JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Local faith leaders with ICARE gathered at Mount Zion AME Church Tuesday morning to call for an end to gun violence.
With more than a month left in the year, more than 100 murders have already been reported in Jacksonville — and more than half of those cases are still open. Based on the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office data, approximately 84% of people murdered this year were African American.
On top of that, hundreds of shootings have left area residents either dead or wounded.
Two local groups — ICARE and the Justice Coalition — hosted events Tuesday highlighting the impact this violent crime is having on our communities.
ICARE is also calling on Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters to take a new approach to addressing gun violence. Pointing to success stories in cities like Boston and Miami, ICARE is asking Waters to work with the “National Network for Safe Communities” to improve violence intervention programs in Jacksonville. They would complete an assessment of the Group Violence Intervention program and identify what the city could do better.
News4JAX was told this would cost anywhere from $30,000 to $80,000. ICARE representatives said this is a fraction of the cost the city pays for homicides.
At the Justice Coalition’s fundraiser breakfast Tuesday, innocent victims of violent crime and their families were honored and supported. The Justice Coalition offers crisis intervention and educates victims on their rights, among other services.
Justice Coalition Executive Director Robert Bracewell said he wants everyone to know the group is still in the fight to help victims and reduce the violent crime that has left people suffering in the city.
“There are murders every day. There’s somebody getting shot every day. There’s something happening every day,” Bracewell said. “I know that they say that the violence is better than it was. That’s probably true. But it’s still very high for the area.”
The coalition is willing to keep helping, but like ICARE, it wants to see a change in how violent crime is addressed in communities.
“I think all the organizations that are available, we need to somehow come together as a group and a unit to seek out education and measures that we could take that would decrease the crime, and we need to work on these areas that have the highest rates of crime more than anything else,” Bracewell said.
Bracewell said that starts with being in the neighborhoods and encouraging everyone to get involved – which means people need to speak up when they see something.
Bracewell credits the sheriff’s office for the work it’s doing and wants to continue to see the agency target gang relations and domestic violence situations.
“We’re still in the fight. We’re doing what we can to help victims and also to reduce crime,” Bracewell said.
He said he hopes with more collaboration and city support, Jacksonville will see fewer crime scenes.
The money raised during the Justice Coalition’s fundraiser breakfast will support victims of violent crimes and their families.
For more information on the Justice Coalition, click here.