Last night I went to a volunteer training for 805 Undocufund and it was so moving. It began with the time stamped descriptions of the 144 people who were taken from Santa Maria over a 96-hour period three weeks ago.
“At 0546 a man was taken from his car on L avenue. At 0603 a man and a minor were taken from their home on Oak drive. At 0605 a woman and man were taken from the parking lot at Albertson’s. At 0718 a man was taken from his car on his way to work. At 0719 three people were taken from outside of the hospital. At 0835 three parents were taken from their daycare during dropoff. At 0906 a man was taken from the store as he stood in line. At 0906 a man was taken from the sidewalk.”
The recitation ended at midnight on the fourth day, and it concluded: “We lift up their last location so they are not forgotten, even as they are disappeared. We die when we are forgotten.”
As of Wednesday noon, 1,430 people have been taken from the tri-counties.
Here’s what we can do:
Volunteer as a bilingual dispatcher/operator for the Rapid Response program.
Volunteer as a driver for people scared to leave their house.
Volunteer with the people preparing and delivering meals to the affected families.
Donate money to the families that have lost one of their own. This is what I’m doing now.
For over a year, Undocufund has been providing checks for $1,000 to each family who has lost a member. This immediate, unquestioned support prevents landlords from evicting families that have lost a breadwinner. There aren’t enough dollars after the 144 people taken in the last days of December, and their families are waiting for two months for donations to replenish the fund. As I know from my work with the S.B. Tenants Union, one missed rent check is all it takes for a landlord to start making a family homeless.
Let’s put our shoulders to this specific wheel, friends. Let’s close this gap.
Please donate now to 805 UndocuFund.
