The masked crowd responded when it was asked what it would do with $1 million.
Close the achievement gap. Provide free WiFi. Fund East Gainesville. They made one thing clear as they stood on the sidelines of Gainesville’s 5 p.m. traffic — no more funding for Gainesville Police.
More than 70 people gathered at the corner of Main Street and University Avenue Thursday evening to protest Gainesville City Commission’s proposed $1 million increase to GPD’s budget. The protest was organized by the GoDDsville Dream Defenders, the local chapter of an organization founded after the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
The protesters faced University Avenue and chanted “No justice, no peace. Defund the police” before they gathered in a circle around a white tent and listened to speakers, a poet and a rapper.
In the proposed budget, the Gainesville City Commission plans to increase GPD’s budget from $36 million to $37 million next year, leading organizer Manu Osorio said. The commission also passed a $3 million plan in early August to upgrade police officers’ body cameras, Osorio said.
“We have to show that we are here together as a community, and we have the power to change things,” Osorio said.
