Hello Friends,



It has taken me a few days to get this message together. I needed some time to let the weight of it sink in. A few days ago, my friend Lauren posted this picture of herself on Facebook. On Friday, August 4th, she was brutally attacked and left for dead. The person who did this to her was not concerned about her surviving his attack. After dropping her unconscious body off at the end of a pier, he called the police. "There's a dead girl at the end of the pier."



I didn't know any of the details until I spent four hours on the phone with Lauren. I was trying to be sensitive about asking her painful questions.... I just tried to listen.

The photograph is so upsetting. I can't stop thinking about it. Every single bruise indicates a place where she was hit or kicked. I will never understand how or why someone did this to her on purpose. There is no reason in hate. It is such a sinking feeling in my soul that I can't move past it. I have to try to do something.



PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help me do something about this. I cannot look the other way. I know that the world has monsters in it, and I can't stop them all, but I can help Lauren. We can work together to pay her medical bills and to help her move to a safer place. I am starting a fund for her with the goal of $10,000. I don't think that is too much to ask. I believe that if we all pull together and support her and share this message, we can do this for her easily.



Look at this picture. Ask yourself if this is acceptable to you. It isn't for me. Please help me stand up against an act of hatred. Let's show Lauren that the world is full of love.



<3

Thank you

Rachel





The August 4th, 2017 attack on Lauren's life:

She was at home when she heard a knock on her door. A neighbor, whom she recognized but had only spoken with a few times, invited her for an afternoon out on his sailboat. She decided to go. Three of them (the neighbor had a friend) plus Lauren's little dog spent the day sailing along the coast, having a nice time. At the end of the trip, Lauren commented to her neighbor, "Wow, you parked the boat perfectly." After that, everything went black.

Lauren woke up confused in the hospital, with no recollection of how she got there. She has four broken ribs, a fractured jaw, a concussion from being kicked in the head. She has boot print bruises on her chest. She has a bald spot on the back of her head where her hair was either pulled or kicked out.



One of her first concerns upon waking up was, "Where's my dog?" Fortunately, she did find her dog at one of the boats in the marina. It also came with a note from her attacker. He apologized for what he did, and offered her money. He has since disappeared.

The police say it's her word against his.



Why was Lauren targeted?

There isn't a good answer for this. We suspect that he hates gay people. We can't know. Only a psychopathic maniac would know this.



HOW YOU CAN HELP!!!

Share this story. My first and immediate goal is to try to support Lauren. My second long term goal is to spread this message, build our community, and fight back against hate. I want us to come together and decide that this is unacceptable. We have to speak up and fight against it. I want to shine a spotlight onto things like this that are happening. This is not okay.



Help me raise Lauren's support fund. If 10,000 people each donate $1, we are there! I don't think many of us have ever experienced something this vicious. She said to me, "Why would anyone do this? I have nothing. If I didn't like someone, I would tell them to go away. That's it."



I can't change things for the whole world, but I can help my friend. Please look at this. Please get involved.

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