Florida Governor Rick Scott has called on civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson to apologize in light of the comments he has made about the Sunshine State.
On Tuesday Jackson headed to the Florida capitol to meet with protestors that had been staging a sit-in since July 15th to protest the state’s Stand Your Ground law.
Jackson called Florida “the Selma of our time” and an “Apartheid state.”
Gov. Scott released a statement Wednesday asking Jackson to apologize to the residents of Florida for his comments.
“Jesse Jackson owes every Floridian an apology for his reckless and divisive comments,” Scott said. “It is unfortunate that he would come to Florida to insult Floridians and divide our state at a time when we are striving for unity and healing. Floridians are a strong, resilient people. We are fortunate to live in a great state where all Floridians enjoy opportunities to get a great job and world-class education.”
Jackson, a longtime civil rights activist, has the same goal as the Dream Defenders who are leading the demonstration. He has requested that the state of Florida re-evaluate its gun laws, which have become a topic of debate since the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case. Jackson also slept on the floor of the Capitol in Tallahassee Tuesday night.
“The Rainbow Push Coalition is mobilizing elected officials in support of these student movements,” said Jackson. “Too many people in Florida are disenfranchised.”
Scott disagrees. According to a Miami Herald report, the Republican governor said that he stands by the controversial law and will not call a special session to address it.