No Justice, No Teace!
Donation protected
Welcome friends,
No Justice, No Teace! is a group of friends, allies and supporters of Teace.
Teace is just a dude who lives in Minneapolis. He loves music, cooks great food, and works at an organic cheese shop. As one of Minneapolis’ top vinyl DJ’s, he spins one of the best dance nights in town. He’s lived in the U.S. almost his entire life, and all he wants to do is be free to continue living.
On March 2, Teace was awoken to find immigration officers at his door. They cuffed him, imprisoned him, and put him in detention without an expectation for a prompt hearing. Why? An expunged misdemeanor from 17 years ago, and a desire to become a naturalized American citizen.
Teace came to the United States as a refugee from Southeast Asia when he was only a year old. His father fought alongside American soldiers, and their family was given amnesty in the U.S., where they hoped to find a new life of peace and stability.
Rasied in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Teace grew up as a typical American kid. He loved McDonalds, attended Lutheran school, and fell in love with music. The only culture he knew was American culture — and for much of his life, believed he was a naturalized citizen.
Tragically, his father passed away from inoperable brain cancer while he was completing the process that would have given Teace his citizenship. Teace was only 12 years old.
At 19, in 1997, a supposed friend trickted Teace into picking up a package. That package contained marijuana, and the “friend” had a pretty good idea that the police were watching. Teace went through the court system, was charged with a 5th degree misdemeanor, pleaded guilty without any understanding of the immigration consequences, completed all requirements of his probation, and eventually had his record expunged. This normally wouldn’t come back with such force, but, as a non-citizen, Teace lacks many of the rights we take for granted. Non-citizens, even legal permanent residents, are not protected by our legal system with the full force of law many of us take for granted as U.S. citizens.
Even though Teace is a legal permanent resident with a green card that doesn’t expire, he initially faced mandatory detention for a mistake he made 18 years ago — a mistake that’s decriminalized in the state of Minnesota, and legalized in many other states. Teace was released from custody only because his immigration counsel was able to show that he should be able to live his life while waiting on an immigration decision, and he had a case to possibly stop his deportation. Many facing deportation lack access to counsel and are not so lucky. Even so, good counsel is in short supply. There is no access to publically-funded lawyers, as we guarantee as a basic right in criminal cases.
We are raising money to help offset Teace’s legal costs and raise awareness about the injustice within the immigration system. We want to share the stories of the voiceless, and create an open dialogue about how we can change our system to benefit all people. We share a common history; every people group of people in the U.S has faced systematic oppression and dehumanization when they immigrated to this country. It’s time for us to realize our human narrative and give the microphone to those who need it most now.
There’s nothing more American than fighting to be an American. Join us in the Loveolution!
First $3000 goes towards Teace’s legal costs.
All other funds will be split 50/50 between Teace’s legal fund, and immediate relief to help incarcerated immigrants.
All gifts are a non-charitable contribution, and are not tax-deducible.
No Justice, No Teace! is a group of friends, allies and supporters of Teace.
Teace is just a dude who lives in Minneapolis. He loves music, cooks great food, and works at an organic cheese shop. As one of Minneapolis’ top vinyl DJ’s, he spins one of the best dance nights in town. He’s lived in the U.S. almost his entire life, and all he wants to do is be free to continue living.
On March 2, Teace was awoken to find immigration officers at his door. They cuffed him, imprisoned him, and put him in detention without an expectation for a prompt hearing. Why? An expunged misdemeanor from 17 years ago, and a desire to become a naturalized American citizen.
Teace came to the United States as a refugee from Southeast Asia when he was only a year old. His father fought alongside American soldiers, and their family was given amnesty in the U.S., where they hoped to find a new life of peace and stability.
Rasied in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Teace grew up as a typical American kid. He loved McDonalds, attended Lutheran school, and fell in love with music. The only culture he knew was American culture — and for much of his life, believed he was a naturalized citizen.
Tragically, his father passed away from inoperable brain cancer while he was completing the process that would have given Teace his citizenship. Teace was only 12 years old.
At 19, in 1997, a supposed friend trickted Teace into picking up a package. That package contained marijuana, and the “friend” had a pretty good idea that the police were watching. Teace went through the court system, was charged with a 5th degree misdemeanor, pleaded guilty without any understanding of the immigration consequences, completed all requirements of his probation, and eventually had his record expunged. This normally wouldn’t come back with such force, but, as a non-citizen, Teace lacks many of the rights we take for granted. Non-citizens, even legal permanent residents, are not protected by our legal system with the full force of law many of us take for granted as U.S. citizens.
Even though Teace is a legal permanent resident with a green card that doesn’t expire, he initially faced mandatory detention for a mistake he made 18 years ago — a mistake that’s decriminalized in the state of Minnesota, and legalized in many other states. Teace was released from custody only because his immigration counsel was able to show that he should be able to live his life while waiting on an immigration decision, and he had a case to possibly stop his deportation. Many facing deportation lack access to counsel and are not so lucky. Even so, good counsel is in short supply. There is no access to publically-funded lawyers, as we guarantee as a basic right in criminal cases.
We are raising money to help offset Teace’s legal costs and raise awareness about the injustice within the immigration system. We want to share the stories of the voiceless, and create an open dialogue about how we can change our system to benefit all people. We share a common history; every people group of people in the U.S has faced systematic oppression and dehumanization when they immigrated to this country. It’s time for us to realize our human narrative and give the microphone to those who need it most now.
There’s nothing more American than fighting to be an American. Join us in the Loveolution!
First $3000 goes towards Teace’s legal costs.
All other funds will be split 50/50 between Teace’s legal fund, and immediate relief to help incarcerated immigrants.
All gifts are a non-charitable contribution, and are not tax-deducible.
Organizer and beneficiary
Beatrix Delacorte
Organizer
Minneapolis, MN
Alison Criss
Beneficiary
