Donations for Naomi & Victor Oquendo

Welcome!

 

My name is Naomi and my husband is Victor Oquendo. A few people on TikTok asked if they could donate and help us with being together so here we are. 

Donations will be used for my flights & accommodation to visit my husband. Anything extra will go towards our petition, costs for his living and any other arrangements we need to set in place. 

Please understand we do not expect ANYTHING!! This is set up because people asked to donate! :)

 

About Victor

 

Victor was in foster care from a very young age and failed by the system. After numerous cases of abusive foster carers he would run away and sleep on park benches or in abandoned houses. Victor was under the age of 6 years old when this was happening. A child who had never experienced love or care and was left with no where to go. He had faced more neglect in the first 6 years of his life than most have their entire lives. The gangs of Detroit offered him the first taste of what a "family" was and also gave him a chance to survive on the streets, but along with it came a criminal lifestyle. When Victor was 19 years old he met a group for an "exchange". Something many gangs deal with day to day. Unfortunately the exchange took a turn - the other party pulled a gun and shot at him. Victor, 19 years old at the time, shot back. This resulted in his double homicide conviction.

 

Victor was born into abuse, neglect and exploitation. He didn't come from a privileged lifestyle, he was fighting for his and his families life on a daily basis, in an underfunded neighbourhood surrounded by gangs and violence. He had no fighting chance to live a "normal" life. He even claims if he wasn't put in prison then he doesn't believe he would have lived past 20 years old due to his lifestyle. A lot of young children are exploited by the system and forced into a life of crime and violence as a means to survive.

 

Victor has served 11 years of his 24 year sentence. He is 30 years old and a completely changed man. He loves to create art, write and design tattoos. He taught himself how to read and write over the past 11 years. He has hopes and dreams to create a successful life on the outside as a tattoo artist. He wishes to be reunited with his two children. He wants to be a good family man and live an ordinary life as a husband and father. Victor will be 43 years old when he is released from prison, for a crime he committed when he was only 19 years old.

 

Why vote?

 

We are in no way condoning his crimes, and neither is he. Victor knows he is not a victim nor innocent. He wishes he never lost his way and never reacted the way he did in the tragic situation that landed him in prison. He is extremely sorry for the crimes he committed, empathetic to the family it would have affected and spends the majority of his time tortured by what he did. However, I 100% believe he has changed and is ready to turn his entire life around and become a valued member of society. I don't believe Victor had a fighting chance at life, I believe it was inevitable that he went to prison. I also believe the prison system should be focused around rehabilitating inmates and not punishing them.

 

Please can we have your donations so we can help

provide him a future, a purpose and to help support the Michigan Justice Advocacy!

 

What is the Michigan Justice Advocacy?

 

Our mantra is “Giving a Voice to the Voiceless” as we advocate on behalf of current and formerly incarcerated citizens. Our mission is to advocate for legislative changes in the area of Criminal Justice Reform via direct and grassroots lobbying.

 

To date, we are actively lobbying (direct and grassroots) our legislature in hopes of developing a bill to bring back Good Time Credits.

 

“Good time” — also called “earned time,” “meritorious credit,” or similar — is a system by which people in prison can earn time off their sentences. States award time “credits” to incarcerated individuals to shorten the time they must serve before becoming parole-eligible or completing their sentences altogether.

 

Thank you!!!