A film made from actual police
footage exposing America’s brazen racism while investigating a crime committed
under Florida’s ‘Stand-Your-Ground’ laws … a compelling but disturbing watch.
This is a true-crime
documentary about a white Florida woman who shot and killed her neighbour, a
black woman in 2023. Since the murder of the black teenager, Trayvon Martin, by
Florida white gun owner George Zimmerman (2012) ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws have
been debated for their potential for misuse. These laws allow people to use lethal
force if they feel their lives are in danger. The history of anti-black
violence coupled with the refusal to implement gun control laws in the country,
create situations where such laws can be abused and inevitably lead to such
senseless tragedies.
It all starts in August 2022, in Ocala (Florida), where a white woman, Susan Lorincz, lives in a primarily black neighborhood. She repeatedly calls the police to complain about black children playing near her house. Each time the police arrive, the people and children in the neighborhood convince them that Susan’s allegations are either exaggerated or entirely false. She is mocked as the local ‘Karen’ (slang for angry middle-aged white women). The police officers take notes, issue warnings and leave … but the calls to law enforcement continue. Initially, the officers support the black families; making Susan increasingly aggressive toward her neighbours. And then, one day, she shouts racial slurs at the kids and then a black woman, Ajike Owens, and her ten-year-old son come to Susan’s doorstep to settle the dispute. Susan calls the police to report that the back woman was trying to break down her door and intimidating her … and two minutes later, she calls back to report she had shot Ajike through the door. Ajike dies on spot. Despite the crime, the police do not take Susan into custody - they spend weeks investigating whether Susan’s actions meet the criteria of Florida’s “stand your ground” law which outrages the local community. Finally, Susan is arrested. Under police interrogation, she claims that she feared for her life, and cites the Stand-Your-Ground law in Florida and other states in her defense. When the police question Susan about her racial prejudice, she defends it. However, the jury and the judge consider Susan guilty of manslaughter … she was never afraid; she was angry as she had to live in a neighbourhood with black people. The fact that the white people in the neighborhood did not support her calling law enforcement every time she saw a black child near her home also made her angry. Ironically, before she is sentenced, Susan can be heard describing herself as ‘the perfect neighbor’. Susan Lorincz is presently serving a 25-year prison sentence.
“The Perfect Neighbor” starts with the director Geeta Gandbhir’s message: “This film is primarily composed of footage from phone cameras, security tapes and most notably, police body cameras recorded over two years” … there is no editing, the audience sees / hears what the police officers saw and heard before, during and after the killing. The Perfect Neighbor takes an innovative look at the escalating tensions in a community poisoned by racial prejudice. The senselessness of the death strongly advocates for a society that has zero tolerance for racial persecution and gun violence.