Power concedes nothing without a demand.  It never did and it never will ~ Frederick Douglas ICARE’s Rev. Ken Emmanuel spoke about a mother and grandmother from his church who were going out on a Saturday morning to get coffee. They saw the body of a young woman lying in front of their house. They … Continue reading ICARE Justice Ministry Report: April 2024

ICARE gets city to study climate change There’s no point in building if those buildings are going to be under water ~ Mayor Donna Deegan  By 2070, three times as many people in Jacksonville will be exposed to flooding as today. That’s the bad news. The good news? Now that we know about it, we … Continue reading ICARE March 2024

            ICARE Research Issue Update: Mental Health  Jax Mayor’s Office Learns About Treatment, Not Jail for People in Crisis Most states spend more money to incarcerate people with mental illnesses than to treat them. ~ Judge Steve Leifman, founder, Miami-Dade County Criminal Mental Health Project They wash their feet. That’s the … Continue reading ICARE February 2024

Bending Toward Justice BBUUC ICARE Team at Violence Intervention Press Conference             Fifty-one ICARE network members—including six from BBUUC—made the case to news outlets that JSO’s Group Violence Intervention Program needs to be reassessed. This, after Sheriff T.K. Waters failed to return phone calls or attend ICARE’s Community Problems Assembly … Continue reading ICARE December 2023

  Build Stronger Communities Through Better Policy at  ICARE’s Community Problems Assembly     Join us and become part of this year’s plan to deal with flooding, gang violence, over-policing, and mental health crises When: 7 p.m. Monday, October 30 Where: Christ the King Catholic Church; 742 Arlington Rd N At this city-wide meeting, 38 … Continue reading 2023 ICARE’s Community Problems Assembly

  We’re Looking for  Your Stories Join an ICARE House Meeting* And Put Your Faith into Action! Share insights on community problems Flooding ~ Mental health ~ Neighborhood violence ~ Police fees, fines, traffic stops ~ and more Enjoy food, fellowship, and social justice: Sunday, Sept. 10, noon, Olympia Brown Room at BBUUC, led by … Continue reading ICARE September 2023

ICARE Gains at Sheriff’s Town Hall ICARE showed up in force and scored wins at Sheriff T.K. Waters’s town hall last month. Thirty-four members came and ICARE ranked high in news coverage. Here’s how our agenda fared: Gang (Group) Violence Intervention – Sheriff Waters is bringing the National Network for Safe Communities (NNSC) to Jacksonville … Continue reading ICARE August 2023

If you believe in social justice for Jacksonville Thank a BBUUC member who showed up! Because of you, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters agreed to: Tour Miami’s model program for handling mental health calls Coordinate 911 operators with the new 988 mental health hotline Kritinia  Altes Viqui Hilliard Judy Olevnik Madeline Sims Mary Avery Missy  Jackson … Continue reading ICARE June 2023

Moral arc bends small Thin support from sheriff at ICARE 2023 Nehemiah Action It was a night of tough love at Abyssinia Baptist Church. A Jacksonville interfaith assembly of 650 church members – including 49 from BBUUC– gathered to ask Sheriff T.K. Waters to focus more on violent crime and less on arrests for low-priority … Continue reading ICARE May 2023

ICARE Justice Moment: Don’t arrest someone over a mental breakdown Police officers are typically the first responders to incidents involving people with mental illness, and too often it doesn’t end well. JSO has told us the only two possible responses are: to arrest the person or to Baker Act (institutionalize) them. This is unacceptable.   For … Continue reading ICARE March 2023