A single-engine Piper flew over Downtown on Thursday afternoon with a message for Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters.
Waters, who is black, replied to News4Jax, which is a partner news source of Jacksonville Today.
“(Thursday’s) banner makes it very clear that hate and ignorance will always lead to more hate and ignorance.” People in Jacksonville are nice and care about each other. Let us put that on the stage for the whole world.
Waters’s last sentence refers to an incident that happened this week when Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan spoke out against the immigration policies of former President Donald Trump.
On Tuesday in the UK, Deegan said that Trump’s plan to deport thousands of refugees was like a “concentration camp-type situation.”
Waters was one of the first leaders in the area to disagree with how Deegan put it.
It is thought that this is the first banner directed at a public figure or current event since July 2023, when Save Southern Heritage flew one over Deegan’s swearing-in celebration. There was a Confederate flag on that cloth, and it asked her to join them.
During 2022 and 2023, other flags over Downtown were set up to go up at the same time as college and pro football games.
On Friday, Deegan criticized the message that was meant for Waters.
“The racist message meant for our Sheriff is disgusting, and I condemn it,” Deegan said. “There is no place for hate in Jacksonville.”
Amaro, a member of the City Council, was one of the elected leaders who spoke out in support of Waters. He talked about his time as a reporter to show how important it is to watch what you say. Amaro is the only African American or Latina person elected to office in Duval County.
An attack on Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters that was disgusting and clearly racist was caused by the divisive speech that is still going on in our city, Amaro said in a statement.
“I strongly support Sheriff Waters and believe he has shown he can put party and politics aside to serve all Jacksonville residents.
This attack by an ignorant and racist group is only meant to further divide our city and take our attention away from making Jacksonville a great place to live and do business.”