JAX Chamber Chair Henry Brown said “inequities” in the U.S. and city of Jacksonville “have been tolerated for too long,” as local and nationwide protests continue following the death of George Floyd last week in Minneapolis.
The Northeast Florida business organization, which has 3,000 members, is based in Downtown Jacksonville where predominantly peaceful protests against racial inequities and police brutality against the black community have been ongoing since May 30.
Floyd was an unarmed black man who died in police custody after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee onto Floyd’s neck.
A smaller group of demonstrators turned violent May 30-31 and damaged eight buildings Downtown from Ocean to Adams streets and injured four police officers.
“Our community is built on citizens standing up for what’s right, holding our leaders accountable and demanding change,” Brown said via email June 3 after a request for comment.
“Inequities in our country and city have been tolerated for too long. We cannot allow for people in our community to be treated differently or denied opportunity because of the color of their skin or the part of town they call home. The business community must – and will – step up and lead,” he said.
Brown is a third-generation CEO of Jacksonville-based Miller Electric Co.
Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan also commented June 3 in an editorial sent to the media and posted on Jaguars.com.
Khan said the events of the past 10 days were “alarming and disheartening” because “this familiar sequence of killing, followed by protest and civic unrest, followed by inactivity and silence, occurs ever more frequently in our nation.”
“I will listen to the players in the days ahead with an exceptionally keen ear so we can work with them to make the transition from conversation to actionable plans in the name of lasting change. And I will do the same with employees and associates throughout my various businesses, where the interests and concerns on this matter are no less vital,” Khan wrote.
“Change for all people of color in the United States is long overdue, and it must happen now,” Khan wrote.
“Racism, in all its forms, will kill. It kills people, it kills communities, it kills dreams, it kills hope,” he wrote. “For many Americans, now is the moment. Never has that been clearer. I don’t want to waste this moment.”
