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4&-G�Crx, 1 <br />ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA <br />ATTN: Orange County Leaders <br />Dear Orange County Leader: <br />June of 2023 <br />We, the members of Los Amigos of Orange County and Native American <br />Chairpersons, extend our appreciation for your vision and mission to support <br />your constituents and the community at large. As leaders in Orange County, <br />we want to work together to ensure all communities, especially marginalized <br />groups, are treated with dignity and respect. <br />We are reaching out to you because we have been made aware that one of <br />our long-time ambassadors and leaders for the Native American community <br />in Orange County has become a target of discrimination. It is our <br />understanding that Ms. Lupe Lopez and her children are being defamed and <br />harassed with communications and cyberbullying. You and your office may <br />have received derogatory communications about Ms. Lopez and her civic <br />activities. Of equal concern is that similar tactics are growing and being <br />spread about other Native American leaders and planned major events, such <br />as upcoming Pow Wows. <br />The social media postings reflect that Ms. Lopez is a "pretend Indian," a <br />circulation of Ms. Lopez's birth certificate, and a posting of Ms. Lopez's <br />parents' marriage certificate. We are enclosing some examples of the <br />postings for your review. <br />We invite you to join us in standing firmly against these practices and <br />demand these tactics cease and desist immediately. We want to send a <br />direct message that bigotry, racism, and harassment is not condoned or <br />tolerated in Orange County or anywhere else. <br />While we are all aware that there will be differences among members of <br />groups and organizations, we believe that folks should handle these <br />differences with respect and among those directly involved. The spread of <br />hateful and hurtful information to uninvolved persons or communities is <br />unacceptable and divisive to our communities. <br />