JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A plan to crack down on hate crimes in the River City continues to move forward in City Hall. Monday, Jacksonville City Council members announced the bill introduced earlier this year has been amended to be named in honor of a local woman who was shot and killed in a racist attack 60 years ago.
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In 1964, Johnnie Mae Chappell, 35, was reportedly walking along New Kings Road near Flicker Avenue, looking for her wallet. She thought she’d dropped it while carrying groceries.
As she was walking, a car carrying four white men pulled up, and one of the men shot her. She died as she was being taken to a hospital. Chappell was murdered around the same time a violent protest erupted downtown over racial segregation.
Investigators at the time said four white men who drove by the civil unrest didn’t stop, and someone in the car said, “Let’s get a (expletive).” That’s how investigators determined the murder was racially motivated.
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A stretch of road is now named in her memory, marked by a sign. Council members want to go further and name the proposed legislation “Johnnie Mae’s Law.” Councilman Jimmy Peluso credits Councilman Dr. Rahman Johnson with the idea.
“Johnnie Mae had a terrible incident that still haunts our community today. We need to make sure that story is told,” Peluso said. “It’s really Rahman who kind of came to us. And I thought it was phenomenal. I thought it really spoke to the heart of this bill.”
The bill aims to enhance penalties for those who commit hate crimes. Peluso said the legislation goes back to the Dollar General shooting last year that left three Black people dead. The sheriff said the gunman was motivated by hate.
Peluso said the focus on noise and littering makes this local law different from state hate crime laws, specifically as it relates to literature that has popped up in neighborhoods around Jacksonville.
“With anti-Semitic language, with anti-Black language saying, ‘Let’s kill or hang people,’” Peluso said. “It’s happened in my community, Murray Hill, we’ve had leaflets. The Mandarin area, you’ve seen a lot of anti-Semitic leaflets in the past, and obviously, we saw the projections.”
Peluso was referring to incidents during the Georgia-Florida game and a Jaguars game.
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Not everyone is on board. Some council members, including Rory Diamond, say the anti-hate laws on the books are enough and a new law is unnecessary.
“We already have laws against shooting people, we already have laws against hate crimes in Florida,” Diamond said. “So, enforce the laws that we have 100%. There was no need for another law.”
Elizabeth Andersen with OneJax appeared at Tuesday’s meeting to share her support for the bill. According to its website, OneJax is an interfaith organization that promotes respect and understanding for all people. Andersen said supporting this legislation is about sending a message for Jacksonville, specifically.
“I think it’s really clear that we need to make an official stand so that there’s no question about where Jacksonville is,” Anderson said. “Sure, there’s legislation across the state or, you know, individually, people can speak out, but as a city, who are we willing to put ourselves forward as being and welcoming to this community?”
Peluso said the bill has more committees to go through, but he expects the full council will vote on the legislation sometime in August.
