Gov. Ron DeSantis announced funds for Edward Waters University (EWU) after the racially motivated murders in Jacksonville this weekend.
“Governor DeSantis announced an initial, immediate award of $1 million through the Volunteer Florida Foundation to bolster campus security at Edward Waters University in addition to an award of $100,000 to help the impacted families of this tragedy,” the governor’s office noted.
Ryan Christopher Palmeter, a 21-year-old man from Clay County, had posted a hate-filled manifesto online before heading to EWU, an AME college founded by freedmen in 1866 and one of the oldest Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) institutions in the nation. After being noticed by security at EWU, Palmeter headed to a nearby Dollar General where he began firing, killing three Black people. Palmeter killed himself at the Dollar General.
“We are not going to allow our HBCUs to be targets for hateful scumbags,” said DeSantis. “I’ve directed my administration to use every resource available to ensure the Edward Waters campus is safe following this shooting and to help the impacted families as they mourn their loved ones.”
According to the governor’s office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) “began visiting the campus, providing additional security including during the vigil, and began monitoring social media for any additional threats,” and FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass met with EWU President Dr. A. Zachary Faison Jr.
A prominent local Democrat took aim at DeSantis’ announcement, insisting the funds were a “band-aid offer of additional funding for Edward Waters University” and called for “real efforts at correcting his harmful policies and rhetoric.”
“Let me be perfectly clear: no amount of money can erase the pain caused by years of marginalization and oppression. Our historically Black institutions have faced an uphill battle for decades, and I invite DeSantis to go back through unfilled budget requests and line item vetoes to begin to provide the funding they’ve needed for years. For it to take murder for him to dig in his overflowing coffers for support is appalling,” said state Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville.
“The recent Jacksonville shooting, which targeted Black individuals, is a stark reminder of the dangerous consequences of unchecked racism. While DeSantis may feign concern now, his track record speaks louder than his hollow words. We need actions, not publicity stunts,” Nixon added. “I urge the governor to do more than make empty gestures and call folks names. It’s time for him to truly reckon with the damage he has caused, to apologize for the harm he has inflicted, and to actively work towards undoing the racist system he’s helped uphold and grow.”
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