Hey! It’s TYNACITY here and I’m happy to be alive, just not happy to ask for help. Yet, here I am.

The past year has been a storm. I have been constantly working nonstop to not only help myself, but to help family back home in the Midwest and also the community at large in Los Angeles. I have been doing my best to keep up with the financial adjustments that reflect these changes on my own, but have yet to get back to the point where life was before. I am finally at a point where without any help, I may not be able to recover or even get closer to a quality of life where achieving my most basic goals are a possibility. I hope this explanation isn't too long for you all, but here is a summary of what has occurred that has led to this effort to fundraise:

SPRING / SUMMER 2022

I went back to the greater Milwaukee area to care for my mother after she experienced a major injury where she shattered one of her legs at multiple points, requiring a metal rod replacement. This displaced me from my regular line of work in Los Angeles which was in the TV/motion picture production industry.

During this time, I also fell ill due to complications with my kidneys that challenged my ability to walk and give care to my mother. I still found a way to do so despite it but it did not come without great risk to my health and not getting the rest that doctors recommended.

FALL / WINTER 2022

I fell ill to the seasonal cold/flu which prevented me from working several performances and gigs. I took number PCR tests that confirmed at the outset of it that it was the cold/flu and not COVID-19 BUT as soon as I recovered from that, my partner and I were exposed to COVID-19 and had to go through an extended quarantine, further preventing me from returning to work. The day after my COVID-19 diagnosis I was on my way to do additional testing. As I started the engine of my 2015 Toyota Prius, I heard my usually very quiet car idling very loudly. Looking under the car I found my catalytic converter to be stolen with further damage the transmission line and the front undercarriage. Though I do have insurance that covered the cost of repairs, I had to resort to use of aftermarket parts since catalytic converters were on a 6 months backorder at the time with the dealership. The overall quality of the handling of my claim from the insurance was lackluster (the rental car voucher was unrealistically low, they mailed one of the claim checks to the wrong address and made deductions to the issued claim amount that the shop and I were not expecting) to where I still had to borrow money from my parents in order to rent a car during repairs and to get my car out of the shop. I do rely on a working car to maintain a livelihood and these extra expenses just about canceled out the money I did earn using the rental car for additional 3 weeks on top of the 2 weeks spent recovering from the illnesses.

FEBRUARY 2023

I went to an annual camping and live performance event in which it was my third year participating and the second year running a live sound stage. Due to some changes in personnel and equipment availability, there was a much greater expense in providing this sound stage compared to last year which led to me casually asking for donations to cover its cost via social media and in private group chats. I didn’t receive any donations through the time of the event taking place which was totally fine as I did not really have any expectations for it. However, a box of gear including power tools were stolen from my encampment and over the course of the event I encountered multiple instances of harassment from the locals in the area which were politically motivated and racial in nature. The instances involved a MAGA motorcade driving through the encampment and being called the N-word as a death threats were directed at me. Due to scouting and safety issues, I had a total of 3 different physical placements during this extended weekend outing, making the event unnecessarily laborious and challenging to my day-to-day health conditions of Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthiritis as well as my mental health. For everything I experienced, though I do not regret setting up the sound stage, I do most certainly wish it did not cost so much just for it to go down the way that it did as not only did I not deserve to encounter all that I did, I would not wish anyone go through a fraction of what I endured.

Life isn’t always easy but these matters do certainly add up. The current state of matters risks my livelihood and the ability to retain my car and housing security. Without your help, many things will be up in the air. Therefore, I am asking for help to cover:

* Car-related expenses: maintenance, car note & insurance payments and paying money owed back to parents for previous car repair matters

* Studio, storage and utility expenses

* Replacement of camping gear & power tools

In the event of raising any money over the original amount set, those funds would be used toward getting additional repairs to the car that are way overdue and to further secure the space my studio is a part of. If anyone has questions regarding fundraising you can reach out using the contact mechanisms GFM has in place and I will do my best to keep up and share information while respecting the aspects of the situation that do have a need for more discretion and privacy.

I would like to continue what I do best in LA- community organizing, DJing, making music, film and TV. I have gratitude for any support that can be provided! Thank you for reading, sharing and contributing.