Justice for Ajike “AJ” Owens
Call to action: https://linktr.ee/justice4aj
What got you into the movement? We always ask people this, their origin story of sorts. We all remember that moment when we knew for sure we had to answer the call to become activists.
For me, I define that moment as learning about the tragic murder of Trayvon Martin by self-appointed neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman. It was early 2012 and I was a sophomore at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. I hadn’t yet taken an interest in policy and law but the case and the way the killer was able to roam free for so long after murdering a boy in cold blood really shook me.
My first time reading a policy was due to this case. The first statute I read is known as the Stand Your Ground Law, in Florida the statute is titled “Justifiable Use of Force”. I read it over again this week after learning of the tragic killing of the black mama of 4 in Ocala, Florida, Ajike “AJ” Owens, not too far from where Trayvon was slain in Sanford, and where I grew up in Poinciana, Florida. Reading this law feels surreal because I know that Black people aren’t typically able to use it in their own successful defense. And whites are able to use it to unjustly kill a black person and get away with it. Our laws only fully extend to the white and the wealthy. The rest of us can be the next hashtag movement at any moment, and that’s what just twists my stomach and keeps my mind up at night. We try to find ways to be helpful in these deep dark moments of despair. We wonder if the work we are doing is enough, is it impactful enough, is it real enough, is it going to bring change one day. I wonder sometimes if God truly wants me to be an activist struggling for justice. Couldn't I just work a good job and make good money to bring my children peace and joy. Couldn’t that be my only calling in life? But then I remember, Ajike’s story could be mine tomorrow. I cannot be someone who waits for the tragedy to be personal before I become a part of this fight and this struggle for liberation and justice.
I think this is my purpose and I struggle with understanding what that means sometimes. I cried for a couple days on and off last week then got to brainstorming my thoughts. I know that this week ahead of me is about to be long but I am prepared to do all that is in my power to help push for justice for Ajike’s children and family. I am going to make sure that we utilize all our connections, resources and networks to push for a tangible change at the state level that can help dismantle some of the things that allowed this racist act to go unchallenged and unaccountable for four days. Stand Your Ground isn’t the only thing that helped this situation to proliferate the way that it did. I think gun laws in general did, as well as the lack of response that neighbors in the community got when complaining to law enforcement about the racist and antagonistic actions of the murderer leading up to that fateful night.
So we must look at all the things that allowed this emboldened, planned act to come to pass. All of the policies that protect racists like her must be dismantled, and she should be treated like what she is, a homegrown terrorist. She admitted to calling the kids the n-word and she admitted she bought the gun because of prior interactions with Ajike. She planned to instigate a fight and then used the gun and claimed self defense. She killed a mother of four in cold blood and was out on her porch the next morning like everything was alright.
This is a miscarriage of justice. I am filled with rage as we all should be. This is a clear violation of Ajike and her children’s human rights. This woman had a clear hate towards black people, local law enforcement had reports of her bothering community children before and yet she was allowed to continue living, as a tenant, in this community with children, and purchase a gun and use it to murder a parent. The local law enforcement, property management, state attorney, and state lawmakers who all condone, protect, and allow for racist violent rhetoric to exist and persist must all be held accountable, period. I will not stop until we see some form of justice. I will use all my platforms and resources to get the justice we seek.