Jacksonville families who’ve lost a loved one to violent crimes are heading to Tallahassee today for the Survivors Speak Florida rally, calling on lawmakers to tackle the root causes of crime in the state.
A dozen members of Jacksonville’s Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice chapter met in the early morning at the Families of Slain Children offices on North Myrtle Avenue, before boarding a charter bus to the state capitol where they are joining hundreds of other families from across Florida who’s lives have all been changed forever by violent crime.
I spoke to one mother, Beverly McClain, who founded the Families of Slain Children group after losing her 28-year-old son Andre.
Nearly 20 years after her tragic loss, it’s still hard for her to talk about that time in her life.
“I don’t know what happened,” she said. “All I know is that Homicide came in and told me they found my son’s body at the Ribault River. Devasted was I – it ain’t easy to go back when you done came so far, you know. I think him daily. There’s not a moment I wake up, [that] he’s not on my mind, but I’m grateful that I had 28 years with him.