In the eccentric political world in the south -east of the County of Los Angeles – Where scandals seem to flower each year with the regularity of jacarandas – There has never been a mess like pendejo Like that stirred this week by the vice-mayor of Cudahy, Cynthia Gonzalez.
How would you describe otherwise an elected official saying to gang chiefs, in a video published on social networks, to “F – put your members in order” and go down the streets Against Donald Trump’s immigration raids?
The gonzalez diatriber triggered a national storm at the worst time possible. Conservative media represents her as a politician – a Latino, of course – emits a green light to the gangs to continue The migra. On social networks, the Ministry of Internal Security shared her video, which she described as “despicable”, and insisted that “this type of trash” fueled the “attacks” against her agents.
Gonzalez later asked his Facebook friends to help him find a lawyer because “the FBI has just come to my house”. To my colleague Ruben VivesThe agency has not confirmed or refused Gonzalez’s assertion.
The member of the Council of the first mandate deserves all the reprimands that accumulate on it – especially because the video that sparked this pathetic episode is so teeth.
“I want to know where all the Cholos are in Los Angeles – 18th Street, Florencia, where is the management?” Gonzalez said at the start of His video, which was quickly removed. “You guys taguez while claiming” hood “, and now that your hood is invaded by the biggest gang, there is no glance of you!”
Gonzalez continued to assert that 18th street And Florencia 13 – The rivals that are among the most important and notable gangs in South California – should not “try not to claim a block, nothing, if you do not present yourself at the moment while trying, like, help and organize. I don’t want to hear a look at you once they left. ”
The second commander of the Cudahy Council seems to have recorded the clip during a party, judging by his licou top, the bright red lipstick, fresh hairstyle and whimsical earrings, with club music beating in the background. She looked like and looked like an older cousin that grew up in the neighborhood and now lives DowneyTrying to appear hard in front of his parents Cholo perplexed.
Trump administration is looking for a reason to send Even more troops in the National Guard and Marines To suppress what he characterized as an insurrection. If inviting a gang to help – not to mention two gangs as notorious as the 18th street and Florencia – does not look like what Trump claims that he is trying to cancel, I don’t know what is.
Perhaps the worst of all, Gonzalez again brought a political ignomyy to the south-east of the County of Los Angeles, better known as Sela. Its small Latinos supermajority cities to have long has been synonymous With political corruption and never seems to have a lucky break from their leaders, even as the generation of Gonzalez has sworn not to repeat the sins of the past.
The vice-mayor of Cudahy Cynthia Gonzalez
(City of Cudahy)
“In its article, Dr. Gonzalez has challenged the Latin American community: join the thousands of Angelenos who were already organizing peacefully in response to current implementation measures,” said his lawyer, Damian J. Martinez, in a statement. “Above all, Dr. Gonzalez has in no way encouraged anyone who is committed to violence. Any suggestion that she advocated for violence is categorically false and without merit.”
For their part, Cudahy officials said That Gonzalez’s thoughts “reflect his personal opinions and do not represent the views or the official position of the city of Cudahy”.
Raised at Huntington Park and a graduate of Bell High, Gonzalez spent 22 years as a teacher, director and administrator of the unified school district of Los Angeles. In 2023, after Cudahy – a suburb of around 22,000 residents which is 98% Latin – became the first city in southern California to approve a ceasefire resolution in Gaza, She said in the Los Times section Let Latinos “understand what it means to be left behind”.
A few weeks ago, Gonzalez appeared alongside the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass and elected representatives of the counties of Los Angeles and Ventura to denounce the immigration raids which were only recovering.
“I mean the Americans, in particular those who allowed our community to be the scapegoat for this administration which made you feel that your American dream has not happened because of us,” said Gonzalez, adding that companies “use our brown bodies to avoid the conversation that this administration is a failure and that they do not know how to legislate”.
Last week, she announced that she would present herself for the third time for the board of directors of Los Angeles Community College District, urging Facebook subscribers to give up a donation to her campaign in favor of organizations helping immigrants. “Our priorities must reflect the urgency of the time,” she wrote.
In these parameters, Gonzalez presents himself as another wokosa politician. But the federals now see it as a great budding in grass.
Trying to recruit gangs to defend immigrants presents itself both laughable and offensive – and describe the 18th street and Florencia as “the Latin community” is like describing the Manson family as “fun hippies”. Gang members have extorted immigrant and terrorized entrepreneurs with immigrant communities that go back to the “New York gangs”. Their Modus Operandi – Widening the lawn, profit and power via fear and bloodshed – will forever put Latinos as subjects to violence in the minds of too many Americans. Transnational gangs like Tren of Aragua and MS -13 are the ostensible reason for Trump to his deportation tsunami – and now a politician thinks that he is wise to ask Cholos to draw closer?
And yet, I sympathize – and I even agree – with what Gonzalez was really living, as imperfect and clumsy as her. The assertion of Homeland Security according to which she made the gangs “commit violence against our brave ice law enforcement” does not resist the context of history.
For decades, Latin activists have wanted to inspire gang members to join El Moveo – Not as a stormtroopers but like capricious young people and veterans Who can leave Vida Loca Behind if only they become lit. El Plan Espiritual de AztlánA manifesto published in 1969 at the height of the Chicano movement, envisaged a world where “there will be no more acts of juvenile delinquency, but revolutionary acts”. His sister document, El plan by Santa Barbarawarned of activists that they “had to be able to relate to all segments in the neighborhood, the assimilationists of the middle class Vatos locos. “”
From HomeBoy Industries in colleges which allow prison inmates to win a diplomaPeople always believe in the power of forgiveness and try to reintegrate gang members into society as productive people. They are relatives, friends and members of the community, the thought goes, not irremediable monsters.
Gonzalez’s video comes from this charitable vein. A more in -depth listening shows that it did not lionis the 18th street or Florencia 13. It pushes them to be really difficult by practicing civil disobedience – not criminal.
“It is not everyone who does not concern the life of gang that protests and is expressed,” said the vice-mayor, his heavy voice with EastSide accent. “We are there, as we are fighting for our lawn, protecting our lawn, protecting our employees and as, where You has? Well calladitos, well calladitos li’l cholitos. “”
Good and calm, little cholitosThis results in “baby gangsters” but which is much more disdainful in Spanish.
Its delivery was terrible, but the message resisted, to gang members and really to anyone who has not yet presented itself for immigrants: if not now, when? Otherwise you, who?
It will be a miracle if Gonzalez’s political career recovers. But the future chroniclers of the should treat it gently. It is easy to call cholos to be cholos. Challenge them to do good at a key moment in history is not.