A Banned Books Week gathering at state Rep. Angie Nixon's Jacksonville coffee shop turned into a heated exchange this week, after critics confronted the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee over a wall of photographs depicting 12 Black activists from the civil rights era. The wall at Café Resistance includes images of Angela Davis, George Jackson and Assata Shakur, and it has become a lightning rod in Nixon's Senate campaign.
The confrontation unfolded during what was billed as a conversation about reading, critical thinking and history, according to Action News Jax. Nixon, who hosted the event and is the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, found herself defending the display after a critic in attendance said multiple people on that wall are people that killed cops.
Nixon pushed back directly, telling those gathered that the wall tells the full story of the people pictured rather than glossing over it. It's true and accurate history, she said, adding that the display identifies what each person did and whether they were convicted or exonerated. That is not a celebration of anyone, Nixon said, framing the wall instead as a presentation of figures from the civil rights movement who fought against discrimination.
What the Wall Actually Shows
The station's report describes the wall as including a photo of each individual alongside context about their history. Separate reporting from the Washington Free Beacon states that the display includes a picture of each individual and a label describing group affiliation and the crimes with which they were charged, though the outlet's broader characterization of the wall as glorifying militants reflects its own framing rather than an independently verified description.
The specifics of at least two cases on the wall are documented in public records. A New Jersey legislative filing states that Assata Shakur, also known as Joanne Chesimard, was convicted in 1977 of the 1973 killing of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster and the wounding of Trooper James Harper, according to the New Jersey Legislature. By contrast, Angela Davis was acquitted of all charges — including murder, kidnapping and conspiracy — following a 1970s jury trial, according to a legal-defense collection held by the New York Public Library.
A Bookstore Turned Campaign Flashpoint
Café Resistance, located at 5007 Soutel Drive in Jacksonville, is a bookstore, coffee shop and community hub that highlights African American authors and banned books, according to JaxToday. Nixon opened the shop in June 2024, per the Washington Free Beacon's reporting, and it has since hosted a range of community programming — including guitar lessons, yoga, line dancing, concerts, spoken-word nights, trivia and a tenants' union meeting.
JaxToday describes the shop as a third space that addresses health, education and economic inequality on Jacksonville's Northside. The store also stocks books by Black authors that the Florida Department of Education has tried to ban for K-12 schools statewide, according to WSLR, a detail that places this week's confrontation squarely within the broader fight over Banned Books Week programming in Florida.
Criticism Tied to Her Senate Run
The wall has drawn criticism from conservative national outlets since Nixon won the Democratic Senate primary two months ago, the Action News Jax report noted. Nixon's upset primary win made national headlines in August, according to the Florida Times-Union, which first reported her dual role as a state representative and bookstore owner.
The wall controversy comes as Nixon's path to a general-election matchup with Republican Sen. Ashley Moody remains unsettled on another front. Action News Jax said it invited both Nixon and Moody to a televised debate planned for this month at the University of North Florida, but Moody would not agree to appear on stage with Nixon, the station reported.
