the event to show support.
For every victim, there is a family of survivors who grieve the trauma of the person assaulted or murdered.
It’s been over seven years since Chevy Green’s cousin was murdered but the pain and trauma left behind still remain as the family continues to seek justice.
Green recalled the moment she learned her cousin Jerry Brown was murdered in January 2016, whose case remains unsolved.
Green said she received a call from a family member that Brown had been fatally shot on the driveway of his home.
“For some reason, there was an eerie feeling in my gut. I hesitated to answer,” Green said through tears while holding a framed photo of her cousin.
For Green, she hopes that people will think twice before taking someone else’s life. She advised people to think about others before they decide to pick up a gun and take someone’s life.
“My family is very large. You change hundreds forever. There’s not a day that goes by that he’s not thought of,” Green said. “There isn’t a family event that he isn’t mentioned. His presence still lives on, but it is a hollow hole of pure pain.”
Jacksonville provides support for survivors through city initiatives, nonprofits, the state attorney’s office and JSO.
“Our agency fundamentally believes that empowering crime survivors is as critical as bringing offenders to justice,” said JSO’s Director of Investigations and Homeland Security Mark Romero.
JSO said it’s committed to updating support for survivors, officer training, best practices for survivors, investigative techniques, and survivor advocates, which increased from one to seven people in the last five years.
Green said she spoke to Brown’s mother on her deathbed and said his mother asked her to keep fighting to find who killed Brown. Green said that’s a promise that she still keeps.