JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Tonight, dozens of community members joined ICARE Jax at Abyssinia Missionary Baptist Church for their 27th annual Nehemiah Action Assembly. This year, clergy and faith leaders asked Mayor Donna Deegan to work with ICARE to develop an affordable housing trust fund.
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“It will build more affordable homes. The current situation, now when they say affordable homes, it’s sort of focused on those making probably ... 43,000 or more,” said Rev. Victor Cole with Historic Mt Zion AME Church. “But a great deal of our people in Jacksonville are making less than $43,000 a year. And they struggle to pay their rent.”
ICARE leaders also asked to meet with Mayor Deegan within 60 days from today to start this process.
They also took time at tonight’s assembly to highlight Sheriff T.K. Waters for the largest reduction in murders on record FOR THE CITY in the last 20 years. We spoke with Sheriff TK Waters ahead of tonight’s assembly and asked him how he hopes to continue this downward trend.
“There are a lot of there are new tactics. There are different things that we’re doing, but a lot that involves the enforcement side,” said Sheriff Waters. “Focusing in on the people that we know are violent people who have no intent on doing things the right way.”
Sheriff Waters told the crowd tonight that the group violence intervention will be in place as long as he is in office.
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