“Ever since that day I have been sad, lonely, angry, and grieving the loss of my dad.  There is not one day I don’t think about him and wish things could’ve been done differently to still have my dad here… It has torn my life apart.”

Since we first called for transparency and accountability for the killing of Nicolas Morales, we’ve heard from people across the country who are outraged at his horrific death at the hands of Collier County Sheriff’s deputies.  Our community has welcomed a chorus of allied voices, from faith leaders, to civil rights advocates, to student and youth leaders.

But the one voice that hasn’t been truly heard until now — in many ways the single most important voice — is that of his young son, Nicolas Morales Jr., who was sleeping in his bed only yards away from the pavement where his father lay dying that fateful night in September.  

Today, we are honored and humbled to share a letter we recently received here at the CIW from Nicolas, Jr., transcribed below in full:

Dear Immokalee Coalition,

I am thankful for all the staff at the coalition for pursuing #justice4NicolasMorales/my dad. I hope we are able to get answers. Thank you for bringing awareness to my dad’s story. I hope thru protest we can demand the Collier County Sheriff’s Office get held accountable for their actions. I want the Collier County Sheriff’s Office to know [how] I feel about the situation. Ever since that day I have been sad, lonely, angry, and grieving the loss of my dad. There is not one day I don’t think about him and wish things could’ve been done differently to still have my dad here. I can’t sleep, I can’t think right, and I get bad flashbacks [when I] think about that night. It has torn my life apart. 

Not only has it affected me, it has affected my whole family and people who knew my dad for who he was. The police cannot get away with what they have done. Enough is enough. I demand justice for my dad. I want them to know that this is unacceptable. They cannot keep getting away with this. Again, I am forever grateful for all that is being done to keep my dad’s name alive.

By Nicolas Morales, Jr. 

The grief of this 13-year-old child, suddenly an orphan after the loss of his mother from cancer years ago, is profound.  His desperate plea to hold on to his father’s memory and bring him justice is nothing short of a clarion call.  We invite you to hold his words in your heart as you join us in the pursuit of #justicefornicolas.