JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After a week of protests where activists have called on Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry to address concerns about racial inequality in the city, the mayor says he will become more engaged.
In a tweet on Friday afternoon, Curry said "I will participate in a walk next week with our community. I will also announce policy initiatives and actions I will take to bring our city together and address racial inequality."
This statement comes just a day after Curry told reporters in a press conference that he and Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams did not march with protesters demanding justice after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. He told reporters then that he would not march at the time because he did not want police officers to have to protect him and allow them to focus on keeping protests safe.
Curry has praised protesters, including more than 3,000 who participated in a march in San Marco on Wednesday evening, for keeping things peaceful in Jacksonville, unlike in other cities.
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Curry did not specifically address what steps he's prepared to take to address racial inequality in the city. However, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams announced Tuesday that the city would start to release body camera footage from some officer-involved shootings as early as next week, a step JSO has not taken in the past.
A curfew was put in place in Jacksonville Sunday night after some protests became violent on Saturday. However, the curfew was lifted Monday and there have been no other violent protest-related incidents in the city since.