A.G. Gancarski
It’s the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. And for 12,000 arrested children in Florida, who might have been arrested for minor crimes like talking back to an officer or smoking a marijuana cigarette in a school bathroom, every night is a long night.
They pay the penalty for their crime. But they pay a double penalty: burdened by the consequences of their infraction for years after it is relevant, claim the folks at Jacksonville’s Interfaith Coalition for Action, Reconciliation & Empowerment, who held a vigil on the steps of the Jacksonville Landing on Monday afternoon.
“In 2015, 12,000 children were arrested in Florida for minor offenses like throwing an orange or talking back to an officer. We believe that our children deserve a second chance, and there’s a bill that’s been filed in the Senate now to help guarantee that,” I.C.A.R.E. contended in the event invite.
That Senate bill: S.B. 408, a Juvenile Civil Citations bill that would require a law enforcement officer to issue a civil citation or require participation in a similar diversion program if the officer does not issue a warning or inform a child’s guardian or parent of the infraction.
The bill would also require a law enforcement officer to receive approval from a supervisor before arresting a child for a first-time misdemeanor.
The Rev. Tan Moss, of the Greater Grant Memorial AME Church in Northwest Jacksonville, led the rally and spoke to the group’s priorities: bringing attention to the bill and “encouraging Rep. Charles McBurney” to lead on this bill.
State Rep. Carlos Trujillo, Moss said, is working on the House companion to this measure. With the deadline being Jan. 8 there is no time to lose, Moss said.
“We know civil citations are effective,” Moss said, especially in conjunction with diversionary programs, such as Teen Court, Neighborhood Accountability Boards, and similar programs through the State Attorney’s Office.
The group of about 25 sang variations on Christmas themes, such as “Deck the Halls with Yuletide Justice” and “Joy to the World, Let Justice Reign,” bringing a positive approach to what Moss said is a negative situation, one with thousands of Florida children “in captivity,” trapped in the “revolving door of the criminal justice system.”
For I.C.A.R.E., the point of the holiday season is to help the downtrodden.
We will know in a couple of months, give or take, how much help they’ll get from Tallahassee on this initiative.
