2,977 flags, a flag for each victim of the 9/11 attacks, were placed at Plaza of the Americas on September 11, 2020. The UF organization, Young Americans For Freedom placed them on Thursday night.
On Friday, August 28, 2020, protesters gathered at Heavener Hall in remembrance of the people who lost their lives due to racial injustices. The protesters marched down W. University Avenue, where members from the men’s and women’s UF basketball teams, football players and Dan Mullen, the head football coach joined in support. Everyone marched to Bo Diddley Plaza where they sat in silence for eight minutes, the same amount of time George Floyd laid with a knee to the back of his neck. The protest stayed peaceful and police officers drove alongside marchers.
More than 200 masked people gathered Friday evening at the intersection of University Avenue and 13th Street and marched downtown to Bo Diddley Community Plaza to protest the shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, a Black man shot by police while entering his car after he was tased. Follow the tweets posted by The Alligator's staff live from the protest.
Antwuan Hamm organized a balloon release at the Alachua County Schools bus yard on August 7 in honor of his mother, Troyanna Hamm. Troyanna was a driver for Alachua County Public Schools for 27 years and passed away from COVID-19 in 2020. Click here to read more about Troyanna's life and the impact she had on the community.
Gainesville residents held a candlelight vigil for Beirut on Aug. 7 on the steps of City Hall. There, they honored the more than 130 people who died in a massive explosion in Beirut on Aug. 4 and sought to bring attention to the political plight of Lebanese people. "They destroyed our country," one attendee said. "Those politicians have to go. They’ve destroyed our country for a long time.”
Teachers, parents and students attended the Rally for Safe Reopening of Schools on July 21. The rally comes as the rate of positive COVID-19 cases surges in Florida. Attendees expressed concerns over the safety of themselves and their families upon returning to school in August. “We either go digital, or go home,” one attendee said.
The Lubavitch-Chabad Jewish Student & Community Center hosted a free food distribution event July 16. The food drive was held as COVID-19 numbers spike in the county and state as a way to support homebound individuals and families during the pandemic.
The Lubavitch-Chabad Jewish Student & Community Center hosted a free food distribution event July 16. The food drive was held as COVID-19 numbers spike in the county and state as a way to support homebound individuals and families during the pandemic.
After months of rumors and uncertainty, UF finally released its updated Fall plan on Friday. Read more here.
The Alachua County Commission voted unanimously to launch a relief grant program for local businesses and individuals impacted by COVID-19 in a Tuesday meeting. The funding for the program comes from the $46.9 million the county received from the federal government through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The county must spend the CARES Act money by Dec. 30, or it will no longer be able to spend the money, said County Manager Michele Lieberman. Click here to learn more.
More than 100 people gathered on the corner of 13th Street and University Avenue Sunday evening to support Palestine and protest Israel’s continued annexation of Palestinian territory. Annexation occurs when one country uses force to take another country’s territory. Click here to learn more.
Bouncers held its second annual Fourth of July Bicycle Parade with a turnout of less than a tenth of what it was in 2019. A year prior, 100 kids attended. This year, only eight came to ride their bicycles, tricycles, and scooters around the parking lot. Angie Adams, manager of Bouncers Indoor Playground, attributed the reduced turnout to the pandemic but proceeded with the event because she says “It’s still important to celebrate the Fourth of July.”
Scroll to see photos from @samuel_w_thomas with details pointed out on each photo. To read the story, click here.
Today, we observe and celebrate Juneteenth. Juneteenth represents an end to slavery in the U.S.—two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. While Juneteenth is recognized as a holiday in Florida, it’s not a federally recognized holiday. The Alligator encourages all of its readers and followers to educate themselves on the holiday and the history of slavery in the U.S.
On June 19, about 150 people gathered outside of the Alachua County Jail to protest mass incarceration, police brutality and observe Juneteenth. “This is the physical embodiment of all those injustices,” said Maria Dozier, a 20-year-old UF sustainability in the built environment senior. “This is a big, concrete building holding people inside that are supposed to be getting reformed, but instead they’re suffering from police brutality and other injustices every day.”
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