Dollar General said it will donate $2.5 million in the wake of the Jacksonville, Florida, shooting that left three people dead at one of its stores, including a 19-year-old employee.
via: BET
The discount retailer said it will donate $500,000 to the First Coast Relief Fund, which supports North Florida residents after natural disasters and other crises, as well as $1 million to nonprofits and community organizations based on input from “conversations with the local community.”
Dollar General will also match donations of up to $1 million for its Employee Assistance Foundation and donate $50,000 to local food banks to help with food insecurity.
“The entire DG family continues to mourn the senseless, hate-driven loss of life that took place last weekend,” said Jeff Owen, Dollar General’s CEO. “Our focus continues to be on supporting the victims’ families, our employees, and their loved ones, alongside how we can best support and stand with the greater Jacksonville community. The actions we are taking are in an effort to begin to heal together.”
Sheriff T.K. Waters identified the shooter as 21-year-old Ryan Palmeter, a White man, who shot and killed himself after using an assault rifle with a swastika painted on it, and a glock handgun to kill Angela Michelle Carr, 52, A.J. Laguerre, 19, and Jerrald Gallion, 29, at the store located in a predominantly Black neighborhood.
So far, community healing at some public gatherings has been rocky. Attendees at an Aug. 27 prayer vigil booed Gov. Ron DeSantis when he offered condolences to the victims’ families. Black leaders say his right-wing policies and rhetoric have created a climate that led to the racist mass shooting.
WTLV reported that two activists were asked to leave a community healing session on Sep. 2 held at The Sanctuary at Mount Calvary Church. They were accused of disrupting the event when they criticized local Councilmember Ju’Coby Pittman for her handling of the crisis.
At the Aug. 27 prayer vigil, Pittman tried to calm the crowd when they booed and jeered DeSantis.
“Ain’t no safe space in here where we can tell the truth,” one of the activists who was asked to leave Mount Calvary Church, Duval Black Economic Council President Denise Hunt, told WLTV, explaining that Pittman took the microphone from her and said it “wasn’t the right place.”
“The fact that she was shushing us, quieting the rage that people felt. I felt like it was very disrespectful,” Hunt added.
Pittman told WLTV that the healing sessions were intended to help families of the shooting victims heal – not political events.
