Will be updated at minimum, weekly. Last updated: April 11 2026 at 1:50 PM

April 3, 2026 – Update #3

--- Update #3 for Otofu's situation – BREAKING ---

This update is from an archive of our newsletter:

ANNOUNCEMENT

CRIMINAL CHARGES DISMISSED

IMMIGRATION CASE ONGOING

CALL FOR PHASE II FUNDRAISING

Thank you all for your patience and continued support for Otofu Ayaku. We are excited to share major details with you, and request your support once more for the next phase of fundraising. 

We are fundraising for a target of $40,000.00 to cover new expenses beyond Phase I legal fees.

Can you donate $20.00 to ensure Otofu can finish his last semester?

This update post will briefly recap the month from previous updates and the conditions Otofu faced in detention.

Content Warning: graphic encounters

Otofu's lawyer has been able to get all criminal charges on the case dismissed.

This is a BIG WIN, and we are extraordinarily grateful for the support everyone has given him and us - financial, emotional, and otherwise. We wouldn't have been able to get here without the $15,000.00 paid out as a retainer fee to Otofu's criminal defense lawyer.

We have also been able to use the funds for his commissary to keep him in contact with friends and family as well as sending him books, which has kept his spirits up despite the poor conditions in jail.

The following content details a 3-week recap of events that have occurred since Update #1:

• Austin County Jail remains one of the most vile, dehumanizing, and discriminatory jails in the region.

• Before Otofu was able to obtain a lawyer, he was placed in solitary confinement for 2 days. Allegedly, the jail did this because its staff "couldn't tell if he was “male” or “female”.

• Otofu reported that the jail had stripped and searched him 4-5 times. The guards explicitly told him that every time he is referred to with he/they pronouns, they would strip-search him. No other incarcerated person in the "female wing" was habitually strip-searched.

• Otofu was denied access to his life-saving medical prescriptions for 3 weeks, causing him severe distress and dysregulation. He still does not have access to all his medications.

• Many things that Otofu was trying to purchase from the commissary were being ordered and charged, but not actually delivered to him, such as hygiene packs and writing materials. Otofu's defense attorney is addressing this immediately.

• The first time we tried to speak to the jail to gather information regarding Otofu's arrest, we were laughed at and hung up on.

• On multiple occasions the jail staff lied and misrepresented information regarding the policies and details of the jail, such as false visiting times and inaccurate visitor allowance. This resulted in many loved ones of Otofu being unable to visit him after traveling hundreds of miles to Austin County. The jail website contains pertinent information that has not been true for at least 7 years.

• On March 26, there was a shocking escalation in the case. Otofu alleged to have been pressured into signing a document while half-asleep, which led him to be released into ICE custody without consultation from his lawyer.

• For the next 48 hours, we were uncertain of his location. When we confirmed his location, we learned of the horrible conditions of the Montgomery Holding Facility in Conroe, TX. Otofu described the conditions as unsanitary, cold, and "packed like sardines" with a serious overcrowding problem. He was then transferred to a facility in Houston that has improved conditions relative to the previous locations.

We are closer than ever to his safe return in the 2nd phase of the dual-nature charges! 

The case is still very sensitive to future changes, so please consult with us before any actions.

Now that his criminal charges have been quashed, we are asking for a new round of funding in order to pay:

• the bond itself

• the retainer and future expenses for an immigration attorney for Otofu AND his family

• future immigration filings

• lost wages and lost expected earnings due to Otofu's circumstances and the financial strain put onto him, his family, and his roommates.

While we have enough to get Otofu representation at his bond hearing - at a cost of $4,550.00 - we are setting a fundraising goal of $40,000.00 to make sure future expenses do not prevent his successful release, and to ensure his basic needs are met upon release. 

We humbly ask for your continued support and to please donate, spread the word, and keep Otofu in your spirits.

Additionally, Indigo Collective will be hosting events for fundraising to help contribute and bring the community together. 

Our first event is slated for a mixtape benefit event at Cheer-Up Charlies, April 9th, 2026 – 6-10PM. 

If you would like to participate in fundraising and organizing efforts, please visit us in-person to learn more. 

p.s – if you are an organization / cause / have things to sell and would like to table, please email nativemixtape@projects.indigocollective.org before the 8th! We have 4 hours of CUC and would love to have as many folks as possible (like, a lot!).

Thank you all for reading. Stay safe.

~Indigo Collective

March 25, 2026 – Update #2

--- Update #2 for Otofu's situation – RELEASE ---

Hello, thank you for your extended patience. 

We have been working diligently as we received a mass influx of support and care from the community. 

We greatly appreciate your support as Otofu is not just an integral founding member of our organization, and but also a key figure in each and every person's life who has met him. 

In terms of donations, we have grossed a total of 905 transactions, and counting.
For large donations, we recommend reaching out to us directly for details of an ACH Bank Transfer or Wire, as we won't be subjected to transaction fees.

As of this update, Otofu does have a lawyer.

We will coordinate and release timely updates when we receive more information that is permissible to be released as advised by his legal representation. It may have been not as clear in the previous update, but we hope this clears up any confusion in that regard. 

We have created some ground rules so that everyone is aware of the best way to go about community support.
His safety and return is, above all else, of our utmost priority.

1.] It is imperative that all support and donations are centralized through our channels. 

Any other fundraiser or initiative that isn't utilizing our links or approval is not legitimate, and we cannot verify if the funds will go to Otofu. 

2.] Please do not attempt to theorize or spread rumors about his situation. 

All information that is heard through informal channels should be questioned. Theorizing will only hurt his situation.

3.] If you would like to be involved, please reach out to us via e-mail to otofusupport@indigocollective.org. 

This is an inbox monitored by multiple folks assisting with fundraiser logistics, and is a great way to inquire about how you can contribute. 

Please do not attempt to bypass or circumvent our centralized efforts.

This also includes attempts to organize community events around supporting his fund without prior authorization or direct support to our fund donation portal. 

Please reach out to the email address in the turquoise highlight if you are interested in organizing such events. 

Additionally, as we seek new fundraising methods, we would need extra volunteers if and when that times approaches.
Feel free to inquire about what we do, or explore our website for more information.

Instagram is not recommended for correspondence, ever.
Please only contact us through the email address above for reliable correspondence.

Please do not reach out to Indigo Collective members or community members close to Otofu individually.
Many are either unaware or have been advised not to speak about the case in honor of attorney-client privilege and Otofu's general privacy.

Please do not attempt to interface with the jail per the details of his arrest, bail amounts, or any other sensitive information.
The jail is very uncooperative, and this has interfered and will interfere with the lawyer's legal strategy.
We are in direct communication with his attorney; leave it to us to handle interfacing with the jail.

4.] Press inquiries should also be routed directed to otofusupport@indigocollective.org. 

Please refrain from asking inappropriate questions or questions regarding his personal life that would compromise his privacy as these will not be answered. 

A good litmus test is that if you would feel uncomfortable being asked that same question, then do not send it to us.

5.] The Indigo Collective leadership email will not monitor for any more inquiries for supporting Otofu. 

We will forward or archive emails accordingly. 

Your support through our centralized fund secured his counsel in the same week we first became aware of his arrest. 🥳

We, and Otofu, are incredibly grateful for the support amassed for him thus far. 

Otofu has been able to make and sustain contact with close friends and family. 

The legal fund for Otofu has gone directly to related expenses, such as his commissary, direct legal fees, and incurred costs directly related to Otofu. 

In a future intermittent update (TBA), we will have a public ledger that shows spending for transparency, pending approval from his attorney. 

Funds currently are enough to sustain commissary for at least 1-2 months. 

Calls, on average, cost $100.00 to sustain about 4 days of usage at any given point. Commissary for goods is capped at $77.00 a week.

You can continue to donate directly to two links (listed below) for his legal fees and commissary.

Legal Fund

Commissary Fund

The commissary fund also cover his incurred costs for communicating to his close friends and family. 

~Indigo Collective

--- END OF RELEASE ---

Important information

This page will be updated intermittently for updates on Otofu Ayaku.

Donation-related inquiries should go to finances@indigocollective.org.
The best way to support Otofu is to support the funds we've listed above. 
If you would like to make a donation for a specific purpose, please email above. 

Press-related inquiries should go to otofusupport@indigocollective.org with subject "Otofu – Press – {brief subject of your inquiry}".
If any articles are to be published, you must cite information presented here and from our official channels, and notify us with the email listed above. Do not attempt to post information that is not confirmed by our page. Do not act in bad-faith.

Questions on transparency should go to otofusupport@indigocollective.org with subject "Otofu – Transparency – {brief subject of your inquiry}"

Emails are mainly an unsecured form of communication. Do not send us any sensitive information that requires secure communication. Email is the only official platform of communication to correspond. 

Please do not expect us to be timely with Instagram responses. Our bandwidth is limited and we recommend correspondence by email. We are not aware nor responsible for individual actions outside of what we publicize from the Indigo Collective. Additionally, if we do not reply to an email promptly, please wait, we will get back to you when we are able to. Do not try to send more than one email. 

We will do our best to post status updates here as we receive more information. Receipts will be provided from time to time, with explanations. This legal fund will cover all related expenses for legal fees and any substantially large expenses incurred from the core team related to this. However, we plan on fully reserving these funds for Otofu's legal expenses.

Payments are handled with our non-profit fidicuary, Puffed.org, which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, EIN 99-4053062. If you would like to do a bank transfer and need a receipt, please email the finances email above. We do not offer financial advice on any tax-related inquiries.