A Home for the Martinez Family
A Home for the Martinez Family and Healing from the Karen Who Cried Kidnapping
UPDATE: We're almost at Goal 1. This community is amazing! Let's make this go viral and hit our next goal of raising an additional $150,000 for a down payment on their own home so they can never be evicted again.
SUMMARY
Just after winning justice for the false accusations against them, the Martinez family was cruelly evicted from their home. They urgently need a temporary home (goal 1: $10,000 for a new rental house) and even more importantly they need a permanent home (goal 2: $150,000 for a down payment). After years of being made to feel unwelcome in their own community let’s show this family how loved and safe they are.
THE FULL STORY
By now you’ve heard the story of how a wannabe mom influencer racially profiled and falsely accused longtime Petaluma community members Sadie and Eddie Martinez of trying to “kidnap” her children two years ago. You’ve probably heard about how she was finally convicted of a crime for lying to police about Sadie and Eddie, who were shopping for Christmas crafts at Michael’s that day (links below).
But today, we as fellow community members want to take the spotlight off of that person and instead shower Sadie and Eddie with the love and support they so deeply deserve. That person thought that the Martinezes didn’t belong in their own community. Let’s make their place in Petaluma permanent by helping them to buy a home.
FIRST A FALSE ACCUSATION, NOW AN EVICTION
This fundraiser comes at a critical point - during the recent trial, the Matinez family was served with an eviction notice. On the very same day that the jury returned a guilty verdict, they were evicted from their home. A day that should have been filled with relief and a sense of justice was quickly turned to more feelings of panic and anxiety. They were only able to return days later to collect their belongings that had been thrown into the front yard. Sadie, Eddie and their children are now functionally homeless.
SADIE AND EDDIE ARE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY
We cannot let another injustice harm the Martinez family. Sadie and Eddie are part of the backbone of our community. They have raised their five kids here for the last 18 years. They are deeply involved in our schools, and they show up for their neighbors. After clearing their name, Sadie was appointed to Petaluma’s Ad Hoc Community Advisory Council charged with developing recommendations to improve diversity, equity and inclusion in Petaluma. She also runs her own business creating custom balloon arches - she recently donated a beautiful rainbow arch for Petaluma’s very first Pride event. Eddie is a longtime UPS driver who shows great care for all of the customers on his route. He happens to be this organizer’s UPS driver – he recently left a $20 bill at my kids’ lonely country lemonade stand, making their whole day. That’s the kind of people they are.
LET’S SHOW UP FOR SADIE AND EDDIE
The last two years have been traumatic for Sadie, Eddie and their children. They first had to endure the judgment and shame of being accused of an unthinkable crime. Since then they’ve suffered emotional distress, anxiety, and a lack of closure as they went without accountability or apology and repeated attempts were made to have the false reporting charges diverted and dismissed. They’ve been impacted financially, taking time off of work to help the police and prosecutors make their case and for the trial itself. Now they’ve lost their home. They are private people who do not like to ask for help. But in our community, we come together to support each other, and it’s time to help the Martinez family.
Goal 1: $10,000 for first month, last month, and deposit for a rental home needed ASAP
Goal 2: $150,000 for a down payment on their own home
We want this fundraiser to go viral - to overcome the devastating effect of the viral video slandering Sadie and Eddie. If everyone who watched that video donated just $1 then we’d have $4.5 million to give to them! Millions more people have read their story in the national news, expressing their sympathy for how Sadie and Eddie were treated that day and in the years since. If you are one of those people, then together let’s help Sadie, Eddie and their kids find a home that makes them finally feel safe, secure and at peace. We know this is not the end of this nightmare for the Martinez family, but while they wait for the June 14th sentencing date, we hope they can do that in the comfort of their own well-deserved home.
NEWS LINKS:
Organizer and beneficiary
Sadie Martinez
Beneficiary