Sister Cities Sign Damaged Amid Ignite Life Center Location
Updated March 7: Clarified relationship between GGIC and Sister Cities of Gainesville.
Updated Feb 24: Added photos.
After the morning Gainesville City Commission meeting on Thursday, the panel of one of the sister city signs was found torn off.
The suspect attempted to pull off other sister city signs but was unsuccessful.
Some of the sister city signs were partly detached but not fully torn off like the other sign (GnvInfo)
GnvInfo asked Gainesville Police Department (GPD) and security officers inside City Hall if they saw anyone messing with the sister city signs. They were all unaware of what happened.
One of the security officers went outside to assess the damage and contacted Public Works. The sign was fixed with tape a few hours later.
Gainesville Loss Control Manager David Jarvis said the security cameras in the area are very far away from the signs, which would make it difficult to identify a suspect. Jarvis said it would be difficult to find footage of the incident without knowing the exact time it occurred.
During the Cold War, Gainesville started a sister city in Soviet Russia to promote mutual exchange. They later expanded to at least eight other cities around the world.
In October 2024, former Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe moved the Sister Cities of Gainesville nonprofit organization to Ignite Life Center (ILC) church.
Poe is the president of the Sister Cities of Gainesville, and he serves as director of the Greater Gainesville International Center (GGIC).
In May 2024, Poe discussed his plans to work with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) on a refugee resettlement program in Gainesville. Poe stated that GGIC is doing business as (DBA) Sister Cities of Gainesville nonprofit, meaning GGIC is a trade name for Sister Cities of Gainesville.
Poe officially filed Sister Cities of Gainesville at ILC on his nonprofit registration this month.
ILC has been subject to investigation by GnvInfo due to its continued operations despite multiple arrests for child sexual abuse (SA). A Gainesville Police Department (GPD) Supplemental Report and multiple civil lawsuits state the pastors at ILC covered up SA.
GnvInfo has spoken with or taken statements from nearly a dozen people who’ve formerly attended ILC and the church has been accused of being a cult.
In December 2019, the Alachua County Human Rights Coalition made a Facebook post about ILC’s connections with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as the church’s “pray the gay away” conference.
In June 2024, ILC head pastor Mark Vega said he was planning on housing immigrant families at the church by working with a “former mayor” through “greater Gainesville.”
On September 22, 2024, GnvInfo asked Poe for an interview about ILC, and he said, “No…. I don’t have to tell you why.”
There was additionally a photo posted to a light pole outside City Hall, which called back to Mayor Harvey Ward’s photo with two former Israeli soldiers. It’s unclear if this is related to the sister city sign being pulled off, as the photo appears heavily worn indicating it may be a separate incident.
In February 2024, the University of Florida (UF) Hillel hosted former Israeli soldier and Nova Festival Massacre survivor Rom El-Hai to speak about October 7. The speaking event attracted a large protest due to UF Hillel hosting an Israeli soldier amid Israel’s siege on Gaza.
Before the event, El-Hai and former Israeli military sergeant/ UF Hillel employee Shlomi Kahana took a picture with Ward. Kahana posted the picture on his Instagram story. Before it was deleted, someone took a screenshot and sent it to GnvInfo so it could be made public.
In August 2024, Ward told GnvInfo that El-Hai “represented himself as speaking about the massacre.”
On October 22, 2023, Ward reportedly pledged Gainesville’s support to Israel.
On November 17, 2023, Ward wrote a letter to then-President Joe Biden that stated, “We ask that you, through diplomatic channels uniquely available to you, broker humanitarian treatment of all involved in that conflict, the safe return of all hostages, and a cease-fire. The City of Gainesville has a deep connection to both Israel and Palestine. We maintain strong ties with Qalqilya, Palestine, and Kfar Saba, Israel, as two of our most active sister cities. We have sent delegations to both frequently, the most recent just this past December. We have been in contact with both. They are in crisis, are desperate for help, and want peace and justice to prevail. Tensions run high across our nation, and our Gainesville community is no exception. Grief, fear, and great passion surround this issue from all sides. We are hopeful that, as in conflicts past, the United States of America will be the guiding influence that brings an end to this war.”
The motive of the sister city sign damage has not been confirmed.
