"EXPRESS KIDNAPPED IN MEXICO CITY" RELIEF FUND

On Sept. 15th, Brittney Carranza, Osmar Cigarroa, and I (Julian Porte( were express kidnapped in Mexico City and robbed of all our belongings. What was supposed to be a week-long trip that began with a show I played with my band Levitation Room (as well as a vacation for me and Brittney) took a complete turn for the worst. The day we had checked out of our air bnb, we planned a quick hike into what seemed to be a beautiful national park in Mexico City named Desierto de los Leones. Our wonderful friend Osmar (born and raised in CDMX) was kind enough to take us there and be our tour guide (as he had been there many, many times before.) Misfortune followed us as we drove in through the forest on our way to our destination- an ex-convent known to be a popular tourist attraction. We noticed a beautiful scenic area so we pulled over for a brief walk into nature. On our way back to the car, we were ambushed by 5 people with knives and a gun. They forced us to walk deep into the forest where no one would find us. There was no choice but to cooperate as they hog-tied us and stole whatever money, jewelry, and other personal belongings we had on us. They made us give up our debit card, phone passcode information, and car keys. Then they violently forced Mezcal down our throats and wrapped our friend's ripped t-shirt around our mouths. Although they pushed us around, hit us on our heads with various objects, tied our hands and feet so tight they turned blue, and threatened to kill us and rape Brittney-we luckily survived. In the end, they left us there tied up in the forest. Osmar had a lighter in his pocket that he managed to take out and we used it to burn each other's ties. If it weren't for that, who knows how long we would have been stuck out there without any means to escape. When we walked back to the road where we had parked, Osmar’s car had been stolen along with other valuables like his work computer, my music gear, and our luggage. We’re making this GoFundMe to ask all our friends, music fans, and family to help us get back what was stolen from us. The extremity and horror that we experienced was a shocking blow that we would never wish upon anyone, but perhaps we can turn the darkness we endured into something positive. We’d also like to donate to his family in Mexico, who, like him, went above and beyond to take care of us while we were stuck there. They fed us, gave us clothes, a place to stay, free rides, and treated us like family. We could not thank him and his parents enough for having such big, loving hearts and genuine kindness. If you're in a financially stable place to donate or can at least share our story with others, we will forever appreciate it.

Written by both Julian and Benny.

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