Help our friend Ben, whose car was seized at gunpoint

**El texto en español sigue al inglés / Spanish text below**

On a recent trip to Mexico to take part in a happy family celebration, our good friend had his car seized at gunpoint by corrupt border guards. Ben was ordered out of the car and the men attempted to extort money from him in order to get the car back. Unfortunately, there was nothing Ben could do at the time, since he didn't have that amount of money, and the local police would not issue him an incident report which is required for insurance purposes. As a result, his car was taken from him and he was left on the side of the road with nothing but his belongings. Luckily, he was able to call his family members who came to pick him up. Ben made it back to the United States safely, but is now without a car, which he needs for work and to get to dance auditions and performances, which are his passion, but which often require traveling all over Southern California.

Ben is the nicest guy and would never ask for a handout. His friends, including me, Bryan Lopuck, started this Go Fund Me in hopes that everyone we know might chip in $20, $50, $100 – whatever amount they can spare – in order to help Ben get a replacement used car. If everyone reading this donates the price of a couple of cups of coffee, we'll have enough to replace the old Honda Accord in no time! Thanks so much, everyone!

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En un viaje reciente a Nogales, México, para asistir a una reunión familiar, nuestro buen amigo Ben, fue atacado a punta de pistola y su carro fue incautado por corruptos patrulleros. A punta de pistola, le pidieron que saliera del auto, los asaltantes intentaron extorsionarlo pidiendo miles de pesos para recibir el auto de nuevo. Desafortunadamente, Ben no pudo hacer nada en ese momento al no contar con la cantidad de dinero que ellos pedían. Como resultado, lo despojaron de su auto, dejándolo solo con sus pertenencias al lado de la carretera. Afortunadamente, Ben pudo llamar a su familia, quienes pasaron por él para llevarlo a casa. Ben ha regresado a Palm Springs sano y salvo, pero sin auto, el cual necesita para moverse al trabajo, audiciones y eventos de baile, lo cual es su pasión.

Si conoces a Ben, sabes que es una persona de buen corazón y no le pediría dinero a nadie. Amigos de Ben, incluyendo me a mi, Bryan Lopuck, nos hemos juntado para organizar este Go Fund Me, en espera que todos ayuden con lo que puedan, $20, $50, $100 — lo que sea que puedan ayudar, para auxiliar a nuestro amigo Ben a obtener un auto usado para reemplazar su auto perdido. Si todos leyendo esta petición donarán lo que cuesta un par de cafés, tendremos suficiente para reemplazar el viejo Accord inmediatamente. Gracias a todos por leer y gracias por tú donación.