Concerns about violence in the homeless community rise after stabbing at Grace Marketplace

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Finnex Jackson is in the Alachua County Jail after he turned himself in following an early-morning stabbing at Grace Marketplace.

The victim survived the stabbing, which took place just outside Grace’s campus in the parking lot around 6:40 Sunday morning.

Grace’s director says but the incident happening so close to campus is deeply concerning.

“It’s not easy to be homeless for anybody and when there’s incidents with violence like this it’s concerning for the whole community,” said Jon Decarmine. “What we need to see is some better patrolling of the parking lot, it’s not something that we have the staff to actually be out in the parking lot.”

One person who had just gotten a bed at Grace said an incident like this is scary, but it’s comforting to know people at Grace are trying to help put an end to violence.

“Everywhere you go there’s violence and especially as a homeless person,” said Bone. “When you have a place that you know that if something like that does happen they’re going to call the cops, they are going to help you...And they do every single little bit of what they can do to prevent it.”

Bone shared her thoughts on where violence in the homeless community comes from.

“Desperation,” Bone said. “I think the biggest thing is desperation. That what I’m feeling right now, that’s what everybody here is feeling right now. And it’s not desperation to get into a house, it’s desperation to feel good. It’s desperation to get to the point that you’re okay with yourself and you’re okay with the life you’re living.”

Bone says the first step to solving the problem of violence in the homeless community is talking about it.

“I’ve experienced so much violence as a homeless person--especially as a woman and a homeless person,” said Bone, “it actually in a way kind of eases me to see that yes it happened, but here you are talking about it, and here our staff is talking about it.”

Police say Jackson turned himself in at the jail with the bloody knife used in the stabbing.

He is being charged with aggravated battery.

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