The family portrayed in this banner (family friends) had lost a loved one to violence, and were struggling with his loss. Because he had committed a felony in his youth, the family was not eligible for the usual public assistance given by the county in such cases.

Then, April 2005 rolled by, marking a significant anniversary in the Victim Rights Act, initiated during the Regan era. An advocate from the Victim Rights Division of Alameda County contacted me to see if I would be interested in teaching her department how to fold cranes for a presentation marking the anniversary. I agreed to help them, and volunteered to create a banner to make visible their cause, on the proviso that it featured this family.

As a result of their direct contact with the Crime Victims Division, and through various types of media exposure, the family was eventually able to gain some assistance, and more importantly, to tell their story in a compassionate and complete way.

The art was purchased by several individuals, and donated to the Family Justice Center in Oakland, California.