JACKSONVILLE, Fla \u2013 Dozens of Jeep owners, clubs, families, and community members rolled through Jacksonville\u2019s streets Sunday afternoon as part of the second annual Stop the Violence Jeep Ride, a nationwide movement born from one grandmother\u2019s grief and growing into a call for change in cities across the country.<\/p>\n
The convoy gathered at the Maxwell House lot at 750 E. Bay Street before pulling out at 3 p.m. and riding through the Eastside, Historic Springfield, Rail Yard, and Brooklyn neighborhoods, carrying a unified message of unity, peace, and change in honor of lives lost to violence.<\/p>\n
The ride was organized by MOBB JEEP \u2014 Making Others Be Better is a Jacksonville-based Jeep organization that uses the Jeep community as a platform for fellowship, outreach, and positive action.<\/p>\n
How It Started: One Grandmother, One Loss, One Ride<\/p>\n
The Stop the Violence Jeep Ride traces its roots to Detroit, where a woman named Monica lost her granddaughter to domestic violence. Determined to turn her grief into action, she organized a ride with her local Jeep crew through the streets of Detroit, and a movement was born.<\/p>\n
Organizer Linda Marsh \u2014 known in the community as \u201cBig Mama\u201d said the story of how the ride began is inseparable from why Jacksonville showed up Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe originator, her name was Monica,\u201d Marsh said. \u201cShe lost her granddaughter to domestic violence, and she started this ride out within her Jeep crew. They rode around Detroit, and they did the nationwide ride out last year; that was the first year. And we invited other Jeep clubs, and we had an awesome turnout. So this year, round two, we are doing another ride out, invited the other Jeep clubs, and just looking forward to making our presence felt and known here in Jax.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marsh said she hopes events like this raise awareness and spur real advocacy to stop the violence locally.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a vast variety of people, brown and white and all different shades of people, different backgrounds, but we have this one thing in common,\u201d Marsh said. \u201cWe\u2019re here unified, standing against violence. And that\u2019s the message that we hope to bring: that we\u2019re one, and we\u2019re here to stop the violence.\u201d<\/p>\n
For many participants, the message was deeply personal.<\/p>\n
MOBB JEEP member Mercedes Hill said she lost her cousin Tony to violence on Father\u2019s Day, just one week before last year\u2019s ride.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we did our ride last year, a week before that I lost a cousin Tony on Father\u2019s Day, and so that was very hard for me at that time,\u201d Hill said. \u201cIt\u2019s made it all the more meaningful to be out here with my group to ride, because now I\u2019m bringing awareness to my cousin and our family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fellow member Craig Nelson said he joined the ride to honor his cousin, who was killed in Miami ten years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, I have been affected by violence,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cI had a cousin who actually lived in Miami that was killed 10 years ago. And I\u2019m doing it for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Message Beyond the Ride<\/p>\n
Co-founder Marvin Simpson said he hopes the visibility of the convoy inspires people who may be struggling to find a different path.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully people see the Jeeps and get a little inspired,\u201d Simpson said. \u201cAlways try to keep a positive attitude, and if you need, we\u2019re on social media. They can always hit us up, and we can have a talk. There are other ways versus going the wrong route.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hill\u2019s fellow rider Marcella Hamilton echoed that message of hope.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo matter what socioeconomic place you come from, you can survive and get through things,\u201d Hamilton said. \u201cYou have to first stop all of the violence, stop thinking negatively, and just do things that will increase positivity in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n
What\u2019s Next<\/p>\n
MOBB JEEP is approaching its fifth anniversary next week and is actively looking for new members to join the organization.<\/p>\n
For more information or to connect with the group, follow them on Instagram at @MOBBJEEPJAX<\/a> and @BIGMAMA2K22<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n