Latest news with #LennyCurry
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jacksonville organization that helps human trafficking survivors receives record-breaking donation
Rethreaded is a Jacksonville-based organization that helps survivors of human trafficking by teaching them skills and giving them jobs so they can rebuild their lives. On April 29, Rethreaded announced a partnership with Amazon that will help with that mission. Amazon donated approximately 20,000 t-shirts that Rethreaded will use to make scarves, dog toys and cleaning rags for the organization to sell. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Read: Retired Jacksonville K9 Gator to receive full military honors at funeral According to a news release, this donation of raw materials equates to more than 270 hours of work for a survivor. 'Without access to a new community and job opportunities, 80% of women will go back into human trafficking,' said Kristin Keen, Rethreaded's Founder and CEO. 'Amazon is choosing to use the power of their community to make a huge impact on the lives of survivors by collecting t-shirts across America. These t-shirts will not only create jobs, but also a safe place to heal and reclaim lives.' The partnership started when an Amazon employee toured Rethreaded and was inspired to help. Read: Former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry speaks about claims of city's alleged gun registry Marcela Milan, Amazon's Workplace, Health and Safety Program Manager, said, 'What started as one employee's initiative has grown into a nationwide effort that aligns perfectly with our values of reducing waste while supporting an important cause. We're proud to partner with Rethreaded to help create meaningful employment opportunities while giving new life to thousands of t-shirts. This collaboration demonstrates how small actions, when amplified across our network, can make a significant difference and strengthen the communities where our employees live and work.' For more information about Rethreaded's mission, visit [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Miami Herald
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Florida revenge porn victims are about to get more recourse, even if not enough
Social media is a powerful tool, but, in the wrong hands, platforms can be weaponized. For victims of deepfakes and AI-generated revenge porn, the damage is deeply personal and immediate. To have those images removed, victims are left with zero guidance and forced to navigate an evolving landscape with limited recourse against the person posting the fake images. Recognizing the increased concerns over deepfakes — images or audio altered by artificial intelligence — the Florida Legislature is taking action toward cracking down on fake, pornographic depictions of people. Known as Brooke's Law, House Bill 1161 and companion Senate Bill 1400, introduced by Miami Sen. Alexis Calatayud, would require internet platforms to create a way for people to have altered sexual depictions and copies of such depictions removed from their platform upon request of the victim. The bill gets its name from former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry's daughter, Brooke Curry, who was a victim of a deep fake pornographic image circulated on the social media platform Snapchat. Sadly, Brooke's story isn't unique. Sponsor state Rep. Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville, told lawmakers in a committee hearing last week, 'The Department of Homeland Security has declared that deep fakes and the misuse of synthetic content pose a clear, present and evolving threat to the public — 98% of the deep fake videos found online are explicitly pornographic, and 99% of those feature women.' Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle recognize the problem, and the bipartisan consensus is encouraging for victims who have found themselves with little protection. Last week, Brooke's Law unanimously cleared the House and is poised for Senate passage on Wednesday. The legislation avoids sweeping mandates and focuses on civil enforcement, and treats failure by social media platforms to comply as a deceptive business practice under Florida's consumer protection laws. Michael Flynn, a professor at Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law, said that while the legislation offers a form of recourse, it's only part of the solution. 'Once the content is posted, the damage is done and any remedy for the victim cannot take back what is already out for others to view,' he told the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Flynn argues that, 'criminal penalties in addition to a civil remedy might be more effective.' Florida lawmakers aren't the only ones tackling the issue of deepfakes and revenge porn. The U.S. Senate has taken up the TAKE IT DOWN Act, bipartisan online safety legislation aimed to increase protections against the non-consensual dissemination of sexual images, including artificial intelligence generated images as well as deepfake and revenge porn. The difference between Brooke's Law and the TAKE IT DOWN Act is that Brooke's Law is civil and applies within Florida. The TAKE IT DOWN Act establishes federal criminal penalties against people who post non-consensual intimate images. Both bills would require a platform to remove the content within 48 hours of a request Brooke's Law is a significant step forward. By requiring platforms to create a take-down process, it ensures victims can take immediate action to protect themselves. However, as Flynn noted, 'the law may act as a deterrent but does not protect the victim once the posting of the images is complete.' There should be broader protections, such as creating victim support services and the consideration of criminal implications at the state level. Miami-based First Amendment attorney Tom Julin said Brooke's Law may prompt social media platforms to 'become much more aggressive in terms of limiting the content that they allow to be posted on their sites.' That may not be a bad thing, especially if it means fewer victims of deepfakes and revenge porn. Brooke's Law could have more teeth, but it still progress toward regulation on the destructive ways artificial intelligence can be used. Click here to send the letter.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jacksonville's Morning News Friday, April 18: Sorrow at FSU
Jacksonville's Morning News has continuing coverage of Thursday's shooting at the Florida State University campus, which terrified students, faculty, and parents. By early Friday, memorials of candles and flowers dotted the campus and a school-wide vigil had been scheduled as students and faculty tried to start healing from the shooting that investigators said killed two men and wounded at least six others. LISTEN: Alexus Cleavenger reports from the FSU campus, where a memorial is growing. Three Big Things to Know: Investigators say the son of a sheriff's deputy opened fire with his mother's former service weapon. Officers who arrived almost immediately shot and wounded the shooter who is believed to be a Florida State student. Hope Florida is making changes to restore confidence in the agency. That's what Hope Florida Foundation President Joshua Hay said yesterday after what he called an eventful week. Lawmakers have criticized the organization for its lack of transparency. Hay says lessons were learned, and it's time we turned things around at the foundation. A federal appeals court says it is 'shocking' that The Trump administration claims it can't do anything to free Kilmar Abrego Garcia from an El Salvador prison and return him to the U.S. A three-judge panel from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday unanimously refused to suspend a judge's decision to order sworn testimony by Trump administration officials to determine if they complied with her instruction to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return. SEMINOLE STRONG: Campus community rallies following deadly shooting. Posted by Rich Jones on Friday, April 18, 2025 Former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry's son is a sophomore at FSU, and was on campus at the time of the shooting. Curry says Boyd is safe, and planning to come home to Jacksonville for Easter weekend. LISTEN: Former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry First Coast Crime Stoppers is hosting a digital news conference on Saturday, May 3, to draw attention to a cold case. Julia Vegas was killed in Springfield in 1999, and her daughters, who now live in Chicago, are seeking closure. Crime Stoppers has a reward of up to $3,000 for information that leads to an arrest. LISTEN: Chase Robinson, First Coast Crime Stoppers Executive Director
