JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A local crime-fighting organization is applauding Sheriff TK Waters for his work to decrease Jacksonville’s murder rate.
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However, it comes on the heels of a violent weekend. Three residents died in four separate shootings across the city.
Several crime-fighting activists said while this weekend has been unfortunate, it does not necessarily mean homicide rates are going up. In fact, the number has been cut in half in the past year.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s transparency page, there have been 50 murders so far in 2024 compared to 100 this time in 2023.
Long-time pastor Adam Gray at Riverside Church adds Jacksonville has had a violent reputation for decades in Florida but not anymore.
Gray said several churches, called ICARE, have partnered together to help kick off the Group Violence Intervention method (GVI) in Jacksonville. He said it has made a huge difference in decreasing the homicide rates. He said it works by starting to work with those who are most likely to pull a trigger in the next week or so because they are most likely to become alleged shooters.
“If you come to them and say if you’re willing to put your guns down, we’ve got job training or we’ve got housing. However, if you’re not willing to put your guns down, we also have the state and federal prosecutors with us and we will put you in jail,” said Pastor Gray.
A.J. Jordan from Mad Dads said their organization and other agencies are constantly out on the streets and in classrooms talking about the dangers of drugs and gangs, which he said has helped curb crime.
“Just because the numbers are down, that doesn’t mean the criminals are going to stop. As a community, we have to keep working with JSO to make sure the numbers stay low,” said Jordan.
Pastor Adam Gray said the organization is holding a conference on Monday at Christ the King Catholic Church at 7 PM. They will talk about what worked this year and how to keep this an upward trend.
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