Please if you can go look at my fund raiser, and donate if possible
I traveled from Chicago to Alaska for a seasonal job, eager for a new chapter. While getting settled, I met a woman named Kristi who owns a lodge she inherited from her parents. She told me she was 65, sick, and frail. Feeling for her situation, I agreed to help her for free before my actual job began. I arrived three weeks early, only to find her in the process of kicking three people off her island—unaware at the time that she was doing so just to give me their living space.
I began working immediately, putting in seven 15-hour days. Then, without warning, she told me she had rented out my cabin and I had one day to pack and leave. I informed her that she was legally required to give 10 days' notice, but offered to compromise and leave in four days when the new guests arrived. This would have given me time to book accommodations and arrange transport. Instead of responding, she walked away.
The next morning, May 4, at 10:15 AM, she knocked on my door with a police officer she introduced as her "friend." The officer was verbally abusive and threatening, using his position to intimidate me into leaving immediately. Forced into a desperate situation, I packed my things and stood on a cold beach in the rain for three hours waiting for a water taxi. The driver who eventually picked me up told me she does this to people all the time.
That was the breaking point. Once I reached the mainland, I contacted an attorney. We are filing suit against the woman for breach of contract, the officer for tortious interference and acting in bad faith under the color of law, and the City of Homer for failing to train and monitor their staff. While the lawyers believe I have a very viable case, the retainer is between $7,000 and $12,000.
I have already spent nearly $4,000 on last-minute hotels, a bus to Anchorage, and emergency travel—money I didn't have to lose. To make matters worse, she called the lodge where I was originally supposed to work and had me fired simply because I am pursuing legal action.
I am starting this GoFundMe—the first I’ve ever done—because I cannot fight this alone. This woman is exploiting seasonal workers for free labor and then discarding them to keep her business afloat. Seasonal workers are the backbone of Homer’s economy; without us, these lodges and restaurants couldn't survive. Yet, I’ve been met with "locals first" hostility and told to "just go home."
I came here to help an elderly woman get on her feet. Instead, she has financially devastated me and left me stranded in a hotel room, unsure of how I will afford food for the next few days while she profits from the cabin I was staying in.
I am asking for accountability. I am asking for the police to stop acting as personal bodyguards for their friends. If you can donate even one dollar, it will go toward the legal fees needed to hold these parties responsible. Please don’t let me go through this alone.
Go fund me name is : Hold Homer Cops & Corporations Accountable