Jacksonville, FL: Popular Education in the Park event highlights People’s Budget

Jacksonville, FL – Dozens gathered at Brentwood Park in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday evening, May 31 for an event titled Popular Education in the Park. This event was hosted by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) and the Brentwood 300.

People gathered for a circle discussion under the trees, while their children played nearby. Attendees enjoyed soul food and conversation with their neighbors. The programming for this event was focused on the People’s Budget.

The People’s Budget is an initiative of the JCAC to both reimagine public safety and consider the impact that reinvestment could have in the community. The JCAC believes that enhancing public safety in Jacksonville requires prioritizing the historically neglected communities through direct investment and enacting legislation that addresses the root causes of crime.

As explained in the program for Saturday’s event, “Popular Education in the Park is a series created to truly meet folks where they are. And what better place to meet than a neighborhood park? The JCAC wants to join with each neighborhood in Jacksonville to learn together and plan together, as we work collectively to reimagine a city where the people are prioritized.”

People discussed the history of redlining in Jacksonville, as well as the modern day ramifications. A recurring example of one such ramification was the morgue that is being built in the Brentwood neighborhood across the street from a school. The discussion facilitator explained, “Redlining has regulated Black people to the Northside without any real representation, thus disenfranchising an entire people. Then city leaders decide that anything unappealing should be placed on the city’s north side, which is why a morgue is being built in a neighborhood despite the community’s strong opposition.”

Members of the Brentwood 300 echoed these same sentiments, as their organizational work is focused on publicly opposing the development of this morgue.

Many attendees spoke about land and family property that is regularly at risk of being taken by wealthy developers. People shared that Black homeowners on the Northside receive low offers for their property – only for that property to then be flipped and sold for twice what was paid.

When asked how this issue of property ownership connected to The People’s Budget, JCAC organizer Michael Sampson explained, “When folks are talking about property and houses, they’re talking about land. And when people are talking about land that rightfully belongs to them, they are talking about self-determination here in the Black Belt South. The JCAC believes in the right of self-determination, and every one of our campaigns, The People’s Budget included, is an effort to get closer to securing that right.”

During the “Reinvestment” portion of the program, attendees discussed why 34% of the city’s budget goes to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO), but only 1% goes to neighborhoods. One attendee asked, “What is JSO doing with all those funds?” People felt that those funds for JSO were being mismanaged, and the city would have fewer problems if they worked to prevent crime, rather than react to crime.

Popular Education in the Park is an ongoing series. JCAC will select a different park for the month of June, and they will spend the month canvassing the neighborhood and getting to know new people. This initiative will help JCAC refine their People’s Budget to include the input from each neighborhood they have spoken with.

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