Ministers representing some of Jacksonville’s largest black churches gathered Monday in front of the Duval County Courthouse to discuss recent developments in protests and to advocate for reforms in the criminal justice system.
The news conference comes as the country is reeling in the wake of recent deaths of African-Americans — notably George Floyd in Minneapolis — by police and subsequent protests in all 50 states. Jacksonville has seen its own protests with thousands rallying over several days.
The Rev. Mark Griffin of Wayman Temple A.M.E. Church read a statement prepared by the ministers and addressed to Mayor Lenny Curry, Sheriff Mike Williams and other city and state officials.
Over and over, the ministers called for transparency, honesty and communication. Griffin asked that the Sheriff’s Office conduct roundtable discussions with black officers “in an environment where officers can speak truthfully” without the risk of negative ramifications on their advancement opportunities.
“But beyond talking and listening, we must also engage in doing,” Griffin said.
The statement called for reforms at the Sheriff’s Office, ranging from increased sensitivity training to programs to increase the number of black officers in leadership positions.
They also asked that State Attorney Melissa Nelson recuse herself from any investigation where the defendant is a police officer, arguing that the close working relationship between the State Attorney’s Office and Sheriff’s Office has resulted in “a natural conflict of interest.”
The Sheriff’s Office should undergo an independent review of police officer disciplinary records, focusing on those who have multiple serious offenses, Griffin said. Officers who go unchecked “could be the next bad apple who could put us on the national stage for all the wrong reasons,” he said.
The group also called for the establishment of a Citizens Review Board in an effort to foster respect, transparency, trust, and accountability between the Sheriff’s Office and the community.
The board would be responsible for providing oversight of investigations of complaints made against the Sheriff’s Office. It should be independent of the Sheriff’s Office and city government and be demographically and geographically diverse.
“We urge our city officials and civic leaders to take the necessary steps to heal the racial divide and ensure equal protection under the law for all of our citizens,” read a letter addressed to city leaders Monday.
Addressing those who doubt that systemic racism exists, the Rev. Gary Williams of Hopewell Baptist Church said that “If you don’t think that there are inequities that take place, in our country, then all you need to do is look up the road.”
He told the audience that after Dylann Roof was arrested following his attack on an African-American church five years ago in South Carolina, the police went out to buy him a meal from Burger King. He contrasted this with the police’s treatment of Floyd.
“He was not asking for a Whopper,” Williams said. “He was asking for something that is free to every human being that is born in this world; he was just asking to breathe.”