JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Our area’s top victim and survivor support group, the Justice Coalition, has a new executive director.
Robert Bracewell has been involved with the JC for 15 years but took on the role after its former executive director stepped aside last month.
The organization as a whole had to take some steps back because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The courthouse was closed, cases came to a halt, and advocates were working with victims from home and not in person.
The Justice Coalition may have just a handful of full-time employees, but file after file, victim after victim, the Coalition works around the clock to help families impacted by grief.
Bracewell said JC advocates work with victims on a monthly, and even daily, basis.
Right now, they are working with about 360 victims and survivors.
The advocates not only provide comfort, but they also help victims navigate the court system. This includes attending court dates with them as their cases move forward, and if necessary, helping them relocate for their own protection if needed.
According to News4JAX records, so far in 2023, there have been 23 homicides -- 13 of them have been classified as murders. Last year, the number of murders topped 131.
One of last year’s murders was 21-year-old Byron Dixon, who was shot and killed on Christmas Day. Last week, the Justice Coalition held a candlelight vigil for his family.
“Just purchased a car, robbed and killed,” Bracewell said. “There’s a mother who lost a son.”
Stories like Dixon’s hit Congressman John Rutherford hard. As the former sheriff of Jacksonville, Rutherford worked alongside the Coalition and said it not only helps the community, it helps JSO.
“The Justice Coalition was a great go-between for us because they understood the system,” Rutherford said. “They could then inquire through JSO where the case is, they know what we could tell them and what we couldn’t. And so, it really gave us a smooth hand-off for those questions.”
Rutherford also thinks back to his tenure as sheriff, utilizing the Prevention, Intervention, and Enforcement method. He explained the Justice Coalition and its advocates are part of the intervention.
“These people have come into the system for a variety of reasons, and they work side by side, shoulder to shoulder with JSO to help shepherd these folks through it,” Rutherford said.
Bracewell said his hope for the Justice Coalition is to support crime victims and also help prevent crime.
“You’ve just got to remember why you’re doing it, and you’re helping somebody through it,” Bracewell said. “And helping them get what they want as far as justice for their loss.”
Now that COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, Bracewell’s promise is for the Justice Coalition to once again be more visible in the community. Several events are already in the works, including Missing Adults Day on Feb. 24, the Shoot for Justice event on April 1, and National Crime Victim’s Rights Week, which lasts from April 23-29.
Both Bracewell and Rutherford say one of the biggest needs for the Justice Coalition is adequate funding. To learn more about donating, visit: justicecoalition.org.