From the Frontlines: Jacksonville
Terrance Ogden (left) and mother Shawna Clark (right) toe to toe with Jacksonville Police.
An Interview by Jessica Wise
In the protests heard around the world, some stories make the national headlines, and some do not. At Audacity, we strive to bring the voices from the frontlines of Black Lives Matter protests where they don’t receive proper coverage.
Over the weekend we introduced you to Terrance Ogden on our social media, a young man in Jacksonville Florida who was separated from his mother on the protest line when she was wrongfully arrested by police. We watched Ogden desperately seek help from Jacksonville PD to locate his mother, all to no avail before having to dodge multiple tear gas bombs. His mother, Shawna Clark returned home from jail the following day, and both mother and son are ready to tell their stories.
Describe the scene at the Jacksonville protest. How did the day begin before things got so ugly?
TO: The first day of protest in Jacksonville began as a peaceful gathering filled with community members of all races, ages, and backgrounds. There was a feeling of hope in the air as we bonded together in an attempt to elicit change and equality. We marched in solidarity; not only for George Floyd and his family, but for an entire race of people who continue to be oppressed, targeted, discriminated against, and murdered. In the beginning, the police presence was minimal. There were a few JSO officers dressed in their usual uniforms but they were not engaging much with the crowd.
When you did you start to see the relations between the people and Jacksonville PD take a turn for the worst?
SC: As the day went on and neared the evening hours, what had been a peaceful platform for our community to exercise our constitutional right of assembly and freedom of speech, changed into a more chaotic environment. My family and I began to walk down Bay Street, just one block from our home, when we were met with a human blockade of police dressed in full riot gear; gas masks, helmets, face shields, etc. There were armored tactical vehicles and the area had morphed into what resembled a war zone. This was about the time we found ourselves unable to walk any further.
My family and I came face to face with what felt like an angry mob of law enforcement and they made it clear that they were not going to allow us to move freely and peacefully. We protesters chanted “HANDS UP, DON’T SHOOT!” and “NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE!” The police yelled at us to back up and leave the area. I yelled back, “WE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO WALK THESE STREETS; WE LIVE HERE!” as I pointed out our building, visible from only one block away. “IT IS OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO SPEAK AND ASSEMBLE HERE!”
I looked them each in the eyes as I began to cry, “What would you do if George Floyd, or Ahmaud Arbery, or Sandra Bland were your brother, your sister, your husband, or wife!?” I then took a knee and continued to plead with the officers to allow us to march in peace, begging them to try and empathise with those of us who fear the very sight of red and blue lights. I told them I pray my son or my husband never gets hunted while jogging or unknowingly passes a counterfeit $20 bill because it could cost them their lives. When I stood to my feet, I raised my hands in the air once again.
Clark (left) and Ogden (right)
It was then the police became more aggressive and began walking toward us, forcing us back. We refused to be stripped of our rights as American citizens and stood steadfast where we were. At this point a police car was behind us and the lineup of police were closing in on us. It was then that one of the officers grabbed me. He pulled me into the angry group of officers who surrounded me as he aggressively pulled my arms behind my back and placed zip ties around my wrists.
My husband tried to come to my rescue, but another cop grabbed him up and threatened to arrest him. At the same time, my son was also attempting to come to my aid and officers repeatedly assaulted him, pushing him further and further away. I came to learn that after I was arrested the police began shooting tear gas at the crowd. My family and many friends and neighbors were injured. Protesters helped by distributing milk and water to ease the pain from the chemicals.
How did the arrest even happen?
SC: I stood with my hands in the air and the police reached out and grabbed me. This was around 4-5pm. The first cop who snatched me away, roughly put zip ties around my wrists, and threw me in the back of an SUV where I sat for several minutes. He did not tell me what I was being detained for nor did he read me my rights. He did not tell me I was under arrest.
At some point he pulled me out, and another officer grabbed me and pushed me into a police car and drove me away from the crowd onto a side street where we sat for hours. The second cop did not tell me why I was being held and did not arrest me. He did not read me my rights.
The temperature in Jacksonville was well into the 90s that day (Saturday, May 30th, 2020). As I sat in the back of that police car with no air conditioning and the windows up, it had to have exceeded 100 degrees. I began to see white spots and feel dizzy, like I might pass out. I told the officer that I was going to pass out. He barely looked at me and seemed to be uninterested. After hours of sitting there, I finally told the officer that I wanted to be let go because I had not broken any laws. I told him he either had to arrest me and read me my rights or set me free.
Clark (left) and Ogden (right)
It wasn't until then that he FINALLY read my Miranda rights and placed me under arrest. I asked him what I was being arrested for, and he said he didn't know yet. He was waiting to find out. I would not find out what I was being charged with until we reached the police station hours later. The official charge was called “Affray.” The definition of affray is an instance of fighting in a public place that disturbs the peace. Neither of which I was guilty of. I was booked, my clothes and belongings were taken from me, I was searched and patted down multiple times. I was denied a phone call for hours upon hours. I was not placed into a cell until 2am. They informed me my bond was set at $2,500 but then proceeded to tell me that even if I paid the bond I could not leave, because they placed the jail on lockdown.
I had to spend the night locked up for a crime I did not commit. I was placed in a medical unit due to a chronic medical condition. The nurse told me I would be monitored and periodic medical checks would be done while I was in jail. The nurses never once checked on me. There were no emergency buttons, bells, etc. The officers did not perform periodic rounds at all. The following day, I was placed in shackles from my hands to my feet and went in front of the judge. After the judge told me I was free to go, I was sent back to my cell and detained for an additional 6-8 hours.
Does the Jacksonville PD have a reputation for being forceful with civilians?
SC: Yes, they do. There is a history of multiple police brutality lawsuits, which are well documented online. While I was in the police car on that side street, I could hear the officers chatter over the police radio. At one point, I heard an officer say, “They are walking over toward the Hyatt, head those N****RS off!”
Shawna, describe your arrest. Were you read your rights? Were you taken into custody alone?
SC: NO, I was not read my rights until I demanded that they either do so or let me go.
Terrance, how did you feel seeing your mother being taken into police custody? How were you able to locate her?
TO: It was scary. But what had me panicked was that I wasn't able actually see it happen; as they were apprehending her, they were pushing me down in the opposite direction and pulling my step father away in another direction. It took an hour of dodging overzealous police and flying tear gas canisters to even find a cop who was willing to let us know they put her in a car and took her away.
It was my job to protect her. Knowing that people have a tendency to go missing or end up dead while in police custody, during times of protest especially, it was weighing on me that it could've been the last time I saw her.
Shawna (left) and husband (right) sport “I Can’t Breathe Masks” at the Jacksonville protests.
Shawna, were you placed in the cell with other protestors? What was it like going home while the neighborhood was still protesting?
SC: I was alone and there were no other protesters with me. I was told that I was the first one arrested which explains why the others were not there yet. They took me into custody very early in the day and the majority of arrests were made later and even into the next day. After I was released and went home, I witnessed more police brutality from my window. They were posted up on the rooftops flying drones past our windows. I saw police attack peaceful protesters with tear gas.
What are the next steps? How can we support the two of you and anybody else on the frontlines in Jacksonville?
SC: The next steps are to continue working with the movement to spread the word and call for an end to the injustice. Not everyone is built for the frontlines and that’s okay.
TO: If you want to support the cause and the citizens of Jacksonville, you can contact the Jacksonville Community Action Agency, a grassroots organization fighting for black liberation and pushing for police accountability and transparency.
