Incumbent Gail Johnson, newcomer Desmon Duncan-Walker elected to city commission
Voter turnout fell to about 11%, the lowest in Gainesville city elections since 1997 March 17, 2021 | 7:15am EDT
Desmon Duncan-Walker, the District 1 Gainesville City Commissioner-elect, talks to reporters after her win at Cypress & Grove Brewing Co. on March 16, 2021. Photo by Julia Coin | The Independent Florida Alligator
Gainesville residents voted Tuesday to re-elect one city commissioner who saw them through a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, but voted out the other incumbent in favor of a local activist.
In the tight race that some East Gainesville residents followed closely, Desmon Duncan-Walker replaced incumbent Gigi Simmons, who was elected in 2
The “Push for Peace” lives on in a Gainesville mural
Local artist painted mural dedicated to skaters for Gainesville s social justice mural project December 14, 2020 | 5:16pm EST Carrie and Jesus Martinez painted a Push for Peace mural at Possum Creek Skatepark. Jesus Martinez said his clothes always end up caked in paint and sometimes become too stiff to wear again.
Their wheels, both big and small, roared along Gainesville roads. Riding on bikes, skateboards and roller skates, some gripping “Black Lives Matter” posters, protesters aimed for peace and unity.
This scene at the summer “Push for Peace” protest in Gainesville inspired Jesus and Carrie Martinez to paint a mural dedicated to peace and skateboarding. On Dec. 4 and 5, they created the mural, which portrays a skateboarder riding through yellow rays in Possum Creek Skatepark, located at 4009 NW 53 Ave.