Marc Yu and his family were just trying to live their lives in peace in Vacaville, California—until a letter arrived that shook their world and horrified the internet.
Marc, who is Filipino, and his wife Sandy, who is Chinese, have three young children and own a home in the Meadowlands neighborhood. They’re proud Golden State Warriors fans, active community members, and Marc works helping families secure home mortgages. But to one anonymous neighbor, none of that mattered.
What the neighbor saw instead was an interracial family that, in their view, didn’t “fit” the area—and they decided to act on that bias in a way that was deeply offensive and threatening.
"The letter writer basically threatened them to leave their neighborhood within 60 days and assumed the family were renting from a (presumably white) homeowner."
Marc shared the letter on Facebook, and the response was swift and supportive. People were outraged not only by the blatant racism but by the presumption that Marc couldn’t possibly own his home. The irony? He helps people buy homes for a living.
"There's one little problem, however: Marc actually owns his home. In fact, he makes his living helping others secure home financing."
This wasn’t just ignorance—it was calculated malice. The letter, filled with veiled threats and ugly assumptions, tried to paint Marc’s presence as a disruption to the neighborhood’s “20 years of cleanliness, quiet, and very little crime.”
The post about he letter.Reddit
But Marc isn’t alone.
He told local news station KTVU that 7 of the 8 homes on his block are occupied by interracial families. That includes neighbors like Kelly Natividad, who was shocked when she read the letter:
"As I kept reading it, it just got worse and worse and very offensive. It’s just frustrating to know that [there are] people [who] are obviously racist in our community."
The letter in question.Reddit
Police are now involved. Lt. Mark Donaldson of the Vacaville Police Department said they’re treating the letter seriously.
"It’s very disturbing. Very troubling. I think it’s always best to err on the side of caution, allow us to look into the matter to find out the history. At this point we don’t know if there’s any crimes."
There was a lot of support online.Reddit
Despite the letter’s disgusting message, Marc and his family have received a wave of support from their community and beyond. The hate may have arrived in the mailbox, but it was met with love at the doorstep.
Commenters were outraged.Reddit
Marc didn’t just expose a racist note—he helped reveal the strength and solidarity of the neighborhood that truly surrounds him.
This article originally appeared six years ago.