JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Interfaith Coalition for Action, Reconciliation and Empowerment [ICARE] held a community assembly meeting Monday night to update members about its progress on issues in the community.
ICARE said it made progress in working with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office to reduce violence and improve mental health.
Including strengthening JSO's group violence intervention program to include more community partners.
"We really think that there’s movement on GVI [Group Violence Intervention] we’ve heard the sheriff is talking to the national network and there’s some stuff happening in the background we don’t’ know exactly what it is but the sheriff is moving on GVI, and we expect our pressure is a part of it," Pastor Adam Gray of Riverside Church, said.
ICARE is still trying to get JSO to create an adult civil citation program, a pre-arrest diversion program. In April, Sheriff Waters told ICARE he was not in favor of the program.
ICARE said it invited the Sheriff to Monday night's community meeting, but Sheriff Waters was not there. First Coast News reached out to JSO asking why the Sheriff did not attend.
“This isn’t a red team/blue team thing this isn’t a politicized thing we try to find the solutions that are proven in other place to make our community better," Gray said.