USA First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff

Dear First Partner Siebel Newsom
My name is Araceli, and my son Rafael Gonzalez (Rafa) died from fentanyl a week after
he graduated high school. He was my last baby and my only son; we had a very close
relationship. He was my person, and I was his. His sisters had moved away to college, so
I expected to have him home just another year or two before he would leave for college.
Rafa had dreams. He wanted to be a UFC fighter, personal trainer, and he wanted to help
others.
On June 18th, 2021, I left to work at 7am and when I got home at 1:25pm, I found my son
dead. I called. 911 and gave him CPR but it was too late. My neighbor’s camera got video
of my son on that day which. showed who picked him up, and dropped him off at home to
die alone. There are text messages with the person who took him to buy the pills and with
all the evidence, nothing could be done. Not one person was held accountable for my
son’s life.
The unimaginable has happened to me and to many other mothers here in California and
all over the US. What I’m asking today, is that you don’t let our children be forgotten, that
you help make a special place in the capitol of California for our children who died
because of fentanyl.
We have created two memorial walls: one with photos, and one with names, to honor
those who have lost their lives due to this drug. I am including Rafa’s frame in this letter,
along with a brochure of virtual memorial walls, albums, and our awareness campaign.
These digital walls and albums update automatically, and we would also like the photos
displayed in hard copy format.
We believe that our loved ones should be treated like victims of a weapon of mass
destruction. They were all victims of Purdue Pharma, Chinese and Mexican cartels. Our
group of California moms would love to meet with you and work together to prevent this
from happening ever again.
We urge you to help us find a permanent location for the Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall
within our capital. Our goal is to raise awareness about the devastating effects of drug
addiction and the dangers of fentanyl. We want to honor those who have lost their lives to
this epidemic. We believe that your support and involvement would be crucial in achieving
this goal.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, and we look forward to hearing from you
soon.
Thank you,
Rafa’s mom
Nipomo, CA
75