Mayor Brown orders study on discrimination laws

Mayor Alvin Brown has ordered the Office of General Counsel to study federal, state and local laws that combat discrimination.

Brown's campaign sent a news release and a video statement Thursday morning saying the information would help ensure the new City Council "has the information it needs to guarantee discrimination doesn't exist in Jacksonville, and be able to take actions it deems necessary to prevent discrimination."

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Brown hopes the study will be completed when the new City Council takes office July 1.

"All along, I have said that I've taught my two sons to treat everyone equally, and hold malice toward none. It's clear that from my conversations with you that you expect the same from the city of Jacksonville," Brown said in a video statement.

In the message, there was no specific mention of the Human Rights Ordinance issue that's been a hot topic for almost three years. Council defeated the bill that would expand the Human Rights Ordinance in 2012, although Brown never specifically took a stand on the issue.

Alvin Brown video statement

The HRO was a topic at debates before the primary election and neither Brown nor his eventual runoff opponent, Lenny Curry, would commit to support of adding same-sex language to the city's anti-discrimination law. This issue was cited by Bill Bishop, the third-place finisher in the primary, as one of the reasons he was not endorsing one of his opponents in the May 19 election.

News4Jax has contacted Curry's campaign for its reaction to Brown's announcement.