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Forum held at EWC to address race & bias in criminal justice system

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Addressing race and bias in the criminal justice system – that was the conversation between Sheriff Mike Williams, the State Attorney, public defender and members of the community at Edward Waters College Thursday night.

The panelists include; Chief Judge Mark Mahon, State Attorney Melissa Nelson, Charlie Cofer, Sheriff Mike Williams, District judge Henry Adams and Wellington Barlow.

The college decided to have the discussion after an investigation by Herald Tribune in Sarasota said trial judges throughout Florida sentence blacks to harsher punishment than whites. The investigation says they give blacks more time behind bars – sometimes double the sentences of whites accused of the same crimes under identical circumstances.

“I think self-evaluation is important in order for us to identify problems,” said Nelson.

Another hot topic, pedestrian tickets. Sheriff Williams said in the last four years his agency issued one pedestrian citation a day. And he said they aren’t targeting black communities.

“Forty-five percent of pedestrian citations are going to the African American community,” he said.

Many people at the meeting said they are hoping for more of these types of discussions.