Car Robbery at Dollar Tree in Cathedral City

Hello Everyone,

It pains me to write this because I never thought something like this would ever happen to me…

Yesterday on Thursday, August 17th 2023 at about 5:25pm, I went to the Dollar Tree off Date Palm in Cathedral City, California. I stepped away from my car for mere minutes and came back to my car smashed open with all my most important items taken away from me.

They took everything from me:

All gone. Items I have saved up for over the years—gone in an instant. (And my insurance only covers liability.)

I keep everything on me all the time. I often pat myself on the back for having gone this far after some truly devastating circumstances in the past two years. I beat addiction and welcomed the warmth of my loved ones back into my heart as they have back. I have found myself budding into the Jarelle you all knew me to be once again… this just hurts so bad, man.. I finally felt myself getting up on my feet again. For once, I was rather more positive than depressed. I found good work, and though my situation is far from stellar, I finally had the tools to get out. My car to escape and all my tech to work hard.

For something like this to happen is really devastating… A halt. Stopped in my tracks. I do thank God I am alive and unharmed, however rebuilding what I had by myself when I needed these tools for my source of income makes me so sad. It took me years of hard work to acquire all that I had.. :(

I am just so sad. I cannot stop crying. I’m in an incredibly vulnerable state and don’t wish anything bad upon the perpetrator, I just want my things back… With the unlikely event of that happening, I am beyond words. Numb but somehow also filled with various emotions—most of them being sadness and hurt. I am shaking with anxiety and stress and I feel so stuck.

I am touchy about this but I feel that I need to share to help everyone fully understand the gravity of what this robbery has placed upon me: I have not been in stable housing and am in a living situation which severely impedes on my mental health. I am not able to get monetary help from those immediately around me. To reiterate: my car is everything to me (as was my old car which got t-boned), my car was a tool that aids my escape to safety. My workspace hub, my nap-time spot, my place to get away and cry. I am now immobile as the door cannot close due to the shards of glass spilling inside. My laptop is my world, my world is tech and it has been my source of income—stripped from me. I had already been struggling with my bills every month, still in the state of recovery, I feel shot down again.

So here I am, asking for your kind donation. I have never made one of these and feel weird doing so, but was encouraged by my dear friends. An act I am embarrassed, almost shameful to promote—asking for help feels yucky when you have grown up with a narcissistic foundation. But I do… really need help. I am asking for help. Prayers, even a gesture of care, concern or a “you got this, Jarelle!” has been really warming my heart, helping me feel positive and optimistic of this situation. Thanks to those of you who have reached out. That in itself is helping me feel loved and valued.

(Photo to me with the prescription glasses I was so proud of purchasing that morning. I haven’t taken a selfie in months.)