My name is Lisa-Marie Abramson, I'm a self-employed hair stylist in Minneapolis. This last week I was stopped by ICE and harassed by them to show my citizenship, which I had my documents on me to show them. I was let off unharmed physically but not mentally. I'm an Asian-American, and until this happened I've always felt safe in the United States, especially in Minneapolis. My clients are primarily POC as well, and have felt unsafe coming downtown and going out in public, for good reason. Business has gone down by over half with the shutdowns and also civil unrest and lack of safety.

I didn't want to do a GoFundMe, but after being encouraged by several loved ones have decided it may help. This will go towards rent, lost revenue so I can continue paying bills, and so I can also take a bit of time off to process everything. I don't feel safe going out everyday like I did before, not until this is all over. Simple things like going a block down from my home to the gas station proved to be dangerous and frightening, and I need time to figure out how to protect myself and my clients in the meantime.

Thank you all for your words of support this week, it breaks my heart that we have to do this since there is no other help available right now. My heart breaks for Renee and Alex and their loved ones, and I consider myself lucky and grateful that I was let go unharmed. I also plan to donate 25% of these funds to those in need around the city, specifically minorities who feel unsafe as well. Thank you all again for reading this and for your support and love,

Lisa-Marie Abramson