Jacksonville police are giving hundreds of thousands of dollars they seized during arrests to community groups on the First Coast. The City Council unanimously approved the measure Wednesday.
One organization already announced how it will use the money: to teach young men how to manage conflict before it escalates.
There were seventeen shootings in Jacksonville last week. Operation Save Our Sons Director Bishop John Guns says his organization is dedicated to turning that around.
"Our young men are killing each other," Guns said. "There’s a culture and climate of violence. There’s a culture and climate of death that has pervaded our community. It is pervading our city."
The group received $15,000 of the police money to underwrite next month’s Save Our Sons Week. It's a collaboration with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Duval County School District, and will include a summit bringing together young men from five high schools to learn how to deescalate conflict before it becomes violent.
"You can’t avoid conflict, but you can manage it. Because what’s the goal? The goal is to get home. The goal is to get to your mom and your dad, to your siblings, to your family members," Guns said.
The Save Our Sons Summit will be held April 24 at Edward Waters College.
