Ben Gonzalez
Mexico
Entrepreneur
I am Ben Gonzalez and I am originally from Michoacan Mexico. I came to the States when I was 11 years old. I have DACA status now so it gives me the right to drive and own a business.
I’m an entrepreneur. Honestly, I don’t have a profession yet. I love making t-shirts, which is my business. My dream is to have a small fast warehouse where I can print shirts all day long, boom!
Right now I work as a handyman. I offer handyman services for my day job 7:00 to 3:00 anywhere in the SF Bay Area. I see a lot different type of people. A couple of years ago, I went to work by the Folsom Lake up in Sacramento and there was this white family with a big Trump supporter sign in front of their yard. They hired me to do work so I’m just over here like, “Wait up, I come all this way…” I’m from Oakland, California, I go all the way to Sacramento and I’m like, “you hire me to do this job and you’re supporting Trump.” That’s hypocritical. You can’t invite me to your house with a big support Trump sign in front. Honestly, I think that was a stupid move to hire me and then have me do the job at their home while they’re Trump supporters.
I really would love to hear why they really support this guy and what’s the real reason and maybe hear where they really come from. What make you support this guy? That’s what I would love to know. I would like to know why you are supporting all the chaos and harm this guy has caused, like putting migrants in cages, separating children from their parents and all that stuff, that is inhumane. Because these people are in the cages, it’s just not them in the cages, but it’s part of me in the cages. That’s how I feel.
My hope for America is to be open hearted. I think that would be the right word to use, be open hearted. And to open your ears too because people need to hear these stories of these immigrants. Once you hear these stories from these people — people that are in cages, — then judge them. Hear them out first. I got a chance for a lot of people to hear me out and it means so much. They are part of my story now.
I like helping people. There’s people in need and I tell this to everyone; every time I have extra or I have a little bit I could give away, I’m going to give away. There’s a lot of people on the streets, there’s a lot of people without homes so I will always spare whatever I have extra and whatever I don’t need to them. That’s what I do. This is why I’m printing shirts. That’s how I started this, dressing the homeless. Then it switched to supporting immigrants. I’m giving back and that’s what counts to me.