(PLEASE BE AWARE ALL DONATIONS THROUGH CHANGE.ORG DO NOT GO TO US BUT THE PLATFORM. GOFUNDME IS BELOW.)

This is Derek here and before I discuss the events I owe many thanks to the most important people in my life. My fiancée has been a support figure for me during this time and I am thankful for having someone like her to spend my life with. Those who we work with are family and our facility is our home. It goes without saying, but I am forever in debt to my business partner Sean, my beautiful staff (20+ people), shareholders, landlords and business associates for all knowing my actions on this night were righteous and justified. I am blessed.  

Our facility was previously burglarized in March of this year. The group of highly organized and armed men reduced our place to shambles as they broke down doors, ruined my life's work, jeopardized the team's jobs and stole all our hard earned product. We were left without a guarantee of home or work. We put the pieces back together yet at one point we even had to consider closing our doors as we couldn’t support the costs that come with keeping a business operational. We worked relentlessly with the Santa Cruz Police Department to find and prosecute this dangerous gang of thieves.

The gang consists of 100+  individuals (per Santa Cruz Detective) have been committing armed burglary/robberies across the state for the better part of 2 years. After the March burglary, I was inspired to organize and aggregate information from other owners who were burglarized so that we could help law enforcement with the open investigations. This included receiving videos of the break-ins with visible guns present, 19+ people on occasion ransacking businesses, pictures of owners who were fired upon when responding to their alarms & information on the individuals arrested who had active warrants out for homicides.  My hope was that the Santa Cruz Police Department and neighboring police departments would use this information to accomplish what I thought was a common goal—to keep our community safe.

Every detail I gathered was shared with 6+ detectives in different jurisdictions including the Detective in Santa Cruz who has not returned a single call of mine since April of 2023.   The lack of investigation or interaction with victims led to the incident that caused my arrest and almost cost my life. This gang fired 5-6 shots from a .40 caliber pistol piercing my driver side panel before speeding away as my truck was inoperable with no way of moving. I am thankful to be alive.

My brilliant representation Vikas Bajaj (www.bajajdefense.com will be disclosing all the REAL facts. He is nationally recognized as an elite trial lawyer, handling cases in both State and Federal Courts throughout the United States.  My family and I are thankful he is in our corner. 

To all those who have signed this petition or are considering doing so I thank you from the bottom of my heart. As we get closer to February 2nd which is the date of my Preliminary Hearing, we will be providing contact information for law enforcement and the District Attorney’s for those who wish to voice their support.

I am providing a link to the GOFUNDME launched by our family. This case is not just about me—it is about what is right and wrong.  I was in fear of losing my life.  Many businesses in California are victims just like me.  Business owners have to make a decision between life and death whether reacting to simple petty thefts in their stores or armed robberies, like what I lived through.  

It is time law enforcement does their job and District Attorneys prosecute the right people. 

Nearly everyone I speak with are unaware California is a Stand Your Ground state. We cannot idly wait while our lives and livelihoods are taken from us. “The force you use must match the level of threatened danger. The danger does not need to have been real as long as your belief was reasonable. You can use deadly force only if you reasonably fear great bodily injury or death. California is a stand-your-ground state, so there is no duty to retreat from a fight.”

We must stand our ground.  

Thank you for your support.  This is a fight for our lives, now and in the future.

-Derek Hubbard (Owner/Operator of Decibel Gardens)

https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-business-owners-right-to-self-defense