Activist and community leader Lydia Bell has taken on a nickname among her many supporters – “WarrioHer” — and the WarrioHer is up in arms again.

Bell, president of the Metro Gardens Neighborhood Association Brentwood, fought the city for years over the opening of a liquor store across the street from KIPP Jacksonville that faces Golfair Boulevard. That property was purchased by the city last year for $1.5 million, considerably more than the costs and renovation price of the building. While no decisions have been made by the city, there has been talk of converting the abandoned building into a community center.

Bell is now fighting the opening of the two-story, 50,000 square foot Medical Examiner’s Office that sits just a few feet behind what would have been the liquor store, and across the street from KIPP, which serves grades K-12 via the Kipp Impact Academy and Kipp Bold City High School.

According to a published description of the 4-acre site that is located at 4368 N. Davis Street, the property is bounded by Golfair Boulevard to the south and the on-ramp from Golfair Boulevard to Interstate 95 on the west. The north and east sides of the site are bordered by two-lane Davis Street, which comes off Golfair Boulevard and winds back to Golfair Manor, a subdivision built in the 1950s with dozens of homes immediately north of where the new facility is now being built.

Bell said residents were not given proper advance notice of the plans for the Medical Examiner’s Office, a project that has been on the city’s planning agenda since 2016. This, she said, also occurred with the move to approve the placement of the liquor store.  

In a previous story published by Eye, Bell said she learned that the decision to grant the owner of the property the right to open a liquor store was not made by the council but the Planning Commission, and it was contrary to a recommendation of the Planning Department staff. She added that such a decision requires that neighbors get notice. She was told that 13 businesses and 13 residents were notified but no one showed up at the meeting to protest. Her name was on the original list, but she was never notified.

Bell has often said that she feels her neighborhood, and others in the Jacksonville area, are continually “played” by the city, and she has often spoken before City Council citing that they have maintained a pattern of abuse in the black community.

“These people have become lawbreakers instead of lawmakers,” she said. “Instead of being commissioners they have become com-sin-ners. It is a sin and a crime in what they are doing in Brentwood.”

Others staunchly agree with Bell.

“They think they can get away with all of this,” said Maceo George an Arlington resident who attended the rally last weekend protesting the opening of the Medical Examiner’s Office. “They (the city) lie. That is what they do to get things done. The Brentwood community is putting its foot down, and we are not going to take it anymore.”

The rally drew a sizable crowd of people from all over Jacksonville who support Bell and have joined her in the fight for the Neighborhood Bill of Rights.

“This is all about unprocedural actions, and it violates the Neighborhood Bill of Rights that gives people an opportunity to take part in the design of projects in their neighborhood,” said Nancy Staats, a retired physician who was part of a line of people up and down Golfair who were waving signs in protest of placing a morgue so close to a school.”  “What they are doing is insulting. This area could have been used for so many other things — low-income housing, assisted living, a pharmacy, or a community center.”

Reggie Gaffney Jr., councilman for District 8, said Ms. Bell and her sisters have been steadfast advocates for the Brentwood community for years.

“Every U.S. citizen has a fundamental right to free speech and the ability to hold their elected officials accountable by voicing their concerns,” said Gaffney. “While perspectives on issues may differ, it is the duty of elected officials to listen, engage, and work toward solutions that consider the interests of all parties involved.”

Gaffney voted no on the seeking of a zoning exception for the project in 2023 and said his vote was based on his genuine belief that this location is not appropriate for such a facility. Gaffney added, “I remain committed to making decisions that prioritize the well-being and quality of life of our communities, including ensuring smart, responsible growth.”

Because the city borrowed nearly $63 million to get the construction started on the building of the ME office, Mayor Donna Deegan has supported continuing the project, which she inherited from former Mayor, Lenny Curry. Additionally, city officials have said that demobilizing construction would add millions to the costs of the project and would set back work on replacing the current cramped medical examiner’s office by five years.

One thing is for sure, Lydia Bell refuses to back down from fighting for her community. “If you can’t take care of your community, your community can’t take care you,” she said. We have to support each other to make this city right. When good people come together, no matter what color, great things happen.”

Her allies say that her efforts are truly encouraging.

“Her enthusiasm is contagious, and I want to help her,” said Mandarin resident Tony Brown, who heads an organization called Red Alliance for Justice. “She has sacrificed her money and energy to help her community, but what she is doing also helps all communities.”