Cudahy Vice Mayor Cynthia Gonzalez is taking heat for comments she made in a video posted to social media in which she reportedly called on street gangs to organize amid ongoing immigration enforcement raids in Los Angeles County carried out by federal agents.
The video, in which she calls out the 18th Street and Florencia street gangs, was taken down, though not before it was captured and reposted by the Department of Homeland Security.
“Not for nothing, but I want to know where all the cholos are at in Los Angeles? 18th Street, Florencia, where’s the leadership at?” Gonzalez said. “You guys are all about territory and this is 18th Street and this is Florencia and you guys tag everything up claiming hood. And now that your hood is being invaded by the biggest gang there is, there ain’t a peep out of you.”
“It’s everyone else who’s not about the gang life that’s out there protesting and speaking up,” she said. “We’re out there fighting our turf, protecting our turf, protecting our people and, like, where you at?”
“Dude, they’re running amok on your streets and in your city. And peep, when the big gang’s guns come in, nothing but quiet and we’re out here, the regular ones that have never been jumped in, trying to organize people, trying to do the thing,” she continued. “So don’t be out here trying to claim no block, no nothing if you’re not showing up right now trying to help out and organize. I don’t want to hear a peep out of you once they’re gone, trying to claim that this is my block. This is not your block. You weren’t even here helping out.”
“So, whoever’s the leadership over there,” she finishes up, “just f****** get your members in order.”
Officials in the southeast L.A. County suburban city released a statement on Instagram, noting that they are aware of the video and saying:
“The comments made by the Vice Mayor reflect her personal views and do not represent the views or official position of the City of Cudahy. The City will not be providing further comment.”
In a post to X, which included the video of Gonzalez’s comments, DHS officials called the comments “despicable.”
“She calls for criminal gangs – including the vicious 18th street gang – to commit violence against our brave ICE law enforcement. This kind of garbage has led to a more than 500 percent increase in assaults against our ICE law enforcement officers.”
There were some reports that the vice mayor is under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, though a spokesperson for the agency refused to confirm or deny that to the Los Angeles Times.
“Generally speaking,” the spokesperson told the outlet, “the FBI condemns any calls for violence or targeting of law enforcement with violence.”
Legal Analysts Alison Triessl told KTLA’s Mary Beth McDade that the First Amendment does not protect speech that incites immediate violence or lawlessness.
“It appears that she is actually calling on known gang members, including the 18th Street gang to get involved and interfere with ICE,” she added. “If convicted, she is looking at actually spending up to 10 years in prison.”
Vice Mayor Gonzalez is not the only Cudahy official to speak out about the ongoing immigration enforcement operations in the county.
Elizabeth Alcantar Loza, Cudahay’s mayor, attended a demonstration prompted by an immigration raid in Bell on Friday that turned violent, later telling The Times that it was the feds that seemed to incite the violence.
