Donna Deegan responds to ‘radical policies’ and safety concern criticisms: ‘Those aren’t facts’

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (FLV) – Jacksonville mayoral candidate Donna Deegan, a Democrat, released a new ad in response to attacks against her.

One of those main attacks were that her “radical policies” would make Jacksonville “less safe.”

“These attack ads, those aren’t facts,” Deegan said in the ad.

Deegan faces Republican Daniel Davis for Jacksonville mayor in the May 16 election.

A new ad, released by the Duval County Republican Party, showed what appears to be violent Black Lives Matter protests where a group of about 200 people were “confronting police,” throwing water bottles, rocks and trying to “set police cars on fire.”

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, who endorsed Davis, said in the ad that “we need a mayor who helps improve public safety, not one that takes it backwards.”

“Donna Deegan’s radical policies would make our families and my officers less safe, that’s why I’m supporting Daniel Davis. He’s the only candidate I trust to make public safety the top priority,” Waters said.

In another ad recently released by the Davis campaign, it repeated throughout with Deegan saying “I went to every one of those Black Lives Matter protests.” It displayed news reports of Black Lives Matter supporting defunding of the police.

Another quote from Deegan in the ad read, “We have got to have some sort of civilian review board that helps to hold our police officers accountable.”

Deegan responded in a video and called the ad against her “very unimaginative.” She said she believes a leader “has to be able to see from one side and has to be able to see from the other side.”

“So while I do believe police have a very dangerous job, and I believe that we need more officers on the streets and we’ll fund those, I also believe that black mamas shouldn’t have to worry every time their kids step out of the house,” Deegan said. “And I think the only way we create a safer city is with more communication and not less.”

The mayoral candidates debated Thursday. Davis mentioned Waters multiple times and expressed his support for the sheriff and for law enforcement.

During the debate, Davis said the Black Lives Matter movement is about defunding the police and placing “radical activists” in charge of the police department. He said the relationship between the mayor and the sheriff is “critically important.”

“I cannot wait to make sure he [Waters] has every resource he needs to continue driving this crime rate down, and the defund the police movement is not going to come to Jacksonville, Florida,” Davis said during the debate.

Deegan tried to respond to some of Davis’ comments, but was shot down by the moderators.

She said the ad was a “lie” and she was “never involved in a violent march. She defended the Black Lives Matter movement, saying it is about “racism.”

During the debate, Deegan said she will “fully fund the police” and add more officers to the streets.