JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — With posters held high and chants echoing throughout downtown Jacksonville, protesters with the Jacksonville Community Action Committee called for the disbandment of the JSO gang unit and transparency from the Sheriff's Office, in light of the recent arrest of former JSO Officer and gang unit member Josue Garriga.
Garriga is charged with having an inappropriate relationship with a child.
"So I came out here as a concerned community member in hopes that other people in the community join us in hopes that T.K. Waters holds his Officers accountable," said Monique Sampson, member of Jacksonville Community Action Committee.
"The gang unit has been very concerning for a lot of reasons one is because a lot of community members feel they are more than antagonistic and terrorizing force in the community," said Neal Jefferson, also a member of Jacksonville Community Action Committee.
Protesters weren't the only ones at the rally. Le'Keian Woods, the man who was beaten and arrested by multiple officers including Garriga in September 2023, was also in attendance.
His mother, Natassia Woods, was standing in solidarity with others calling for the Sheriff's Office to do away with the gang unit.
"He’s healing he’s still processing his situation day by day," she said, "want them to be able to come to a realization that there is a problem with the gang unit so I keep doing this because I’m hoping for some change."
"Just really feel like once they start winging out all the bad apples in the bunch of JSO then we can get a better system going with the police department," said Natassia Woods.
First Coast News reached out to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office about today's rally and were sent this statement:
"The Gang Unit was started in 2007 to directly respond to group and/or gang violence and the criminal enterprises associated therein. This unit has the responsibility of addressing crimes perpetrated by those having ties to a myriad of documented gangs and other organized groups in our City. The detectives assigned to this unit are specialized in recognizing gang and group activity and proactively work to mitigate instances of violence before they occur. The unit also functions to assist JSO’s Patrol Division along with other investigative units to supplement manpower during complex and long-term criminal group investigations, to include Homicides, Robberies and Aggravated Batteries.
This unit plays a major role in subject intervention as they are routinely involved in “Custom Notifications”. A key aspect of the “Group Violence Intervention” (GVI) program in which members make contact with at-risk subjects in an effort to assist them in removing themselves from the gang or group lifestyle, thereby reducing violent crimes before they occur. Being an active participant in this outreach strategy for years, JSO has helped countless individuals in removing them from this way of life.
Sheriff Waters introduced this program in our community in 2016 while working as an Assistant Chief at JSO. As Sheriff, he continues to be a firm believer in the strategy and is confident of its continued success."
Garriga's next court appearance is scheduled for April 23.