Ocala, Florida, is the center of an alleged racist incident. Ada Anderson, an 81-year-old white woman, now faces three counts of battery after allegedly using racial slurs and spraying bear mace at two Black children and their mother, April Morant.
According to WESH-2 News, Morant, the mother who was also allegedly assaulted with pepper spray by Anderson, moved into the neighborhood in November 2024, and made allegations on social media that her neighbor was hostile to her since the first day she and her children moved into the Marion County neighborhood.
Morant told the outlet that the incident incited by Anderson during the week of May 30 started over something small: bubbles.
“Bubbles. Literally. The bubbles put her in a whole other arena whatever going on with her mind,” Morant told WESH-2, before continuing to tell the outlet that she heard Anderson shout a racial slur before leaning over the fence with an object in her hand.
“What went through my head is I thought she had a gun. So I literally kind of jumped, it startled me ’cause when she was to the fence, she was over the fence like this, and I didn’t know what was in her hand, cause I’m looking at her really quick, and then she sprayed it,” Morant recalled.
Morant also said that she believed her neighbor, whom she has had problems with for months, is making her living situation untenable. She created a fundraiser to accelerate her departure from the neighborhood.
Although Anderson was charged with battery, Morant expressed disappointment that her neighbor was not given a hate crime charge, considering what she described her neighbor saying to her children. Anderson posted bail, was released, and did not respond to WESH-2’s attempts to contact her as of June 3.
“Just battery but nothing on the kids or maybe a hate crime because you were saying all this stuff while you were spraying this stuff. For you to do the bear spray stuff, like I feel like I don’t know what you have in that house. I don’t know. I don’t want to be by her,” Morant explained.
Morant has also launched a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe
, and has set a $15,000 goal for the fundraiser, and also detailed that the police hadn’t taken her multiple reports of her neighbor seriously until her children were assaulted.Morant is seeking funds to help her pay for various costs associated with moving, such as a security deposit, a moving truck, and the first and last month’s rent. At the time of writing, she has raised $1,655 toward that goal.
“Since Day One, our next-door neighbor has targeted us with nonstop racial harassment, screaming slurs from her porch, telling us we don’t belong in the neighborhood, and poisoning the air with her hate. I’ve called the police before, but they didn’t act until
this happened. Now she’s finally been arrested and charged with 3 counts of battery. But I know this isn’t over. She’ll be out soon, and I truly fear what she might do next. We can’t stay here. I don’t want to wait for this situation to escalate even further. I’m humbly asking for help so my children and I can move somewhere safe,” Morant wrote.RELATED CONTENT: Susan Lorincz Now Faces 30 Years In Prison For Killing Her Neighbor Ajinke ‘AJ’ Owens