JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – One day before the one-year mark of the deadly racist attack at a Dollar General in Grand Park, Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman hosted a memorial ceremony alongside the Jacksonville-based advocacy group 904ward at the Kings Road Memorial Park.
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Watch the full ceremony below.
A historical marker was unveiled at the park.
At the Dollar General on Kings Road in Jacksonville’s Grand Park neighborhood, three makeshift memorials still stand adjacent to the road in front of the store paying tribute to the three victims of the racist attack.
Other memorials are still present across the street at the park at Almeda.
Monday, Aug. 26, will mark one year since a 21-year-old gunman from Clay County opened fire, killing Angela Carr, Anolt “AJ” Laguerre Jr., and Jerrald Gallion before turning the gun on himself.
Sheriff T.K. Waters said writings the gunman left behind made it clear the attack was racially motivated.
Life has gone on, but the memory of what happened nearly one year ago is still felt by many in the community.
“This is always a hard situation for any community, and for it to hit at home is just unbelievable,” Deborah Riley-Harris said. “It’s hurtful, and we’re just trying to find a way to go on and prevent this from happening.”
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Pittman leads the district where the Dollar General is located and thinks about last year’s racist shooting every day.
“It was just so emotional that day,” Pittman said. “And every time I talk about it in depth, I still get emotional.”
Beverly McClain and Deborah Wesley said they feel the community has to stick together.
“Just hearing the words from the mayor today and from the other members that spoke today for them, just identifying history, recognizing the seriousness and the ugliness of what has happened and the need for us to work together to love each other and to come together in peace and unity moving forward,” Wesley said.
McClain lost her son to gun violence. She offered words of encouragement to the families affected by this.
“My prayers are with you,” McClain said. “My love is with you. I’m here in the gap, and we’re going to work through this together. We’re going to work through it together. It’s not going to be easy, so just hold on, embrace, be with people that are going to give you the right encouraging words.”
Thinking back on that tragic day, Pittman remembers the grief, but also unity.
“When I got there, and a couple of my colleagues, we were there together,” Pittman recalled. “The sheriff was there, the mayor was there. And I can tell you, I’ve never seen anything like that before. All we could do was pray.”
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Dr. Kimberly Allen is the CEO of 904ward. She says the nonprofit works to create racial healing through conversations, building relationships, and advocacy.
“We never want to forget Angela, AJ, and Jerrald,” Allen said. “Their lives were stolen from their families and from the folks who loved them the most.”
During the ceremony Sunday, 904ward hosted a traditional soil collection. Allen said it starts with prayer and invocation. From there, the soil is collected and placed into glass jars in memory of those lost to racial terror. She said the soil represents the victims’ blood. But also, new beginnings.
“The soil represents growth and an opportunity for new life to still spring from that which has once been harmed,” Allen said. “If we are serious about our healing, we can’t ignore it. We can’t sweep it under a rug. We have to confront it and make sure that their lives are not lost in vain.”
The park where the historical marker was unveiled will also be renamed “Kings Road Memorial Park.”
For Pittman, the most important promise is to never forget the three people who died that day.
“There will be a day that we will be able to shine a light on those families that’s deserving as well as those survivors,” Pittman said. “I hope we don’t ever have to go through anything like this again.”