A.G. Gancarski
Although Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office candidate Ken Jefferson did not speak at the rally that we covered Monday across the street from the Cleveland Arms apartment complex (a rally protesting the police-involved shooting of 22-year-old Devanta Jones), he did speak to residents that day. His office issued a statement Tuesday that addressed this incident, and Sheriff John Rutherford‘s response to it, that merits a close reading.
“This past weekend our city was faced with yet another tragedy. A Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Police Officer was confronted with a situation where he felt the need to exercise lethal force by discharging his weapon at a subject who posed a threat to the officer. This unfortunate incident resulted in the subject being taken to the hospital where he is now in critical condition. Out of respect for everyone involved, I remained silent as I watched our city cry out for leadership. When I observed our current Sheriff’s response to this tragedy was to send a patrol sergeant, I knew I must respond and be the voice of reason to ensure our city remained calm in this dark hour.”
Those final two sentences in the paragraph are especially telling. Phrases like “I watched our city cry out for leadership” and “I must respond and be the voice of reason” are tailored to speak to those in the Northwest Quadrant and elsewhere who feel like the current sheriff and his approach to this and related incidents is insufficient.
That type of phrasing sets Jefferson’s campaign apart, also, from that of his de facto running mate, Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown. The mayor’s office has yet to respond to the incident at Cleveland Arms, and his campaign rhetoric projects a harmonious relationship with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office that Rutherford vociferously disputes.
In the second paragraph of the four-paragraph statement, Jefferson issues qualifiers to denote that he’s not soft on crime. He asserts that “even police officers” are “innocent until proven guilty,” and reminds readers that the use of deadly force is justified by officers in self-defense by the U.S. Supreme Court. That sets up a claim in the third paragraph that attempts to bridge the chasm between the perceptions of those in the community, who assert that Jones was prone on the ground and shot multiple times “like a dog” by an officer who was out of control, and those in the Sheriff’s Office and elsewhere who contend law enforcement deserves latitude.
“To the community, I urge you to be patient. Let the process work. If the investigation reveals the facts and circumstances do not support the use of deadly force, the officer should be charged as any other person. However, if the facts and circumstances support the officer’s use of deadly force, the officer deserves our support. Let us not rush to judgment and make the mistakes other communities have made by judging the actions of the officer before the investigation has been completed,” Jefferson wrote, concluding the paragraph with what clearly is a reference to Ferguson, Mo., and the aftermath of that police-involved shooting.
The parallels between Ferguson and Jacksonville’s Northwest Quadrant are apparent to those who live in the latter. They paint a picture of inexperienced police officers neither culturally nor linguistically aware of how people live in those areas, who check IDs of local residents to ensure they aren’t “trespassing” when at Cleveland Arms. The distrust is palpable when one walks through Cleveland Arms, as I did Monday when investigating the scene of the police-involved shooting. Jefferson expresses awareness of the powder-keg potential and that any incident could be the trigger for a reaction that the undermanned JSO will have difficulty in handling.
Jefferson concludes his statement in a similar vein.
“Our community has lost the trust they once had in our Sheriff and his police officers. I will restore that trust. I will work tirelessly every day in your homes, your businesses and places of worship and in the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. I will lead from the front, not from behind a desk. I will lead by example, not by words. I will be your advocate. I will be transparent. As your Sheriff, I will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement requesting they conduct an independent review of all officer involved shootings.”
Notably, one of the demands of the protesters I saw Monday evening (who were also out there Tuesday evening, reportedly) was for federal investigation of what they perceived to be a pattern of police-involved shootings. Jefferson’s proposal doesn’t quite get there, but it’s close.
In responding to this incident in such a detailed way, Jefferson attempts to link the concerns of two groups that have been at loggerheads for years. Can such a gap be bridged with rhetoric? Can such an approach be sold to Jacksonville voters, without the rhetorical support of the bully pulpit of the mayor’s office? These are open questions. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s campaign will pivot on them.
Meanwhile, Alvin Brown also issued a response to the unfolding events at Cleveland Arms, where the Mayor recently held a Community Empowerment event.
“Everyone has a right to express their opinion, though we urge people to respect one another as well as law enforcement personnel as the incident is reviewed. This situation underscores the need to continue developing innovative ways to empower our residents and our neighborhoods as wells as supporting law enforcement,” Brown said in a statement.
“We as a City have an obligation to keep and renew our promises to Jacksonville neighborhoods and support economic and education opportunity. As mayor I will continue to focus on being tough on the causes of crime, so that we prevent crime from happening in the first place, especially among our young people.”
