Share and Follow
This morning’s episode of The View featured a heated discussion about Netflix’s latest documentary, The Perfect Neighbor.
The documentary delves into the repercussions of Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” laws following the tragic death of Ajike Owens, a 35-year-old mother. Owens was fatally shot by her neighbor, Susan Lorincz, a white woman who had a history of harassing local children and frequently involving the police. The incident occurred when Owens approached Lorincz’s door to recover her son’s tablet, which he alleged Lorincz had taken, leading to Lorincz shooting her through a metal door.
During the episode, Sunny Hostin offered her insights, drawing from her experiences as a Black mother.
“What really tears at my heart is seeing a Black mother whose children were relentlessly targeted by a white woman. This was clearly a racially motivated crime,” she remarked, highlighting that although Lorincz’s harassment was directed at children of various races, she had a “specific issue with these Black kids.”
“As a mother of Black children, I understand that Black boys aren’t afforded the same presumption of innocence or youth,” she elaborated. “This woman was calling the police, accusing these 11-year-olds of trying to steal her car. They’re just kids who don’t even know how to drive.”
According to Hostin, she has had to warn local law enforcement of her own son’s presence in a white neighborhood to avoid any similar tragedies.
“I have had to be in the position where I have gone to my local police department, because I know my son is going to be training for the Junior Olympics running around the neighborhood in an all-white neighborhood,” she explained. “I have brought him to the police and said, ‘He belongs to me. This is my son. Do not harass him. Do not stop him.’”
“[Owens] was doing what so many Black mothers do, and she was killed for protecting her child,” Hostin added.
The View airs on weekdays at 11/10c on ABC.
(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&appId=823934954307605&version=v2.8”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));