‘You just be careful’: An after church conversation in Florida's murder capitol.
A neighborhood street in Jacksonville’s 32209
Area Code 32209: Jacksonville, Florida’s homicide capitol with the number of homicides deflating.
Area Code 32209: The home of Donny Stealer since 63’, the hometown of Elizabeth Vincent, where Miss Ann broke her toe, Penelope Jackson’s house of worship, and place of work for Rob. Where the people of Zion Hope Baptist Church gather every Sunday and Tuesday, kids go to their school down the street, and people are just trying to live.
Donny Stealer’s favorite color is blue.
It’s always been blue. You know, but he likes black too.
If he could change one thing in the area, it would be the traffic. He moved out here in 63’. He was 9 years old.
He’s 77 now.
“They say there’s crime. I might hear about it but I don’t see it.”
So what does Donny Stealer do in an area known for its crime?
His favorite thing: sit at home and watch cowboys and sports. But westerns mainly, he loves to sit and watch old westerns. Gun Smoke and Cheyenne, those are the old cowboy movies that are worth watching.
He ain’t into the new panhandle stuff.
He’s retired, but he cuts yards to keep busy.
Before he retired, Walls worked at WW Grainger. That’s where they sell a bunch of different tools. You name it and they sell it. You ain’t ever seen it on TV? They have commercials on TV.
His high school is just around the corner from Zion Hope Baptist Church. William Raines high school to be exact.
He likes music. It used to be hip hop. You know, but now he likes gospel music. Especially at Zion Baptist Hope Church, the church he’s been going to since 2015.
His favorite artist? Just himself. He used to play the drums when he was in 7th grade. But he don’t do that no more. It’s kind of hard.
He’s not a big reader. He only reads when it’s necessary.
Does he have a favorite childhood memory? ‘Nah’. His home life was great. No problem. He got whoopins, but that was a part of growing up. His parents are all deceased. They stayed together when he was growing up though, you know?
He has, well, he had two brothers. One’s deceased, but he has two sisters.
He’s the middle man.
His favorite thing to do growing up? Play. He played with friends. And toys sometimes too. But he didn’t have computers and all that stuff.
They played a lot outside. They did everything: football, basketball, baseball, kickball, hide and go seek, momma and daddy, jump rope, shoot marble, hula hoop.
They ain’t like those kids today.
They had fun… They had fun…
A home in the 32209 area code neighborhood
But you better be in before the streetlights come on. If you didn’t, you got that whooping.
He’s got 4 girls. 14 grandchildren, 2 of them is great-grandchildren. One stays in Palatka, the rest of them stay here in town.
He’s been married to Brenda since 1989. They’ve been going together since 86’.
What’s his favorite thing about her? Everything.
There’s no discipline these days, he says. Parents are too scared of getting in trouble with the law when it comes to disciplining their children. The law has made it so tough for people that they got scared. They don’t wanna bother their kids. They don’t wanna discipline their kids no more.
He still disciplines his grandchildren.
All they gotta do is tell the law that ‘you whooped me’ and you get in trouble. Especially if there’s some scars on them.
Yeah, that’s right.
We were with one of my grandchildren one day and he moved the wrong way and I hit him in the face. He went to school. And they saw it. They had the DET come out to my house.
It went alright. He didn’t get in trouble.
He told them what happened. They told him he moved.
When it comes to people respecting the law or not liking the law, the neighborhood of 32209 is in the middle. There’s gonna be always somebody that break the law.
Some that obey it. Everybody don’t agree with the law.
Do people around here struggle to pay the bills? He’s sure some are struggling to pay the bills. Yeah, He’s sure there’s some struggle. It’s hard. Things are so high.
It ain’t like when he was growing up. You could buy a soda for a nickel. You can buy a bag of cookies like that for a penny. You can trade your ballers in and get money. You can’t do that no more.
Anything else to say about area code 32209?
“You just be careful.”
Author’s note: Names have been changed to respect privacy.