Activist on The Front Line: Monuments, Voting and Budget Remain Focus of Protests

By Lynn Jones – The Duval County Democratic Black Caucus, Take ’em Down Jax, Northside Coalition of Jacksonville (NCOJ), NOW (National Organization of Women) and Vets for Peace joined together with concerned and engaged community organizations to share concerns with city leaders on multiple issues.

Binded by a concerted mission to remove the remaining confederate statues and monuments in Duval County, the organizations are asking that the city include the Andrew Jackson monument downtown near the northbank to the removal list.  The statue stands in front of the area that used to be home to the Jacksonville Landing.

Other demands include the creation of a Jacksonville Police Accountability Council and Review Board and Mayor Curry’s current publicly released budget. The organizations have confirmed that they will meet with Mayor Lenny Curry and Sheriff Mike Williams as early as next month to discuss the issues that have the city in an uproar. “We won’t stop till the statues are down. The racial disparities in this community are why we continue to fight to remove the statues and our biggest effort is getting people out to vote.  We can change America,” said Maceo George, Pres. DCDBC.