JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The arrest of Erika McGriff is the subject of its own controversy and potential litigation, but it’s the arrests of Jasmine Johnson and Anita Gibson that could have statewide ramifications.
The two women were arrested days after they were a part of a crowd that gathered around McGriff as she struggled with an officer outside of IDEA Bassett Charter School last Tuesday.
JSO claims the two women violated Florida’s new Halo Law, which makes it a crime to come within 25 feet of a law enforcement officer with the intent to harass, threaten, or interfere with them as they perform their official duties after being warned to back up.
“If it gets to a point where it creates an uncomfortable level for our police officer, who may or may not get hurt by someone in the crowd, then we have to draw the line,” said Sheriff TK Waters while announcing the arrests on Friday.
But the women’s attorneys claim after being warned to back up, they did just that.
“Nobody went towards this officer. When he said get back, they walked away,” Ben Crump said, who is representing Gibson and Johnson.
Body cam footage appears to show the same, with Jefferson, who is wearing a black shirt and pink pants, pulling back immediately after the officer tells her to get back.
Gibson, who is wearing a pink top, is later told to give the officer 25 feet and does not appear again in the footage released by JSO.
Speaking Tuesday, Jefferson said she was just trying to ask McGriff for her phone password, so she could make a call to help McGriff’s daughter.
“I was just being a mother. I heard her crying, and my parental instincts took over,” Jefferson said.
The women’s attorneys are calling for their charges to be dropped and said they plan to challenge the constitutionality of the law, which they claim is arbitrary and subjective.
“They were charged because they spoke out against the officer, which they have a constitutional First Amendment right,” attorney Harry Daniels said, who is also representing the two women.
But Sheriff Waters argued the women’s conduct is what resulted in their arrest.
He noted many others in the crowd, even those filming, were not charged.
“There were a lot of people that were just standing there that weren’t really even screaming. You know, there were just some agitators there, a lot of agitators there, and we were able to find the ones that definitely disobeyed that law,” Waters said.
The same attorneys representing Jefferson and Gibson are also separately representing McGriff, who they claim was the victim of excessive force during her arrest.
They’re calling the trio of women, “The Jacksonville Three”.
JSO is not commenting further due to the risk of potential litigation.
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