JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The second vigil to honor the three victims fatally shot by a Clay County man turned into a rally against hate crimes committed against people because of the color of their skin, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
Hundreds protested at the James Weldon Johnson Park to rally against hate and stand in unison during a difficult time.
“Today is a solemn day. And today is a day we’ve gathered to remember the three souls who lost their lives to white supremacy and racism,” one speaker said.
Every person who spoke in front of the crowd including State Representative Angie Nixon and former Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said Saturday’s deadly attack was a result of political rhetoric and policies from Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“He struck the match, fanned the flames, and now attempting to extinguish what he has caused because his poll numbers are dropping,” Nixon said.
“You can’t have a governor and his cronies for the last four years gaslighting the black community here in our state and not know this is going to be the result of it,” Fried said.
Others who are not politicians also agree that the current political atmosphere is contributing to hateful and deadly ideology.
“Political tone had a lot to play in this young man’s part in this awful situation,” Tina Feggans said.
“Rhetoric plays a big part of it. White supremacy is the fire. Rhetoric is the fan that flames that fire,” Monique Sampson said.
Saturday’s deadly shooting was the latest hate crime in Florida.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, most hate crimes in Florida between 2019 and 2021 were motivated by race and ethnicity, followed by religion and sexual orientation.
Back in March of this year, a federal grand jury in Gainesville indicted a 61-year-old man after authorities said he attempted to run over six black men with his truck. The victims were surveying land along a public road.
In January, two middle-aged brothers were sent to federal prison after they were convicted of attacking a black man with an ax handle while yelling racial slurs during the attack. According to investigators, the men followed the victim from a Family Dollar Store in Citrus Springs and then attacked him in the parking lot.
Last November, a 29-year-old Seminole County man was sentenced to two years in federal prison after he was convicted of attempting to force a black motorist off the road while shouting racial slurs. Federal investigators say that in all three cases, the attacks were racially motivated.
News4JAX reached out to the governor’s office for comment but has not received a response.