Grieving mother: ‘Jacksonville’s Westside finally destroyed me’

The job of a big city mayor includes receiving a lot of accolades, but there is the flip side as well.

That flip side: being the person who deals with the grief of a city, and the specific mourning of individuals who seek redress.

One such individual — a mother who outlived her son — emailed Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry this month.

The email title?

“15 year old shot and killed off of Lake Shore.”

Erica Carter, the mother of 15-year-old Johnnie Carter, had a story to tell.

A story of a life gone too soon, extinguished in July, for reasons that seem too trivial to take the life of a young man approaching his prime.

A lot of stories like that abound in Jacksonville.

“My son was shot down and killed 1 block from our house on July 6, 2016. With an eye witness and a social media confession from a suspect, there has been no movement forward in my son’s case,” Mrs. Carter writes.

Mrs. Carter itemized her own struggles, which include a “lower class family, school and community. I have overcome statistics, and pushed passed the cycle of the need of gov. assistance taking care of four kids without help from anyone. I kept my kids in schools at the beaches, and in Clay County raising 4 good honor roll students.”

All was well until it wasn’t.

“Forced back to the Westside after a car accident and my dad having heart surgery. I watched my kids lives drastically change. I watched them get bullied and the schools do nothing. I watched their self esteem and grades drop. I watched as I called on the cops to help me get control of my son’s school attendance in a school he was tormented at while they did nothing. Now I sit back nearly 5 months after my son’s murder, and nothing. Your homicide detectives won’t even return phone calls,” Mrs. Carter writes.

She goes on to observe that 64 percent of murders in Duval are unsolved.

“I’m calculating an unimaginable amount of murderers running free on your streets. I’m a desperate, angry mother and citizen. It’s time something is done about this. Do we need fed assistance? Is there an internal problem in the police force? Please don’t overlook this child. He was smart. He was beautiful, and until the Westside of Jax got a hold of him, he was heading somewhere!”

Mrs. Carter sent subsequent emails, which we will excerpt given the sensitivity of the information.

One excerpt, which didn’t name potential suspects in the murder, was quotable.

“I have been completely unable to work or function properly since my son has died. I am once again forced ask for help for the first time in years that I’ve been eligible for it. Because I worked hard, because I wanted my kids to have an opportunity. Johnnies was stolen from him, and from us. I fighting hard to come back for my remaining 3 children. The Westside of Jacksonville finally destroyed me. I’ve overcome abuse and neglect to self educate myself and work hard to show my kids that independence is important.  This independence that I was so proud of has been stolen from me. Please, please, help me. Help my family,” Carter wrote.

The mayor offered an extended response, which we will also excerpt.

“Johnnie’s murder was senseless and horrifying, and I am so sorry for your loss. My heart goes out to you and your family,” Curry wrote, adding that “[b]ringing Johnnie’s killer to justice and making sure everything is done properly are the essential goals in this case.”

“My commitment as mayor is to do everything in my power to reduce crime and violence in our community; and I know that this is a commitment shared by Sheriff Williams. Since taking office, we have worked together to develop strategies and commit resources needed for reducing violent crime in Jacksonville. It is frustrating and heartbreaking to see lives lost to violence in our city. That’s why we are working as hard as we can to ensure that not one more young life is lost to senseless violence. As a community, we can and must do better to prevent tragedies, like Johnnie’s and others,” Curry added.

The mayor closed by saying that “creating a safer Jacksonville is my number one priority. We must solve the problem of violent crime for the benefit of every neighborhood, every family, every person and every child in our city.”

Whether the problem can be solved or not is a huge policy question. There are, as promised during the campaign, more cops on the street, with some new equipment. There is also an emphasis on Jacksonville Journey programs, which could have a long term palliative effect.

What’s clear, though: the problem, if it is to be solved, will be too late for one grieving mother.

A mother contemplating her first Christmas without a son, a young man she brought into this word with such promise and watched leave it in a casket.