Neighbors ask for more community resources following violent week in Jacksonville

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to 10th reported shooting of the week on Christmas Eve, and at least four people have died from their injuries. Residents in high-crime areas are asking for more protection and opportunities from the city of Jacksonville.

“It’s disturbing for my children. It’s disturbing for my grandma. It’s disturbing,” resident Horance Dempsey said. He lives down the street from the deadly shooting on Pearl Street that was reported Sunday evening.

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Action News Jax found 105 murders were reported in Jacksonville this year, according to public records. This is on track to surpass the 109 reported murders last year.

“We need to watch out for each other. That’s all I can say,” Dempsey said. “We have public officials who deal with the situation and I hope the fact that they deal with it.”

Action News Jax reporter Elizabeth Pace spoke to several neighbors in high-crime areas who were too afraid to go on camera. They attributed the violent weekend to an increase in drug activity.

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“It’s time to start talking because these bullets don’t have no names and they flying everywhere,” Jacksonville City Council member Reggie Gaffney of District 7 said.

Action News Jax found the city has already spent millions of dollars on programs to curb crime. It voted to pass the Kids Hope Alliance Bill to focus on young people. It also set more money aside in its budget to give to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, as well as to create a new task force on safety and crime prevention.

“The city is doing whatever it can do to stop this,” Gaffney said. “We invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into small churches, nonprofits. We started a task force that will start meeting in January.”

Gaffney has asked for residents to call his office directly to voice their concern and find a solution together.

Action News Jax has asked Mayor Lenny Curry’s office for a comment.

Here is the statement sent to Pace:
"I have consistently said that one violent crime in our city is one too many. That applies whether it's the holidays or any other time of year. The four years before I was mayor saw an increase in murder of more than 30 percent. But in the time I've been mayor, it is statistically flat but I will not stop until we see these numbers decrease.

That is why I restored the cuts previously made to police and fire. My budgets increased the number of police positions adding 180 new cops, and I’ve given the Sheriff and State Attorney the money and technology they requested to go after criminals and gangs. In those same four budgets, I have ensured more than $120 million toward programs that work with young people in our most challenged neighborhoods. Those dollars are managed primarily in the Kids Hope Alliance, which has reformed and bolstered the work previously done in the Jacksonville Children’s Commission and the Jacksonville Journey.

Although much of Jacksonville remains safe, I work every day to see every person in every neighborhood has the safety and security for the opportunity to pursue their dreams. My administration  will not rest until we achieve this goal. My first priority is and will always remain public safety.”

Cox Media Group