Racially motivated shooting in Jacksonville reopens past wounds for Black community
A racially motivated shooting in Jacksonville, Florida, reopened wounds for the city's Black community on a weekend known for its racial history.
On Saturday, three Black people were killed at a Dollar General store by a shooter who detailed a "disgusting ideology of hate" in writings preceding the attack, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said of the suspect.
"Plainly put, this shooting was racially motivated and he hated Black people," Waters said.
Angela Michelle Carr, 52, AJ LaGarry Jr., 19, and Gerald Deshaun Gallaghan, 29, were killed in the attack.
On Aug. 27, 1960 -- 63 years earlier -- Ax Handle Saturday marked a grave, violent point in the state's civil rights movement.
Armed Ku Klux Klan members attacked Black demonstrators with wooden ax handles after weeks of organized sit-ins from civil rights protesters at segregated lunch counters in downtown Jacksonville, according to the University of Florida. The sit-ins were led by the NAACP Youth Council.
The violence continued for two nights and more than 70 people were injured, according to researchers at the university.
"It was a brutal day 63 years ago in Jacksonville all because of -- coming back to it again -- race," said Jacksonville NAACP President Isaiah Rumlin in an interview with ABC News. "Same thing today. All about race, racism."
FBI Director Christopher Wray called the shooting at a Jacksonville Dollar General a "hate crime" in a Monday conference call.
The remnants of this tragedy coupled with the fresh grief following Saturday's most recent racial attack has left the community reeling.
"You got three innocent lives that have been taken away for no reason at all," Rumlin said. "That young man should be at the dollar store right now working. That lady who got shot in the parking lot, she should be home with her grandchildren right now, but because of a racist white man -- he decided to take it upon himself to go and kill Black folks. That is very upsetting."
Florida leaders say the fight for civil rights is ongoing, and this recent incident is evidence of a long road ahead.
Community leaders pointed to the ongoing so-called culture wars across the United States, in which education on racism, diversity initiatives and more are being targeted by legislators. Racially motivated hate crimes across the country have risen to an "all time high," according to Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, who spoke at a Monday press conference
“Let me be clear: white supremacy is a poison that continues to permeate our society," said Florida Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson in a statement. "The Dollar General store incident near Edward Waters University, a historically Black university, is a harsh reminder of the ongoing racial prejudice being fueled nationwide."
Edward Waters University, a private historically Black Christian university, confirmed that a security officer engaged the shooting suspect prior to the shooting when he appeared in the vicinity of the Centennial Library on campus. The suspect refused to identify themselves and was asked to leave, EWU said.
Wilson continued, "The dehumanization of Black people has hit a breaking point. We must declare an emergency and demand accountability. When those in power peddle hate, we must respond. Divisive rhetoric ignites hatred and empowers those with violent intent."
Rev. Rhonda Thomas, executive director of Faith in Florida, noted that the weekend also marked the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington, in which Martin Luther King Jr. gave the iconic "I Have a Dream" speech.
"We have a major responsibility in making sure that Martin Luther King dreams do not become a nightmare," said Thomas. "Unfortunately, the fight is still the same, maybe even a little harder. If we're not careful, and not paying full attention on what's going on around us, not only will we see a repeated cycle of history, but we can also see the dream becoming a nightmare."
ABC News' Bill Hutchinson and Luke Barr contributed to this report.
