Breonte Johnson-Davis died while in custody of Palmetto police. His mother keeps fighting for accountability and reform.
By Johannes Werner
Original Air Date: October 1, 2025
Breonte Johnson-Davis
Host: It’s been two years since Breonte Johnson-Davis died while in custody of City of Palmetto police. The young man’s life ended after someone called 911, prompted by Breonte’s erratic behavior at a 7-11 store in Palmetto amid a mental health crisis. The cops rushed to the location, subdued and restrained him. The next day, November 2, 2023, Breonte was dead. His mother, Tracey Washington, keeps fighting on. This Friday evening, she will host an event at The Fogartyville to remind the community of her son, and to raise funds for her non-profit and possible legal action over Breonte’s death.
Johannes Werner: The tragic event prompted Tracey Washington to advocate for Palmetto and Manatee County to create a first-responder 911 system that includes mental health and substance abuse experts. The City of St. Petersburg built such a program, and it works. So far, Washington has not received an acknowledgement or response from any of the local governments.
In an interview with WSLR News, Peyton Hoey, a community organizer who is helping put together the event, explains.
Peyton Hoey: We don’t want cops and these killer cops coming into our communities and responding to mental health crises where they escalate the situation, where they’re not trained mental health professionals. We want an end to that, and we want a different system and a different structure that prioritizes mental health and getting the community the resources that we need—putting actual dollars behind resources that could be used to help people that are dealing with crises rather than kill them.
The call program has been very effective in Saint Petersburg, and that program specifically has those mental health professionals responding to calls of distress, people who are experiencing mental health crises or maybe something related to overdose. Rather than having a officer respond, they are responding to someone who is directly in that line of care. We’ve seen success, and we want to see that everywhere. It should be implemented across the country.
Tracey Washington (right)
JW: Tracey Washington was in the public eye even before her son’s death. She heads the Manatee chapter of the NAACP, and she has created a non-profit helping people returning from prison to everyday life. Manasota Re-entry Project is one of the organizers behind a fundraising event this Friday evening.
Called “Walk a Mile in Our Shoes,” the fundraiser will feature local artists—including poet Melanie Lavender, musical artist Dame and rapper Spirit.Gze—and Tracy Washington. There will be raffles, art exhibits, posters, food, drinks and local vendors.
It is hosted by Manasota Re-entry Project, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Voices of Florida Fund, and Black Lives Matter Grassroots.
PH: His family, and especially his mother, Tracey Washington, have been fighting for justice ever since. This has looked like taking to the streets, organizing press conferences and speaking directly to the city officials and the police department that enabled and killed him ultimately. We are approaching the two-year anniversary of his death this November, so we’re hosting an event. I’ve been organizing alongside Tracey to remember him, to bring his name back into conversations, to generate the funds to prepare for continuing the fight and to potentially explore legal action.
JW: For more information, go to wslr.org/event/angelversary-of-breonte-johnson-davis. Reporting for WSLR News, Johannes Werner.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.
