A.G. Gancarski
A Florida Senator is among those outraged over a video appearing to show a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) stop escalating to violence against a 22-year-old suspect.
“Once again, we are faced with a sickening reminder of the systemic issues that plague our law enforcement,” said Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones of Miami Gardens.
“The video coming out of Jacksonville is deeply disturbing and completely unacceptable. To witness an officer assault an unarmed Black man during what should have been a routine traffic stop is a stark demonstration of the continued racial bias and excessive force that far too many Black individuals experience in our communities. Never mind the fact that the driver was baselessly stopped for not using headlights during broad daylight.”
The driver, William McNeil, was allegedly pulled over in February during the day for not having headlights on. As he noted in the video, which was just released, it was not raining.
JSO has said there is an internal investigation ongoing, but for Jones, the issue is systemic.
“This incident is not isolated; it is part of a painful pattern that further erodes trust between law enforcement and the communities they are sworn to protect,” Jones added.
“We must demand accountability for this officer’s actions and work tirelessly to reform our justice system to ensure such egregious acts never happen again. My heart goes out to the victim, and I stand in solidarity with all those who demand justice and an end to police brutality.”
Democratic Rep. Angie Nixon of Jacksonville is also paying attention to this issue.
“I’ve reached out to the Sheriff’s Office. I’ll be sending a formal letter and request to meet about that, the deaths in the jail and other cases related to potential JSO misconduct,” she posted to social media this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee “is horrified and outraged by the brutal, unprovoked assault inflicted upon one of our residents, William McNeil, during a routine traffic stop on February 19th.”
And the Jacksonville NAACP seeks the release of bodycam footage and it is “calling for immediate answers from Sheriff TK Waters.”
“This troubling behavior from law enforcement highlights the very reasons why many African Americans, especially African American men, feel fear during traffic stops. Mr. McNeil posed no threat to the officers and certainly did not deserve such severe treatment.”
McNeil will have strong legal support: Civil rights lawyers Ben Crump and Harry Daniels will represent him.
3 comments
It's Complicated
July 21, 2025 at 11:35 am
Law enforcement agencies need to be VERY VERY SPECIFIC as they train officers, about what is and is not compliance, what is appropriate escalation, AND when they are required to “call a supervisor,” because that seems to be all the rage at the moment in these ‘I will not do anything you ask of me until I speak to your supervisor’ videos. I’m pretty sure that when an officer pulls a driver over in a motor vehicle they have the right to ask for a drivers license and proof of insurance, no matter how unjust the driver feels the stop is. Not so sure they have the right to ask them to exit the vehicle without reasonable suspicion or probable cause of a crime (ironically, failure to comply may provide reasonable suspicion for obstruction).
The punch by the JSO Officer was absolutely unprovoked – and McNeil did not react or defend himself, so that is going to be difficult for JSO to explain away. Will be interesting to see what JSO body cams show once he exits the car. Does sort of feel like a “driving with dreadlocks stop” if they pulled him for not having headlights on in the daytime when it was not raining.
Florida sucks
July 21, 2025 at 1:11 pm
You know what? The way you treat human beings in Florida, you should feel ashamed. You should be embarrassed. But you won’t do nothing because that kid was driving while black, right? Those officers need to be FIRED and then SUED. We have cameras too now. You’re all being watched and now we can call out your lies in real time. That man wasn’t doing anything wrong. You think detaining someone then punching them while they are unarmed, physically unable to move and cooperating is a justifiable reason to assault him? Y’all are some racist mfs.
Florida sucks
July 21, 2025 at 1:11 pm
You know what? The way you treat human beings in Florida, you should feel ashamed. You should be embarrassed. But you won’t do nothing because that kid was driving while black, right? Those officers need to be FIRED and then SUED. We have cameras too now. You’re all being watched and now we can call out your lies in real time. That man wasn’t doing anything wrong. You think detaining someone then punching them while they are unarmed, physically unable to move and cooperating is a justifiable reason to assault him? Y’all are some racist mfs.