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Let's Talk About It - Episode 5: Love and Jackson take on gun violence

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According to a gun violence website with over 2,000 independent sources throughout the United States, there have been 50,067 incidents of gun violence, 12,499 deaths, 25,522 injuries, 291 mass shootings, 248 law enforcement officers shot or killed, and 1,623 accidental shootings in the United States in 2017. Among those staggering numbers are 586 children under the age of 12, and 2,621 teenagers (ages 12-17) who were killed or injured by a firearm.

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It was a terrible week in Central Florida history. Two law enforcement officers from the Orlando Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff's Office lost their lives. Markeith Loyd, a murder suspect on the loose for weeks was recognized by a witness at a Walmart on Princeton Street in Orlando. The witness told Master Sergeant Debra Clayton (who also happened to be at Walmart) of the Orlando Police Department. Clayton pursued Loyd but was shot and killed by him in that pursuit. Clayton was a 17-year veteran of the OPD and was a well-known community activist with a passion for children.

Two hours later OCSO Deputy First Class Norman Lewis lost his life after a traffic crash at the intersection of Balboa and North Pine Hills Road in Orlando. Lewis was in search of Loyd when the crash occurred. He was 35 years old and had been with the OCSO since March of 2005. He was a member of the OCSO Motors/DUI Unit. He was a graduate of the University of Central Florida where he played football for the Knights.

After shooting Clayton, Loyd stole a car, shot at another law enforcement officer, apparently fled into an apartment complex and disappeared into the Pine Hills/Rosemont neighborhoods. He was captured about a week later with an arsenal of weapons in a vacant house in Orlando but surrendered without a violent response.

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This week on LET’S TALK ABOUT IT with Rod Love and Greg Jackson, the co-hosts are taking on the issue of domestic violence, and its correlation to gun violence. Their guest is Stephanie Dixon-Daniels, the mother of Sade Dixon, who was the pregnant ex-girlfriend of Markeith Loyd who was shot and killed by Loyd in December of 2016.

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Let's Talk About It, now on its fifth episode, is an edgy new radio program that has a distinct "Apopka" tone to it despite airing in Winter Garden.

Rod Love

Hosts Rod Love and Greg Jackson are well-known figures in Apopka. Love is a local businessman and the co-chair of the Apopka Task Force against Violence. He is a consistent speaker at Apopka City Council meetings. Jackson is a local attorney, columnist for The Apopka Voice, and ran for the Florida Legislature in 2016 for District 45, which includes a part of Apopka. Now airing its third episode tonight, the co-hosts have shown a willingness to take on any issue their callers wish to discuss. Nothing is off the table.

The show airs on WOKB 1680AM on Mondays between 7-8 PM. You may also stream it online here.

Let's Talk About It describes itself as a show in search of results-oriented solutions. It tackles important subjects such as crime in urban communities, jobs, business growth, relationship with the police, transitioning from a mom and pop proprietorship to mom and pop incorporation and a whole lot of other action initiatives that affect the quality of life of individuals and families are the major focus. Its goal is to develop an understanding of the everyday needs and issues of people and assist in empowering them with the necessary information or motivation towards addressing such needs, all with the support of professionals or experts who will be the show's guests.

Greg Jackson

Let’s Talk About It has an interactive style of information sharing that is both entertaining and educational. It acts as a vehicle for civic and faith-based organizations, small businesses and everyday citizens to be able to work together to foster a progressive development of communities’ interactivity with one another.

To join the conversation tonight, call Let's Talk About It at 407-894-1680.

Greg Jackson, Let's Talk About It, Rod Love

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