Part 1 of 4:
Many of you know Omar. It’s possible many reading this and many Perla followers do not. Some time on the morning of Friday August 7, Omar was abducted by federal ICE agents on his way to work. And whether or not you know him, have eaten Omar’s food, have been served by him, or have had the privilege to interact with him while dining at Perla, you should be outraged by his imprisonment and disgusted with what is happening in this country.

Omar is my sous chef, friend, collaborator, and has played a significant role in shaping Perla as it is today. Omar was my first employee nearly two years ago. In that time, he has distinguished himself, has shown himself to be nothing but a hardworking, dedicated, morally-just and gracious person in every aspect of his profession and personal life. He is important. Omar is necessary. Omar is emblematic.

Part 2:
Omar is from Peru. He has been on his path to citizenship and has been following every lawful step in the process. Recently awarded a social security number. Omar pays taxes (I know this as fact as I am the one who pays him). Omar works every day. I’ll repeat that: Omar works every day.

I have known Omar for over 20 years — working in the service industry, for that long, in NYC, I have known Omar in thousands of people who have all impacted all of your lives in small and sometimes big ways. I’ll say the quiet part out loud: Doing the work most of the people reading this have never done, will never do, have refused to do, or simply think that they are entitled to a better life. Omar is what makes America great.

Part 3:
There are some photos here of Omar working shoulder to shoulder with my sons. He is a teacher, generous and thoughtful, sharing his passion. Hard work. Respect. Care. Character. Knowledge. Having my boys work beside this man is a gift. There are things here that they have learned that no school can teach. There are lessons of community and humanity with what we do here that are so deep that they are practically impossible to articulate.

Omar is currently being imprisoned in that hell hole delaney hall. Representative of the absolute darkness of human possibility. The antithesis of Oma