Is Ocala, Florida, no longer a safe place to live in?
When I received a text message from my friend about a shooting at the Paddock Mall in Ocala, I was shocked. But I wasn't. The more I pay attention to the news, the more I realize that Ocala is becoming increasingly unsafe for its residents, especially for those who belong to historically disenfranchised minority groups.
Below is a video of a witness chronicling the chaos at the scene of the crime
Along with this, my friend also told me that several people had been injured, and one person died. Flabbergasted, I researched to see if what she was saying was true. The shooting at the Paddock Mall turned out to be true. I saw an acquaintance I went to school with post a video of someone he knew at the Paddock Mall shooting. My heart became heavy, especially for my friend. While not at the mall, she was shopping at another store with her father. I feared for her safety. It was the first time I hesitated to go out in Ocala. Who would have thought that a shooting like this would happen in a small southern town?
While I was born in New York, I moved to Ocala as a little girl. I spent most of my childhood there. It was a quiet, small town with few businesses and many landscapes to run around. As a result, I spent the bulk of my formative years playing outside with my friends and peers. We ran along well-paved and muddy trails, played soccer, dodgeball, flag football, and volleyball, walked around, and spoke to friends. It was fun until I reached high school. By then, I wanted a change in scenery and more opportunities to find work and hand out with my peers. Being in Ocala was stifling my growth. So, I enrolled at a community college in Tampa, packed my bags, and moved there.
Moving to Tampa was eye-opening because I was exposed to a new world—a bigger city. More people to congregate with. I moved to an apartment with roommates that were close to my age. For whatever reason, I didn't become intimate with my roommates due to racial and class barriers and their attending a university. But I didn't stay long because I could not find a job and get a car. I didn't feel safe when I took public transportation because there were many unsavory characters that I rode the bus with. Quite a few of them even disrespected the bus driver and started fights with other passengers. The surroundings were quite scary in the evening due to the darkness and uncertainty of where everything was. I got lost and didn't know if I would return to my apartment. Yet, each time I got lost, I went back to my place in peace.
That is why I was relieved to return to Ocala and transfer to a local community college. I was back home with my mother and siblings. I knew where everything was. Not only this, I felt safe. I didn't have to worry about the possibility of being kidnapped at the bus stop and or coming across criminals who may hurt me. I was driven everywhere. I met new friends and kept my old acquaintances dear and near. All of this culminated in my graduating with an associate's degree in the arts.
An image of me at the backstage of the graduation ceremony:
Through my unsuccessful attempt at the nursing program, I transferred to the University of Central Florida in 2021. I changed my major to Journalism and started to take classes there in January 2022. I moved to Orlando later that same year. Though I live in Orlando, I visited Ocala quite often. I saw my family, went to the mall, and received financial assistance with the rent I couldn't get in Orlando. To me, visiting Ocala is like coming home. It is my haven and refugee from the outer world. Little did I realize I had idealized Ocala as this haven for everyone to escape the big, evil world.
Ocala has never been the safe place I thought it was. Many crimes that were swept under the rug had happened. Or not spoken about. For example, the murder of 15-year-old Seath Tyler Jackson by two teenagers and an adult was the talk of the town. My brother knew people who were friends with Seath Jackson! But everyone tried to ensure this incident didn't become known outside the city. Or the shootings at Vanguard High School that have killed several people over the years. The Paddock Mall shooting is one of the series of crimes that the police tried to sweep under the rug, but it made national news. It wouldn't be long until such crimes become commonplace in Ocala. Crime has always happened everywhere, including Ocala, but some places have higher crime incidents than others. Some of these crimes occurred in my formative years, but I brushed it aside because I felt safe and believed it wouldn't happen to me.
Based on Bestplaces.net, Ocala has higher rates of violent crime and property crime than the Florida crime rate and the national United States crime rate. But the murder rates are lower than the Florida and national average. At the same time, there was a 9.94% decrease in crime from 2021 to 2022. However, 2CollegeBrothers.com reported these statistics:
"Ocala, FL Crime Rate:
- Overall crime: 3,834 crimes per 100,000 people (78.1% higher than the state average and 63.4% higher than the national average)
- Violent crime: 674 crimes per 100,000 people (75.7% higher than the state average and 73.8% higher than the national average)
- Property crime: 3,160 crimes per 100,000 people (78.6% higher than the state average and 61.4% higher than the national average)
Violent Crime in Ocala
Violent crime includes Ocala shootings, murder, homicide, assault, manslaughter, rape, sexual assault, and kidnapping.
- Ocala murder rate: 5 per 100,000 (15.3% lower than the state average and 23.6% lower than the national average)
- Ocala's violent crime rate: 674 crimes per 100,000 people (75.7% higher than the state average and 73.8% higher than the national average)
- Chance of becoming a victim of violent crime in Ocala: 1 in 148
As you can see, in Ocala, Florida, murders are lower than both the state and the national average. At the same time, overall violent crime in Ocala is higher than the state and national average. The Ocala Police Department has many programs and resources to prevent violent crime, such as domestic violence, child safety, and sexual violence."
What intrigued me was the fact that Ocala has a higher violent crime and property rate than New York City. I haven't lived in New York since I was in second grade, but to come across those statistics was shocking. You would believe that it was the other way around.
African Americans who were born and raised in Ocala have told me stories about the racism in the area. One of them told my mother that downtown Ocala used to be a thriving black metropolis. Another one said to us that the forests were where the Klu Klux Klan used to assemble and lynch black people. I was told that African Americans were only allowed entry into public spaces through the backdoor, even into the 1990s. Even a White American man who used to tutor me in community college said that he saw the racial divide between African Americans and White Americans in the area.
Being that I am of Jamaican descent and originally from New York, my family and I weren't quite aware of the racial disparities in Ocala. Especially when we first moved here. Though none of us experienced overt racism, there was discrimination in housing and employment that was felt. The town is run by good ol' boys who seek to keep minorities out of well-paying jobs. Most of the higher positions in the area are held by White Americans, even if they are unqualified. Many cars are driving around with Trump/Pence logos. A few people had the Confederate flag on their front lawns. There is a feeling of animosity between the races when one goes out. The more I understood what happened, the more I realized I needed to leave the area.
Over the summer, when I went to New York to visit my uncle, aunt, grandmother, and cousins, I was alerted that a young African American woman named Ajike "AJ" Owens was killed by her Caucasian neighbor, Susan Lorincz, after trying to retrieve an iPad taken from her child. Owens and this neighbor had ongoing disputes over her children playing in the area. Susan Lorincz was arrested and charged with manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, and assault. A trial date is scheduled for Lorincz in late June 2024 to decide her fate. It is a shame Owens' children lost their mother and her family lost a loved one. While I followed the story and processed the events that took place, I realized how entrenched racism is in Ocala.
With Governor Ron Desantis passing legislation to allow Florida residents to carry concealed weapons without a permit to ban advanced placement of African-American history being taught in public schools, visiting Ocala is becoming risky to my physical safety and mental health. This is due to the history behind the town and the prevailing upholding of outdated racial norms in establishments and social situations. Not only is it risky for my livelihood, but it is to the lives of African Americans and other racial minorities in Ocala and Florida at large. Along with this, The NAACP issued a travel advisory for Florida to discuss how Governor Desantis is making Florida a hostile place for African Americans, members of the LGBT, and other people of color to live. Such an advisory is necessary to warn others about the erosion of human rights that is taking place in the state.
When I reflect on my childhood memories and reconcile them with the racist past of the town I grew up in, Ocala, Florida, is not a safe place for African Americans and other people of color to thrive economically and socially. The town's structure and atmosphere don't allow that to happen. While there are African Americans and other people of color who do enjoy residing in Ocala, it isn't a place where I can become the journalist that I want to be. As I head back to Orlando for the new year, I realize that I need to limit the number of visits I make to Ocala until I eventually stop altogether.
