Sybil Wilkes ‘What You Need To Know:’ Stand Your Ground — A Third-Party Candidate — Trans People Leaving Florida

1. Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” Raises Its Ugly Head Following Murder of Black Mother

Source:Family provided

What You Need to Know:

Family, friends and community activists are calling for answers and more importantly, the arrest of a White woman following the shooting death of a Black neighbor in Central Florida. 

Police in Ocala, Florida report that Ajike “AJ” Owens, a mother of four, was killed when she went to a neighbor’s door Friday night to straighten out a situation that involved the Black mother’s children. 

During a Monday press conference, attorney Ben Crump, representing the Owens family, said AJ’s children were playing in a field near their home when the neighbor began yelling and using racial slurs, to get them off of her property. The children ran off, but one of them left a video tablet, which the neighbor reportedly picked up.

Reports indicate some back and forth took place, which may have included the neighbor throwing something, possibly the tablet or skates, at the child. When the child told his mother what happened, AJ went over to talk to the neighbor. That is when a heated exchange took place through a closed door.

2. A Third-Party Candidate? Voters Are Tired of Democrats and Republicans

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WRITTEN AND CONTRIBUTED BY KHAMERON RILEY

What You Need to Know:

Close to half of American voters would consider backing a third-party candidate if President Biden and former President Trump head toward a rematch in 2024, according to a new poll. 

A NewsNation/DDHQ poll released on Tuesday found that 49 percent of respondents said it was somewhat or very likely that they would consider voting for a third-party candidate in 2024 if Trump and Biden were their parties’ respective nominees.

Among the candidates whom respondents said they would be most likely to vote for as a third party candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) received 21 percent, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) received 10 percent and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) received 7 percent, among others.

3. Medicaid Tweak Might Offer Means to Improve Maternal Health

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What You Need to Know: 

When Madavia Johnson gave birth to Donald Ray Dowless III last year, she was hit by a case of severe postpartum anxiety.

She was scared to carry her son downstairs or drive him in a car. She couldn’t manage to continue law school―and could hardly leave the house―because she didn’t trust anyone to watch him. Her weight dropped from 140 to 115 pounds.

“It was very stressful for me mentally,” said Johnson, now 29, who lives in Clayton, N.C. And she found it hard to secure medical assistance because her Medicaid coverage ran out just two months after her son’s birth. Public health advocates are pushing to change that.

The difficulties Johnson faced contributed to the United States’ dismal record on maternal health. The U.S. is one of only three countries where maternal deaths are on the rise, joining Sudan and Afghanistan, according to the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health, a program of the Council on Patient Safety in Women’s Health. And data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that about 700 women die in the U.S. every year from pregnancy complications. Sixty percent of those deaths are deemed preventable.

4. Trans People Leaving Florida After Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws

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WRITTEN AND CONTRIBUTED BY KWYN TOWNSEND RILEY

What You Need to Know:

Trans people are leaving Florida after legislation passed that targets the LGBTQ+ community, a law that prohibits access to gender-affirming care for adults and bans it for minors. 

A 30-year-old trans woman, named Sage Chelf,  who lives in the Orlando area said that she “would rather not be alive than have to go back to living not trans.”

Chelf and many others made an appeal for donations online saying they need help to leave Florida. There are an estimated 94,900 transgender adults living in Florida, according to the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. Many, if not most, will stay. 

5. Black and Missing: Dezarae Jones

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Update: Through the collective efforts of the US Marshals Service, Sweetwater Police, and BAMFI, 16y/o Dezarae Jones missing from #TX has been recovered safely in #NY.

A reunification is underway. Thank you ALL for sharing Dezarae’s profile, and helping us find her.

Original Story

Dezarae Jones has been missing from Sweetwater, TX since May 30. An unknown person bought the 16-year-old a $400 Greyhound bus ticket and provided her with a cell phone. Her friends shared that she was planning to take the Greyhound bus to New York. It is feared that Dezarae could be a victim of trafficking.

Dezarae was last seen at the Love’s Travel Stop, located at 9418 North Interstate 20, Sweetwater, TX on May 30 at 11 p.m.