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I DREAMED I SAW JOE HILL LAST NIGHT--BIOGRAPHIES
ESSENTIALS
Some words from Rico Rodriguez (Just Cause)
"One day, they will write
books about this!"
MATEO LOYA
WISE WORDS
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself--and you are the easiest person to fool."
--Richard Feynman
READINGS
CURRENT WORK
PAST
SIMULATIONS
Cameron​ ​Garcia,​ ​born​ ​Mateo​ ​Loya​, ​is​ ​the​ ​child​ ​of​ ​two​ ​undocumented​ ​immigrants​ ​hailing originally​ ​from​ ​Caborca,​ ​Mexico.​ ​He​ ​has​ ​lived​ ​in​ ​fear​ ​his​ ​entire​ ​life: ​in​ ​fear​ ​of​ ​being​ ​left​ ​alone​ ​if ICE​ ​found​ ​his​ ​parents; ​in​ ​fear​ ​of​ ​his​ ​fellow​ ​classmates; in​ ​fear​ ​of​ ​the​ ​S.W.A.T.​ ​raids​ ​taking​ ​down drug​ ​dens​ ​in​ ​his​ ​neighborhood; in​ ​fear​ ​for​ ​his​ ​life.​ ​Mateo​ ​had​ ​never​ ​felt​ ​fear​ ​so​ ​deep​ ​as​ ​the​ ​latter; Cameron​ ​feels​ ​it​ ​every​ ​time​ ​he​ ​leaves​ ​his​ ​house.
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According​ ​to​ ​legal​ ​records,​ ​Mateo​ ​died​ ​in​ ​a​ ​tragic​ ​car​ ​accident,​ ​the​ ​body​ ​mutilated beyond​ ​recognition.​ ​However,​ ​a​ ​select​ ​few​ ​know​ ​the​ ​real​ ​story​ ​of​ ​Mateo​ ​Loya​ ​and​ ​his connection​ ​to​ ​Cameron​ ​Garcia.​ ​Mateo​ ​grew​ ​up​ ​and​ ​lived​, to put it lightly, in​ ​a​ ​“rough”​ ​part​ ​of​ ​town​.​ ​Drug​ ​dealers​ ​would​ ​move​ ​in​ ​and​ ​out​ ​on​ ​a​ ​seemingly​ ​monthly​ ​basis,​ ​unless​ ​the​ ​rhythm was​ ​interrupted​ ​by​ ​the​ ​not​ ​unusual​ ​S.W.A.T.​ ​raids.​ ​The​ ​sound​ ​of​ ​flashbangs​ ​down​ ​the​ ​street became​ ​like​ ​a​ ​lullaby​ ​to​​ ​young​ ​Mateo.​ ​His​ ​family​ ​was​ ​not​ ​involved​ ​with​ ​any​ ​of​ ​the​ ​local crime; they​ ​lived​ ​perfectly​ ​legitimate,​ ​albeit​ ​low​-income,​ ​lives.​ ​Except​ ​for​ ​the​ ​small​ ​detail​ ​that Gabriel​ ​and​ ​Maria​ ​Loya​ ​were​ ​illegal​ ​immigrants​ ​living​ ​in​ ​the​ ​United​ ​States.​ ​They​ ​had​ ​come over​ ​on​ ​work​ ​visas​ ​to​ ​provide​ ​cheap​ ​labor​ ​for​ ​a​ ​large​ ​farm,​ ​and​ ​did​ ​not​ ​realize​ ​that​ ​their paperwork​ ​needed​ ​to​ ​be​ ​renewed.​ ​So​ ​those papers ​eventually​ ​expired​ ​and​ ​the​ ​two​ ​were​ ​then​ ​classified​ ​as illegals.​ ​They​ ​bounced​ ​from​ ​job​ ​to​ ​job,​ ​with​ ​Maria​ ​soon​ ​becoming​ ​pregnant​, forcing​ ​them​ ​to​ ​settle​ ​down​ ​somewhere​ ​to​ ​raise​ ​their​ ​child.​ ​With​ ​a​ ​limited​ ​income,​ ​they​ had​ ​to​ ​raise​ ​their​ ​child​ ​in​ ​the​ ​shadiest​ ​area​ ​of​ ​town.
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Mateo​ ​had​ ​never​ ​seemed​ ​to​ ​grasp​ ​his​ ​situation. He​ ​knew​ ​his​ ​parents​ ​were​ ​illegal​ ​but didn’t​ ​quite​ ​understand​ ​the​ ​risks. ​His​ ​father​ ​always​ ​told​ ​him​ ​to​ ​be​ ​very​ ​careful​ ​when​ ​walking down​ ​their​ ​street​ ​and​ ​never​ ​let​ ​him​ ​walk​ ​out​ ​at​ ​night.​ Mateo​ ​listened​ ​but​ ​never​ ​understood. Things,​ ​thankfully,​ ​remained​ ​uneventful​ ​for​ ​Mateo​ ​and​ ​his​ ​family​ ​as​ ​he​ ​grew​ ​up.​ ​It​ ​was​ ​not​ ​until Mateo​ ​​found ​​a​ ​job​ ​working​ ​for​ ​a​ ​large​-​scale​ ​farming​ ​operation​ ​that​ ​he​ ​began​ ​to​ ​realize what​ ​his​ ​situation​ ​was.​ Working​ ​on​ ​this​ ​farm​ ​he​ ​met​ ​numerous​ ​illegal​ ​immigrants; ​it​ ​was​ ​almost like​ ​the​ ​bonding process ​kept​ ​them​ ​working​ ​efficiently.​ ​Upon​ ​beginning​ ​work​ ​on​ ​the​ ​farm​ ​Mateo​ ​joined a​ ​labor​ ​union,​ ​so​ ​that​ ​he​ ​could​ ​have​ ​his​ ​rights​ ​spoken​ ​for.​ ​However,​ ​the​ ​labor​ ​union​ ​was​ ​soon under​ ​pressure​ ​from​ ​other​ ​external​ ​forces.
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The​ ​union​ ​had​ ​a​ ​large​ ​amount​ ​of​ ​undocumented​ ​immigrants​ ​among​ ​its​ ​members.​ ​There was​ ​a​ ​local​ ​group​ ​of​ ​white​ ​supremacists​ ​who​ ​did​ ​not​ ​approve​ ​of​ ​such​ ​an​ ​organization.​ ​One day​ ​they​ ​became​ ​militant.​ While​ ​some​ ​farm​ ​workers​ ​were​ ​heading​ ​home​ ​late​ ​one​ ​night,​ ​they​ ​were confronted​ ​by​ ​the​ ​supremacists​ ​and​ ​their​ ​leader,​ ​John​ ​Morris.​ ​There​ ​was​ ​a​ ​heated​ ​debate​ ​among many​ ​of​ ​the​ ​workers​ ​and​ ​John,​ ​talking​ ​about​ ​how​ ​his group also had rights​​​, and​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​get​ ​the men​ ​to​ ​stand​ ​down.​ ​Mateo,​ ​recognizing​ ​the​ ​danger​ ​of​ ​the​ ​situation,​ ​crept​ ​away​ ​before​ ​the situation​ ​escalated​ ​to​ ​violence.​ ​As​ ​he​ ​was​ ​running​ ​away,​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​of​ ​gunshots​ ​rang​ ​through​ ​the air.​ ​Mateo​ ​did​ ​not​ ​dare​ ​look​ ​back; ​he​ ​continued​ ​to​ ​put​ ​more​ ​distance​ ​between​ ​himself​ ​and​ ​John Morris’​ ​terror​ ​squad. Mateo​ ​ran,​​ ​all​ ​the​ ​way​ ​to​ ​the​ ​police.​ ​After hearing​ ​his​ ​story,​ ​they​ ​investigated​ ​the​ ​scene and​ ​believed​ ​Mateo​ ​but​ ​could​ ​not​ ​tie​ ​John​ ​Morris​ ​to​ ​the​ ​scene.​ ​However,​ ​Mateo​ ​knew​ ​he​ ​was​ ​no longer​ ​safe.​ ​Federal agents​ ​gave​ ​Mateo​ ​the​ ​option​ ​of​ ​witness​ ​protection,​ ​allowing​ ​him​ ​to​ ​start​ ​a​ ​new life​ ​in​ ​exchange​ ​for​ ​testifying​ ​against​ ​John​ ​once​ ​they​ ​could​ ​put​ ​him​ ​on​ ​trial.​ ​Mateo​ ​took​ ​the​ ​deal, and​ ​underwent​ ​the​ ​transformation​ ​to​ ​Cameron​ ​Garcia.​ ​Cameron​ ​was​ ​moved​ ​upstate,​ ​and​ ​Mateo became​ ​legally​ ​deceased.
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Cameron​ ​was​ ​welcomed​ ​into​ ​a​ ​small​ ​suburb​ ​where​ ​he​ ​worked​ ​two​ ​jobs,​ ​as​ ​a​ ​custodian for​ ​the​ ​local​ ​school​ ​and​ ​as a​ ​cook​ ​for​ ​a​ ​diner.​ ​Life​ ​was​ ​peaceful,​ ​and​ ​Cameron​ ​was​ ​allowed​ ​to​ ​live a​ ​blissfully​ ​ignorant​ ​life​ ​for​ ​quite​ ​a​ ​number​ ​of​ ​years.​ ​It​ ​was​ ​not​ ​until​ ​news​ ​reached​ ​him​ ​about John​ ​Morris’​ ​campaign​ ​for​ ​senator​ ​on​ ​the​ ​motto​ ​of​ ​“purifying​ ​the​ ​state”​ ​that​ ​Cameron’s​ ​past​ ​has come​ ​to​ ​haunt​ ​him.​ ​Cameron​ ​spent ​a​ ​few​ ​months​ ​banking​ ​on​ ​the​ ​common​ ​sense​ ​of​ ​voters​ ​to​ ​not allow​ ​this​ ​man​ ​to​ ​gain​ ​power.​ But​ ​the​ ​anti-immigrant​ ​vote​ ​is​ ​gaining​ ​too​ ​much​ ​strength,​ ​and​ ​it starts​ ​to​ ​look​ ​like​ ​Morris​ ​is​ ​going​ ​to​ ​win.​ ​Now​ ​Cameron​ ​is​ ​faced​ ​with​ ​a​ ​dilemma​ ​as​ ​never before.​ ​He​ ​can​ ​bring​ ​Morris’​ ​past​ ​to​ ​light​ ​in​ ​hopes​ ​of​ ​ruining​ ​his​ ​campaign​ ​and​ ​saving​ ​the immigrants​ ​he​ ​has​ ​known​ ​his​ ​whole​ ​life,​ ​or​ ​he​ ​can​ ​stay​ ​safe​ ​and​ ​not​ ​endanger​ ​himself​ ​and​ ​the investigation​ ​into​ ​Morris.
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