Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried (D) has issued a statement on the hate crime that occurred in Jacksonville, Florida. In her statement, Fried also criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), arguing that, under his watch, Florida has become less safe.
In a statement, Fried commented that “there are no words that can fully describe the pain that the Jacksonville community is experiencing right now after three Black people were targeted and killed in a racially motivated shooting.”
“The manifesto left behind could not have been more clear, the shooter was a white supremacist,” she added, expressing that “in Ron DeSantis’ Florida, Black people are being murdered because we live in a state that has refused to denounce neo-Nazi propaganda and rewritten the history books on slavery.”
Friend mentioned that “earlier this year, the NAACP issued a travel advisory warning people of color traveling to the state,” noting that Democrats “offer our condolences to the victims’ families and stand with Mayor Donna Deegan and the entire City of Jacksonville as the community seeks answers and healing during this dark and difficult time.”
Fried’s comments came at the same time that Governor DeSantis issued his own comments, condemning the shooter.
“The shooting based on the manifesto that they discovered from the scumbag that did this, was racially motivated. He was targeting people based on their race. That is totally unacceptable,” DeSantis commented.
Earlier this year, the NAACP issued a travel advisory, issuing strict comments at the state and the governor.
“Florida is openly hostile towards African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals,” the formal travel notice states.
The notice goes on to warn that “before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.”
