a request

hello, hello, 

I am writing you with a simple request (the kind that i am sad to say have become rather common these days) but I am hoping that you will take it very seriously and be willing to help.

A long time friend of mine in North Carolina, Victor de la Cruz, was randomly targeted by police and picked up to be deported back to Mexico(he was stopped while driving home from work). I have known Victor and his siblings since they were kids. I would take them around Durham, to go rollerskating and to my house to watch movies. He has not lived in Mexico since he was a child and his life and family are in the U.S.

His story is described briefly in the link below, with information on how you can sign a petition for his release 

http://action.dreamactivist.org/ncvictor 

We desperately need people to sign this petition on Victor's behalf (which takes no more than 30 seconds) and also he needs at least 100 phone calls to come in, his sister tells me. This is a small thing that is sometimes hard to do, but I would be so grateful if you were moved by my request to call and help my good friends in this nightmare of a situation.  

There is even a script to follow, but it makes a big difference in terms of our bearing witness to this type of state violence against law-abiding members of our society. "Dream Act" youth are kids whose parents brought them here.  They are not criminals. Victor is a hardworking, sweet father of 3 young children and needs to be home with them.

  

It is truly heartbreaking for me to see this happen to my friends who have been like family to me for almost two decades. But this issue will continue to hit home for all of us: Immigration and issues of borders affect us all in the world we live in today, state violence (such as locking up tax-paying NC residents for driving while Latino, and separating parents from their US citizen children) is something to which we must loudly object. 

Thank you in advance for any time you can give to this.

Sending much love to you all in the new year, 

Rachel

--

Never be afraid to sit awhile and think. ~ Lorraine Hansberry