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The Gainesville Police Advisory Council met virtually Wednesday to discuss youth arrest rates and overcrowding in entertainment venues. (Kalia Richardson/WUFT News)
Gainesville Police Advisory Council Discuss Overcrowding And Youth Arrest Rates
By Kalia Richardson
April 29, 2021
The Gainesville Police Advisory Council on Wednesday discussed ways to reduce overcrowding at youth-oriented entertainment venues such as the T.B. McPherson Center and the Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center, as well as arrest rates among youth in the city.
Overall crime rates have decreased by 8.99% over the past year, but there have been more sexual batteries and robberies, Police Chief Tony Jones told the council during a virtual meeting.
The voting for the 11-member panel’s leadership positions proved contentious.
Council member Bob Cohen recommended Fareed Johnson, a commercial driver who had previously served as vice chair, because of his perspective as a 28-year-old Black man.
However, two members – Keyon Young, 21, a night auditor at a local hotel, and Ernest Walker, 42, who works at a fast-food restaurant – said a newly appointed member should serve as chair.
Walker suggested Andrew Miles serve as chair, saying the 63-year-old executive director of the Greater Duval Neighborhood Association has witnessed police brutality and better understands how the police feel toward the community.
“Mr. Andrew Miles is in the heart of ‘Out East’ Gainesville,” Walker said. “I think he would be a great overseer.”