There were cries for justice for people like Vernell Bing Jr. and Keith Crowder, two of the black men recently killed or harmed in police-involved shootings.
Other residents demanded swiftness when it came to having more transparency for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Some City Council members Wednesday began to look at the possibility of creating a citizens review board as a way to add a layer of oversight in police-involved incidents at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
It won’t be swift, though, and could be months before it’s determined what the city can and should do when it comes to issues that have caused outcries from parts of the community.
Angry, emotional, impassioned pleas and demands have increased at public comment sessions of recent council meetings.
Council member Katrina Brown called the initial meeting Wednesday to hear from the community. What exactly did it want to see in any legislation she will pursue?
Answers varied. Independent oversight was a must, though.
“Citizen oversight is just good government,” said Ben Frazier, a spokesman for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
He was one of about 20 people who attended.
Brown said in addition to community input, she wanted to find out what Jacksonville’s options were from a legal perspective. That’s under review.
As a consolidated government, Jacksonville is in a gray area. Other cities have such boards, but they are not as prevalent in counties.
Potentially changing the city charter might conflict with Florida statutes that govern the roles and responsibilities of constitutional officers, such as the sheriff.
City Council or some type of citizens board, for example, can’t subpoena the Sheriff’s Office for evidence during an investigation.
Reggie Brown, one of four council members in attendance, said he didn’t want to move “haphazardly” on the issue and needed to know available legal options.
“We can’t build anything until we know,” he said.
Council member John Crescimbeni has experience dealing with citizens initiatives changing the charter. Was that an option? Again, it would depend on how it impacted Florida statute.
Pastor R.L. Gundy of Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist later responded if the city “can vote on a sales tax, you can vote on a citizens review board.”
He laid out several options he said were viable. A charter vote. Putting more teeth in the Human Rights Commission. And possibly putting the sheriff back under the authority of the mayor.
Neither the sheriff nor undersheriff attended the meeting, which drew the ire of some audience members. Katrina Brown said she invited them a couple of days in advance, but their schedules already had conflicts.
She said afterward the feedback and legal guidance will be a starting point for the next meeting, but she doesn’t know when she will schedule it.
For those in attendance wanting immediate action, Crescimbeni told them it wouldn’t happen overnight — it wouldn’t happen this month or even in three months. It will take time.
Those in attendance applauded the council members at the conclusion for addressing the effort. Still, they wanted action quicker than it’s coming.
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