An advocacy group is demanding accountability from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the creation of a civilian oversight board after an officer fatally shot Brian Gillis during a mental health crisis.

A Black-led Jacksonville grassroots organization that says it was created to fight for justice and liberation is calling for the State Attorney’s Office to reopen its investigation into the police officers involved in the viral February traffic stop of Will McNeil Jr.

This issue of whether to renovate or relocate the jail has been debated for years, and now some residents in Duval County want to be sure their voices are heard.

Jacksonville community members gathered at city hall before Tuesday’s city council meeting to call for justice in the case of the Duval County inmate, who died three days after an incident at the jail.

Community advocacy organizations in Jacksonville rallied Sunday after the sheriff announced an unspecified incident that led to the death of a Duval County jail inmate.

Community advocacy organizations in Jacksonville are voicing concerns after the sheriff announced an unspecified incident this week that led to the death of a Duval County jail inmate.

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee staged a rally outside City Hall, chanting, “No new jail,” to protest the proposed relocation of the detention facility from downtown Jacksonville.

As the city of Jacksonville considers plans for a new jail, community members are pushing back with a rally organized by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee(JCAC). The “No New Jail Rally” is set to take place at 4 p.m. Tuesday on the steps of City Hall, just before the city council‘s regular meeting.

Jacksonville Community Action Committee host first NAARPR Southern Regional Organizing Conference. Topics focused on fighting injustice.

A social justice organization will meet at the Duval County Courthouse to protest President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed policy changes on Thursday at 6 p.m.

A video posted by Barstool Sports on X went viral after it showed JSO officers punching spectators at the Georgia-Florida football game.

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee and the family of a man killed by a police officer held a vigil on Tuesday.

The Florida Fraternal Order of Police is waiting to see if a bill is signed that it believes would offer more protection to first responders, while a community activist group doesn’t see it the same way.

Nearly a month after the racially motivated shooting at Dollar General, two local groups are coming together to ask city council to address racism issues in Jacksonville.

A local organization gathered Wednesday night to have a conversation about fighting white supremacy in Jacksonville.

Local activist groups including Florida Rising, Florida For All and the Jacksonville Community Action Committee gathered for a rally Tuesday evening in front of City Hall, speaking out against rising rent costs.

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee on Tuesday afternoon joined together with other local organizations for a rally, demanding the Jacksonville City Council reinstate its “Safer Together” committee.

Following the conviction of Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee planned a rally Wednesday night outside the Duval County Courthouse.

More than 3,000 National Guard soldiers, along with police officers, sheriffs deputies and other law enforcement personnel have flooded Minneapolis with a verdict looming in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged with murder in the death last year of George Floyd.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Black Lives Matter Movement protesting police violence against Black people spurred a series of protests and demonstrations last year in Jacksonville and across the country. Sampson said the violent uprisings following some protests were used as excuses to belittle the movement because they resulted in property damage. AdShe related those moments to the Boston Tea Party, saying it was a riot with property destruction -- although it isn’t taught that way. And I know that because 95% of Black Lives Matter movements were peaceful protests, I know that history will absolve that 5%,” Sampson said. In Jacksonville’s protests, dozens were arrested, windows were broken, police property was damaged, and an officer was stabbed.

“The major problems involve racial issues, the city budget and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.”The activists want more oversight from the City Council of JSO’s budget spending. “The city council should establish new methods to evaluate how effectively JSO is spending the lion’s share of our city funds,” said Ben Frazier, founder of the Northside Coalition. The city has broken promises and ignored the needs of Black neighborhoods for more than 50 years.”In addition to that demand, the groups say the City Council should:Create a police accountability council to review police investigations. “The People’s Budget calls on the city to reallocate and reinvest money from the proposed half-billion dollar budget for JSO,” said Christina Kittle with the JCAC. That budget will be voted on by City Council before the end of the month.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. About 200 activists and supporters gathered Saturday afternoon in the large grass field near the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office headquarters to protest racial injustice and demand police reform. Organizers said their demands cover concerns about law enforcement and the criminal justice system as well as racial and economic issues. The protest was a drive-in rally to allow for social distancing, and hundreds of protesters, most wearing masks, gathered to voice their concerns. The drive-in protest was spearheaded by the JCAC and the Northside Coalition. (WJXT)The recurring racial attacks by police officers prove theres a pressing need for police reforms, JCAC spokesman Michael Sampson said.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The Northside Coalition and the Jacksonville Community Action Committee are demanding a city budget for the people and police accountability. On Saturday, there was a drive-up protest, with cars filling the parking lot across the street from the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office headquarters. People painted Peoples budget now on car windows and held signs saying So no to JSO budget.Ben Frazier with the Northside Coalition called the proposed budget weak and said it lacks the strength needed to revitalize underserved and marginalized communities. Consider this: By reallocating the JSO money proposed by the mayor by about 25% would actually free up $100 million. We want to see that money used for social and community services like a comprehensive mental health care response team.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. A total of 178 Duval County inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Saturday, the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office said Sunday. Of those cases, 37 were reported in a span of 24 hours. According to the numbers released Sunday by the Sheriffs Office, 2,887 tests had been completed, bringing the percentage of positive cases to 6.16%. The Sheriffs Office said all inmates in the three Department of Corrections facilities have been tested or have refused a test, and all new inmates will be tested as they come in. The first coronavirus cases at the jail were reported June 21.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams is asking for $6 million more dollars in the JSO budget. In total, Sheriff Williams is asking for $481 million to fund his office. Williams said the increase in funding is necessary because of the effect of protesters and unrest has had on the department. In his request to the City of Jacksonville, he said $5.5 million would go toward patrol costs. Funding for the Sheriffs Office already is the largest share of the citys budget.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. For the third weekend in a row, hundreds of people crowded Downtown Jacksonville outside the Duval County Courthouse on Saturday afternoon. Speakers called for the release of Jacksonville Sheriffs Office body camera footage and for a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation into officer-involved shootings. Despite outcry, the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office has still never released body-camera footage from an officer-involved shooting. At Saturdays rally, Kemp said she stands with other mothers who have lost their sons in officer-involved shootings. Release the footage was a rallying cry Saturday as demonstrators recited the names of other black men killed in police-involved shootings.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. A group of demonstrators gathered Saturday afternoon in Downtown Jacksonville for a Rally for Justice." According to the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, the march from the Duval County Courthouse to State Attorney Melissa Nelsons Office is being done to press demands, including that Nelson drop charges against some of last weekends protesters. Click the photo below to watch live.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Family members of victims who have been part of the calls for justice in some of the marches and demonstrations happening across North Florida are speaking out again. The Jacksonville Community Action Committee has a few demands for state leaders, all with those families in mind. Some of the family members told News4Jax its been a long fight to try and get justice for their loved ones. Demonstrations in the past week have not only been about cases seen nationally but also whats happened across Northeast Florida. As it relates to officer-involved shootings, the State Attorneys Office has a distinct and independent role in these investigations.