FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 7, 2023
Contact: Natasha Sutherland / 850-567-0799 / Natasha@FloridaWatch.org
Black in Repro Statements on the Arrest of Susan Lorincz After the Killing of Ajike Owens
FLORIDA – Today, Susan Lorincz was finally arrested after the shooting death of her neighbor, Ajike Owens, a 35-year-old Black mother of four. Black in Repro issued the following statements:
“As a Black mama with four little ones and a lifelong resident of Florida, I am angered and devastated by the murder of Ajike Owens. This mama was taken away from her children for no reason,” said Chair of Black in Repro Melanie Williams. “In Florida, yet another racist white person feels emboldened to take their neighbor’s life with no remorse and no justification. Florida is not safe for Black moms and our babies and I am sick of it. Black in Repro fights for reproductive justice, which is the right to have children, the right not to have children, and the right to parent children in safe and healthy communities. We deserve basic human rights simply because we are human. What happened was a crime and it should not have taken so much public pressure and time to result in an arrest.”
“Ajike Owens deserved to live and her children have had their human rights violated by the brutal murder of their mother in front of them. We are grateful for the organizers in Marion County that pressured the government to do something about this senseless killing,” said Jamarah Amani, Executive Director of Southern Birth Justice Network and Black in Repro member. “This is a reminder that Florida can be a hostile, anti-Black state with policies that rob us of our life and liberty. Laws like ‘stand your ground’ potentially delay arrest in these cases and harbor a climate of violence and confusion that harm all of our communities. As a Black mother, it’s infuriating that we cannot parent in peace. Birth and parenting justice means fighting to create a world where we can have those freedoms and this tragic event is another reminder of why we continue these fights each and every day.”
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Black in Repro is a workgroup in the Floridians for Reproductive Freedom coalition that is made up of organizers, political operatives, consultants, providers, founders, community organizations, and researchers and experts in contraceptive access, abortion and prenatal doula care, policymaking, youth engagement, strategy, event planning and more. We aim to build a network of Black Floridians committed to a reproductive justice framework that drives policy and produces sustainable change for Black communities.