Alachua County and City of Newberry condemn vandalism, reaffirm commitment to Truth and Reconciliation
Press release from Alachua County
ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – Alachua County and the City of Newberry strongly condemn the recent act of vandalism that took place at the new Publix in Newberry over the weekend. This action undermines the hard work of local businesses, community members, and public servants who have contributed to making this new store a valuable resource for residents of western Alachua County.
This vandalism diminishes Alachua County’s and the City of Newberry’s recent Truth and Reconciliation efforts to address past injustices, honor lives affected by racial violence, and rebuild community trust. Acts of vandalism not only damage property but also disrespect the collective efforts of those working toward progress and growth in our communities.
“Our truth and reconciliation efforts aim to build a stronger foundation for justice, inclusion, and accountability in Alachua County,” said Alachua County Chair Charles Chestnut IV. “We encourage residents to stand with us in our shared commitment to healing and growth.”
“The City of Newberry is committed to promoting healing and unity within the community through its own truth and reconciliation efforts,” added Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlowe. “These initiatives foster mutual respect and support the success of local businesses and residents in a safe, welcoming environment.”
I didn’t realize there was vandalism at the new Publix. Anyone have more info about it?
The names of Newberry lynching victims were painted on the store’s signs over the weekend.
Thanks!
Shows the intelligence of criminals.
In calling out the horrific and vile acts of what some called justice in years past; someone, or a group, decided to commit their own crime just because of their own misplaced hate and contempt.
If you’re wondering what’s wrong in this world – stop.
photos of event:
https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/news/newberry-publix-site-vandalized
The racists that decided to act as judge, jury and executioner years ago would probably be looking for these criminals if they were still alive.
Good thing for the rest of the world they’re not.
I hope they find the vandals snd put them in jail and make them pay back restitution.
serve max time
Six people didn’t like your comment.
Don’t know if they condone the vandalism or the lynching of people years ago.
Either way, it reveals a lot about their character.
Woke legacy must be purged by MAGA. Baseless excuse making for current events is all it is.
ACLUSPLCDNC 👹👺🤡👿💩
Of course a bad idea to vandalize anyone’s property for any reason, and I’m sure Granny and Grandpa Publix will struggle to pay for the repair to their little store sign. But a placque and ceremony doesn’t necessarily make right the horror of the 1916 event, which we might also note, was part and parcel of over a hundred years of slavery, racial segregation, and discrimination which left a large part of Newberry’s current population with minimum to zero inherited family wealth and property. The same types who shed tears for Old Joe finally getting his ass kicked off the courthouse lawn, don’t like being reminded of this ugly history and want to pretend all has been made right – “hey, we’re good now, right?” – and we’re all on equal footing. Well, no, we’re not. Yes, things are much better now but the past still owns part of our present, and I don’t mind seeing this bit of history brought up again.
FWIW, the lynching victims are buried at a little, still active church back on a dirt road, a little over a mile from Jonesville. It’s now mostly surrounded by 5 acre pieces with McMansions that look like a helicopter picked them up in the ironically named Haile Plantation and dropped them there.
“…The lynchings took place over a dispute about stolen hogs, and while Boisey Long, the accused, escaped, James Dennis, suspected of hiding Long, was shot to death by a mob. Law enforcement and a posse rounded up five African Americans, including Dennis’ brother, Gilbert, and sister, Mary, a pregnant mother of four. Stella Young, Long’s partner and mother of his son, Stella’s brother Andrew McHenry, and the Rev. Joshua Baskin were also part of the group, which was then taken to the Newberry picnic grounds and hanged.
Boisey Long surrendered himself two days later and was convicted of murder for the man he shot and killed in his escape.
An Alachua County grand jury took up the case and investigated the actions of the lynch mob, but found no one guilty for the lynchings.
Newberry unveiled a marker denoting the lynching in 2019. …”
“The same types who shed tears for Old Joe finally getting his ass kicked off the courthouse lawn, don’t like being reminded of this ugly history” Right. Selectively editing history is the very best way to ensure everyone learns from it.
Just because something is memorialized, doesn’t automatically confer honor to it. It’s a shame it’s taken us this long to understand that.
That’s false.
Old Joe was set on the courthouse lawn in 1904 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in a successful effort to promote the “Lost Cause” as our “history”, and that was a glorification of a cause as honorable, which in reality meant to keep the ancestors of many of our fellow citizens enslaved. So, this was not “history”, it was a political campaign intent on falsifying the actual history of slavery and the civil war, and as a justification for the official racism that followed Reconstruction, and persisted officially for 60 more horrible years after Old Joe was placed there.
Keeping these reactionary and ugly props in our nations courthouses and other public places continues this gross affront to many of our citizens who’s real “history” justifies spitting on the Old Joes across America, and worse.
Get rid of them! Now!
Rather have Ole Joe than that expensive ugly chicken.
You know nothing a out the facts. Were you there?????
I wasn’t at Bergen-Belsen or Auschwitz when the camps were freed, but I know enough about it to be rightly horrified if anyone tried to erect a statue honoring the Nazi’s who “served” there.
As a native Floridan and a Southerner born and bred, I find the hypocrisy of a lot of these self-righteous posts totally amazing. Of course it is wrong to own another human being but we’re looking at this from the 21st. century. There has been slavery in the world, and still is, since recorded history began. Doesn’t make it right but judging by today’s standards something that ended a 164 years ago in the United States isn’t right either.
I would remind everyone too, that most of the slave ship captains were from New England and that slaves built early NYC.
We are simultaneously told that it’s racist to talk about gun violence as a crime that is mainly committed by young black men but apparently totally fine to blame all white people forever for lynchings.
This vandalism proves that no amount of “truth and reconciliation” will be enough. All white people must apologize forever for something other white people did many years ago – and that’s wrong. Everyone is responsible for their own actions, and nobody is responsible for someone else’s horrific actions simply because they share a skin color.
Alachua County is now paying “retired” Carl Smart to do even more “truth and reconciliation” along with the new chair of the county commission, Chuck Chestnut. So watch for even more ceremonies, followed by demands for policies that somehow always come from the progressive wing of the Democrat party.
Randy, we are responsible for our actions, and some of us want to maintain monuments to “the Lost Cause”, which glorified the subjugation and slavery of the ancestors of some of our fellow citizens, and others want to pretend that that slate is wiped clean, we’re all cool and equal, and we keep the fruits of the past while these same fellow citizens keep the stigma and material bankruptcy of the past.
We’re not all cool and equal and guilt is BS doing no one any good. No one wants that. Action to right the legacy however would be appreciated.
I didn’t say anything about monuments. We’re talking about vandals causing damage to a business that’s coming in to improve life for Newberry residents – and a city that was one of the first to do what the activists requested for “truth and reconciliation.”
What more do you want to “right the legacy”? Trust me, it will never be enough.
Those who fought to continue slavery are dead. Not so those who want to keep monuments glorifying them that were erected 120 years ago by those attempting to whitewash history in favor of one race and who at that time was still brutally repressing fellow citizens of another race. It’s propaganda, not “history”.
Steely, the barbarism of the past does not justify any that followed it, or we have made no progress as a civilization. I believe it is obvious we have. Nor does that of other individuals justify the wholesale barbarism of the south with slavery followed by brutal racism that continued up into the lifetime of some of us. Yes, we are better now, the south is better now and individuals should not bear guilt for what others did in the past, but shame for that past and a pledge to resolve it’s lingering effects would be an appropriate response.
Segregation and the system of terror that enforced it were alive and well in the lifetimes of many who visit this website.
Oops you triggered Jazzman’s TDS. Be careful his feelings are still raw
May want to add those types who throw and make attempts at guilting people for the sins of the past aren’t anymore willing to ante up any of their property or wealth for restitution either.
Their generosity apparently doesn’t go much further than their hypocrisy.