JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville City Council struck down a bill intended to increase penalties for hate crimes in Tuesday’s meeting.
Seven councilmembers voted in favor of the bill and 12 voted against it.
Councilman Jimmy Peluso said he was disappointed that the bill was rejected.
“No one’s saying that this is a hateful city by any means,” Peluso said. “What we are saying is, let’s ensure that we have some real teeth and in a unified voice, say we do not want any senseless hateful actions in our city. We didn’t see that tonight.”
The Northside Coalition of Jacksonville held a rally Tuesday before the vote to show support for the anti-hate bill.
The bill was introduced earlier this year to enhance penalties for those who commit hate crimes.
It was inspired by the August 2023 racially-motivated murders of Angela Michelle Carr, Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion and Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr. at a Dollar General store on Kings Road.
It was also amended to be named in honor of Johnnie Mae Chappel, who was shot and killed in a racist attack 60 years ago.
“This city should be safe for all creeds, no matter your sex, no matter your race, no matter your nationality, we should all be safe,” said Regina Livingston, founder of Unspoken Treasure Society.
The Northside Coalition called on the city council to “pass the bill to further protect all citizens of Jacksonville from those inciting violence and spreading fear.”
“The tragic events at the Dollar General store, hateful graffiti on our buildings, and disturbing flyers in our neighborhoods remind us that hate is real and dangerous. We ask that City Council stand with us, united against hate, and show the world that Jacksonville is a city of compassion and respect, committed to the safety and dignity of all its residents,” Northside Coalition President Kelly Frazier said.
Peluso said, “Enough is enough” as he stood in support of the legislation.
“We are seeing people’s neighborhoods being terrorized by hate groups,” Peluso said. “It’s the right thing to do.”
He also rejected any opposition that said the proposed law is redundant.
“Some people claim this is duplicative of state law. It’s not,” Peluso said. “There are additional penalties on existing crimes, so there are no new crimes being created.”