Los Angeles, CA – On February 17, over 1000 Chicanos gathered at Placita Olvera in downtown Los Angeles to protest against ICE deportations and to fight back against Trump's racist, right-wing agenda.

The rally and march were called for by Chicana activists who used social media to get the word out. Recent protests in Los Angeles have brought out large crowds of Chicanos ready to stand up and fight, with the last one, on February 2, drawing tens of thousands who took to the streets. That afternoon protesters even took over the 101 Freeway, shutting it down for hours and completely overwhelming LAPD, LASD and CHP, which were completely unprepared and caught off guard by Raza fighting back.

The rally and march on Presidents’ Day was officially endorsed and supported by the Community Self-Defense Coalition, which is a new coalition recently announced in Los Angeles, consisting of over 60 organizations and unions. Growing every day, the Community Self-Defense Coalition is determined to defend Raza out in the streets in the face of attacks by migra. The program featured speakers from different members of the coalition like Centro CSO, Union Del Barrio, Black Alliance for Peace SoCal and many more. The spirited march made stops at the Metropolitan Detention Center and City Hall before circling back to Placita Olvera.

During the march, the large protest had a soundtrack and that played music, and ledchants like “Raza si, migra no! ” “La que no salta es migra” (Whoever doesn’t jump is migra) and “El Pueblo unido jamás será vencido” (The people united will never be defeated). The march had multiple banners of the different organizations as well dozens of flags representing countries in South America, Central America, Palestine, and Lebanon.

The leading truck flew a large Aztlán flag through the sunny spring morning in Los Angeles. When the march passed through historic Little Tokyo, the organizers shouted out and gave their respects to the Japanese people who themselves were forcefully displaced and put into concentration camps by the United States during World War II.

Veria Topete, a member of Centro CSO, said at the rally, “It felt very beautiful and empowering being with our community, standing in unity to let our brothers and sisters know that it’s not just their fight it’s our fight and they are not alone. That we are here to stand up and defend them.”

Karina Lopez, who represented Centro CSO on the program, said, “Don’t let this be the last action you take. This is only the beginning of the struggle that we have ahead of us when we organize and connect our struggles, we build power. Trump is also saying he will take over Gaza, we say hands off Palestine! Our fight against repression is connected with the fight to liberate Palestine!”

Centro CSO is a grassroots organization focused on fighting for oppressed Chicanos in East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights. They uplift the demands of Legalization for All, Community Control of the Police and Protect Public Education. They are proud members of the Legalization 4 All Network and affiliates of the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).

You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook under the username @CentroCSO

#LosAngelesCA #NAARPR #Legalization4All #LegalizationforAll #ELA #BoyleHeights #Chicano #VivaLaRaza #NoDeportations #ICE #ImmigrantRights #Immigration #FreePalestine #Aztlan #Trump #PresidentsDay #LAPD #LASD #CHP

Los Angeles, CA – On March 13, organized tenants from El Apetito-Finessa Colectivo, neighborhood council members, and concerned residents appeared before a hearing at Ramona Hall Community Center in Highland Park. They were supporting an appeal against a major corporate development in Boyle Heights.

Viva Padilla, a small business owner and member of the Colectivo filed the appeal against Tiao Corporation in September 2023. After a grueling five-and-a-half hour meeting and three failed motions that ended at 10 p.m., the East LA Planning Commission passed a motion in favor of the appeal. It is a historic win for the community of Boyle Heights.

Due to this motion, the Tiao development project will not move forward. The appeal cited a list of concerns including the need to test for lead contamination and the harmful impact that gentrification and displacement would have on the community of Boyle Heights. The project proposed a six-story mixed use complex, with 45 market-rate units, five affordable units and a market hall with outside seating on the ground floor, similar to downtown LA’s Grand Central Market. 

During public comment at the hearing, 40 community members – many of them Spanish speakers – testified about their firsthand experiences about evictions, displacement and homelessness.

Broker Aaron Bellisten, Tiao’s Corporation’s representative, gave his rebuttal, stating that this project would bring housing and commercial opportunity to the residents.

Appellant Viva Padilla stated that it would dismantle the rich cultural-historic fabric of the Historic Brooklyn Avenue Neighborhood Corridor, made up of street vendors and artists like the músico nortenos and trios that busk at the corner of Chicago Street and Cesar Chavez Avenue, a tradition in place for over 50 years. 

Three out of five of the planning commissioners were swayed by public testimony and also cited their own concerns about the scale and tone-deafness of the project. Commissioner David Marquez, a Boyle Heights native, said he was hesitant to let the project move forward due to its being out of date: it was applying nearly 30-year-old zoning laws under the 1998 Adelante Eastside Redevelopment Plan. He felt the responsibility to foresee how the project would affect the area five to ten years into the future. 

The Adelante Plan will soon be replaced by the Boyle Heights Community Plan Update, which is currently making its way through the city after 15 years of development. Commissioner Gloria Gutierrez presented her findings on eviction rates, rent affordability across the nation, and placed an emphasis on the lack of alignment with a category under the Adelante Project that states that new developments must “meet the needs of its current residents” and “provide units with a wide array of rent brackets.” Commissioner Lydia Avila-Hernandez tearfully shared her own testimony on her past experience with eviction and wanted to abstain from voting before she decided to vote yes for the appeal. 

The passing of the motion to approve the appeal is a historic win for the community of Boyle Heights as appeals filed against proposed developments are notoriously denied. This is a shining example of how people power and organized tenants can strategize against corporate developments in order to fight against gentrification in their neighborhood.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #BoyleHeights #PeoplesStruggles #Housing #Gentrification #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino

Los Angeles – On November 4, hundreds of pro-Palestine Boyle Heights and East LA residents gathered at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights. Israel increased its attacks on Palestine since October 7, sparking global outrage. Those present were supportive of Palestine and waved posters with messages like, “Chicanos against Palestinian genocide” and “End U.S. aid to Israel.”

Leading chants, Gabriel Quiroz Jr of Centro CSO kept high energy throughout the rally with chants like “From the river to the sea! Palestine will be free!” and “Gaza, Gaza, don't you cry! Palestine will never die!” Rally-goers lined up along the curb waving signs and chanting, grabbing the attention of community members driving by, who honked in support.

A list of speakers included members from Centro CSO, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Peace and Freedom Party, LA MAS, and East LA Brown Bears. After hearing speeches, the large crowd marched to Los Angeles City Hall. Along the route cars honked at the marchers, demonstrating support.

The marchers were reinforced by many others who were also marching to City Hall, and by now the participants had increased to over 1000. Upon arrival at City Hall, the crowd held a moment of silence for the over 10,000 Palestinians, many of them children, who have been killed by Israel.

Quiroz Jr. said, “The overall mood was somber due to witnessing literal genocide being carried out by Israel, but there is also a strong energy of resistance in the air. By now, we’ve all seen countless videos of children and civilians being killed and we’ve had enough of the U.S. government funding it.”

Chants like “Biden, Biden you can't hide! We charge you with genocide!” filled the air at City Hall. The crowd had people of all ages and many different nationalities, all in support of Palestine.

#LosAngelesCA #FreePalestine #ChicanoSolidarity #BoyleHeights

Los Angeles, CA – 30 people gathered at Mariachi Plaza in LA’s Boyle Heights neighborhood, September 15, to demand Texas Governor Greg Abbott comply with the federal judge-ordered removal of buoys at the Río Grande/Rio Bravo. Chanting “Abbott is a liar, remove the racist wire!” and “¿Qué es lo que queremos? ¡Legalización! ¿Cuando? ¡Ahora!” supporters and speakers gathered as part of the week of action called by the Legalization for All (L4A) Network in conjunction with activists in Eagle Pass, Texas, where the buoys were dumped into the river.

The spirited action took place at Mariachi Plaza, as people drove by and honked or waved in support, or shouted their support as they walked by.

The Los Angeles protest was organized by Centro CSO’s Immigration Rapid Response Team which is led by Jordan Peña and Sol Marquez. Peña opened up the event by saying, “I'm from El Paso, Texas, born and raised on the border. I have always known the border to be a place that people cross every single day. People would cross for normal day-to-day activities such as work, seeing family, going out to eat, and this was normal. This was how our society in El Paso functioned.”

Peña continued, “Throughout the most recent years even under the Biden administration we have seen the militarization at our El Paso increase substantially. When I was a kid there were no barbed wire fences, now there are mounds and mounds of barbed wire fences. Governor Greg Abbott of Texas recently put buoys in the middle of the Rio Grande to deter asylum seekers from crossing over.”

After Peña, Jenny Bekenstein, a Teamster Local 396 rank-and-filer spoke, “We stand with those fleeing the destabilization of their home countries, like Guatemala, only to be met with the vicious hammer of U.S. anti-immigrant policies and tactics.”

Then attendees heard from Jose Barrera, who is a DACAmented DREAMer from Michoacán, Mexico. Barrera is an active advocate for immigrant rights, pushing for strong immigration reform in the U.S. Last month, he became the youngest-elected vice president of the League of United Latin-American Citizens (LULAC) in the organization’s history. He is also the first DREAMer to take the same role in LULAC’s history. During the event Barrera said, “The Democrats also need to do more during these violations of human rights at the border. And if they don’t, then we won’t vote for them!”

Gabriel Quiroz Jr. made his first speech ever and represented CSO’s Police Accountability Committee. “As a Chicano I think it’s very important to stand in solidarity with immigrants at our southern border. I am here to demand Governor Greg Abbott immediately remove the razor-covered buoys. I myself am the son of immigrants, my dad is from Nayarit, Mexico, and so are my grandparents. We stand in solidarity with all in Eagle Pass and those attempting to cross the border.”

Also speaking at the event were Aaron Reveles from the Peace and Freedom Party and Antonia Montes, representing Centro CSO’s education committee. Ending the event was Sol Marquez representing CSO and Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Marquez spoke about how her mother crossed the Rio Grande in the 80s. Marquez asked, “What if my mom, like countless other Central Americans, Mexicanos, Haitians attempted to cross today? Would she have been one of the four who recently died by the concertina wire or the death buoys?”

Those participating in the L4A week of action include organizations in Eagle Pass like Border Vigil, Eagle Pass Border Coalition, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), and Silicon Valley Immigration Committee (SVIC). If you would like to join CSO, send them a message on social media @CentroCSO on their hotline (323) 484-8630. If you and your organization would like to join the Legalization for All Network, send them a message here: legalizationforall.wordpress.com

#LosAngelesCA #BoyleHeights #L4ANetwork #CentroCSO #USMexicoBorder #EaglePassBorderCoalition #MIRAC

Los Angeles, CA – On June 30, the Boyle Heights community turned out in mass at a Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council’s (BHNC) special meeting to protest and demand the neighborhood council vote no on a big market rate housing development project by Tiao LLC. Proposed in the heart of Boyle Heights on the Cesar Chavez Avenue and Chicago Street block, the six-story 50-unit housing complex would evict and displace many local tenants and businesses, one of whom is a family of four generations who have been living there for 30 years.

The special meeting was called after many residents and supporters came out to the BHNC meeting for public comment on June 28 to speak out against Tiao Corporation and their plans to destroy the neighborhood. Viva Padilla, the owner of the bookstore Re/Arte Centro Literario, is among those affected by the development and spoke against it.

“This development is clearly not for our people,” Padilla said, “I fear that the economic fabric, historical importance, and cultural heritage of Cesar Chavez Ave will be erased because of this.”

Will Tiao, CEO of Tiao LLC, was not present at this meeting. A representative of Tiao LLC went to the special meeting and was given time to present and then dozens of community speakers spoke in opposition of the development. He did not give a good argument or case for it and did not acknowledge community concerns on the negative impact the development would have. The BHNC Board then gave brief comments and then a unanimous vote to draft an official letter of opposition was passed. The project must then go to the LA city planning department and city council for approval, but the community has plans to continue their opposition to stop this gentrification project.

Tiao LLC purchased the historic block in 2020 for $2.1 million and applied to LA City for permits in 2022. The company began to harass the tenants by misinforming them that they needed to close their businesses by May, threatening their livelihoods by instilling fear in tenants. All major development projects must first be reviewed and vetted by the local Neighborhood Councils established by the LA City to promote community participation. In 2022, the BHNC Planning and Land Use Committee (PLUC) was chaired by David Silvas, a Beverly Hills real estate agent, but he neglected to place the project on the agenda. People suspect he met with the developer and intentionally failed to agendize this big project knowing there would be opposition. David Silvas finally left the BHNC board without giving proper notice.

The new PLUC Chair Shmuel Gonzales tried in early 2023 to review the project but it was never taken up to the general board agenda of the BHNC. It wasn't until outcry from the community that the project was placed on the June 30 agenda and the community turned out in force to oppose it.

The Tiao LLC development project would damage the historic character of this vibrant Chicano neighborhood. Boyle Heights has a long history of social activism where the community has fought against freeways, corporate polluters, police abuse and government neglect. The original Community Service Organization (CSO) was formed there, and many Jewish and Chicano radicals joined and organized with the CPUSA in the neighborhood throughout the 1930s and 40s.

Since 2016, Boyle Heights has faced gentrification with developers buying large apartment buildings, raising rents and evicting poor and working class Chicanos and new Mexican immigrants. With the influx of wealthy professionals moving in, landlords have increased the rent for working class tenants as art galleries, breweries and coffee shops began appearing throughout Boyle Heights and neighboring cities.

There has also been an increase in violent LAPD killings of young Chicano men. A block away from Chavez Avenue and Chicago Street is the site where LAPD killer cop Eden Medina shot and killed 14-year-old Jesse Romero, sparking outrage and large protests against police terror and demands for justice. As gentrification intensifies in Los Angeles, so does state-sanctioned violence.

A petition to “Save the Block! Stop Tiao Corporation'' is currently circulating to raise awareness in the community and eventually turned into the proper channels. Sign and share: https://tinyurl.com/msr9evjd

Carlos Montes is a member of Centro CSO: Community Service Organization.

#LosAngelesCA #HousingStruggles #gentrification #BoyleHeights #LA

Los Angeles, CA – On Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles, a community is devastated and concerned over a recent string of building fires that have destroyed buildings that have landmarked the proud Chicano neighborhoods of Boyle Heights and East LA for many years. Some Eastside residents have taken the initiative to call County Supervisor Hilda Solis and voice this concern and call for an investigation. Many of these buildings are designated as historical and thus cannot be torn down without certain permits, but there is fear among residents that new pro-development owners of these properties may be using the outbreak of these fires as a means to get around legal requirements that otherwise bars such demolition.

One of the most prominent of these sites is near what many consider the gate to the Whittier Boulevard and its world-famous archway. Following the I-710 underpass headed east on Whittier Boulevard stands a mural of a Mexican flag surrounded by the ruins of two buildings which burned on separate occasions. The first was an unoccupied storefront once owned locally as a mom-and-pop, and the most recent is a local doctor’s office which was still in use. Doctors and staff were heartbroken to arrive to work only to find their clinic had burned to the ground. The only remaining structure standing is a brick wall and mural with the symbol of the Mexican nation, and to many Chicanos a symbol of pride and their own culture.

Local vendor of Boulevard and Chicano Power memorabilia, Ernie Serna, speaks of the history behind the mural, “It was painted in 1979 when the East LA Sheriffs closed down the Boulevard to cruising. Even though they closed it down and it seemed like a ghost town, that mural stood as a symbol – a beacon of hope – for the car community and for Chicanos as a whole and served as a reminder; here on Whittier Boulevard, East LA, viva la Raza.”

For a community under constant attack by forces of gentrification, the symbolic survival of this mural resonates the resilience of the Chicano community. Aquí estamos y no nos vamos!

#LosAngelesCA #ChicanoLatino #BoyleHeights

Los Angeles, CA – On October 27, Centro CSO hosted a community forum dubbed the “Barrio Townhall” at the Boyle Heights neighborhood City Hall. The event called on November 8 voters to support Dr. Rocio Rivas for Los Angeles Unified School District School Board District 2, and to vote “yes” on Measure A, which would bring more accountability to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.

With Dr. Rivas as the keynote speaker, the townhall included Valerie Vargas and Stephanie Luna – the aunts of Anthony Vargas, who was slain by prospect members of the Los Banditos deputy gang from East LA Sheriff's station – and Luis Sifuentes, co-chair of Centro CSO’s Police Crimes committee. Moderated by Sol Márquez of Centro CSO and a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), the event included some energetic words from Julie Regalado — co-chair of CSO’s education committee.

Measure A would allow the LA County Board of Supervisors to impeach the LA County Sheriff. The process would require four out of the five supervisors to vote in favor of the sheriff’s removal, citing that the sheriff violated the law.

Dr. Rivas has made it her mission to help stop the privatization of public education. Her challenger is María Brenes, who is backed by the LA Sheriff himself, Alex Villanueva. Other backers include powerful billionaires who have a personal financial interest to gain from gutting public education.

With the election day of November 8 fast approaching, canvassers are out in full force. If you are interested in joining the fight, contact CSO at (323) 484-8630 CentroCSO@gmail.com or @CentroCSO on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook.

#LosAngelesCA #BoyleHeights #CentroCommunityServiceOrganizationCSO

Los Angeles, CA – On April 22, more than 100 Sheridan Street Elementary School students, teachers, parents and community supporters took to the streets to oppose a privatization threat through the co-location of their school.

Co-location involves the takeover of public school classrooms and resources by an incoming charter school. The KIPP Promesa Charter is the corporation threatening to co-locate at Sheridan and is notorious for doing so at countless LA Unified School District schools. Teachers and staff at Sheridan heard about the plans, and quickly organized a protest to voice their opposition. It was quickly learned that the action resulted in a complete back-off by the privatization threat – a victory for public schools.

Beating on drums, shaking tambourines, and holding handmade posters, the participants chanted, “Boyle Heights says, ‘No to KIPP!’” and “KIPP Promesa, you’re not cool! We don’t want you in our school!”

The march was organized by Sheridan teachers and began at the school. The protesters circled around Sheridan a few times, before heading off on the sidewalk towards downtown. Turning left on Cummings, the marchers then took a right on 1st Street, and continued marching until they ended at Mariachi Plaza. Once at Mariachi Plaza, the large crowd cheered as the successful arrival to Mariachi Plaza signaled the beginning of their rally. A delegation of Centro CSO members participated, supported and helped with the protest.

Edelyn Ortiz, who has been a paraprofessional at Sheridan for years, was one of the organizers and security of the event. At the rally at Mariachi Plaza, Ortiz said, “It’s not okay to come into our school and divide us and our students.”

Another key organizer of the event, Esperanza Polley, said, “Some of our teachers have been at Sheridan for over 25 years; Boyle Heights is our community. Today was incredible, it really showed everyone that teachers will always fight for their students and that parents are able to move mountains when they unite.”

Antonia Montes, who is a teacher at Eastman Avenue Elementary School and a member of Centro CSO, spoke about the damage done at her school. Eastman is currently co-located by the Extera Charter corporation. Extera has taken over much-needed classrooms, poached students and not paid any rent to the LA Unified School District (LAUSD). Dr. Rocio Rivas spoke about the need to rein in the growth of charter schools at LAUSD. Dr. Rivas is running for LA school board and is supported and endorsed by many organizations that fight for public education, including Centro CSO and United Teachers Los Angeles.

On the stage, various speakers talked about the reality public schools face against privatization efforts. Corporations like KIPP, Extera and Ednovate-Esperanza hide under the guise that they are better options for students. In reality, charter schools are highly selective of their students, have high suspension rates, and oftentimes reject students with disabilities and African American students.

Due to the bad press KIPP received from this inspiring action, KIPP announced they would not be co-locating Sheridan Avenue Elementary. This was a victory because of the rapid action taken by teachers, students and parents.

To join efforts to protect public education and to become a member of Centro CSO, attend the next Centro CSO Education Committee meeting. They meet every first Tuesday of the month, at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. You may contact CSO at 323-943-2030, CentroCSO@gmail.com, and @CentroCSO on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.

#LosAngelesCA #ChicanoLatino #privatization #BoyleHeights

Los Angeles, CA – On May 1, Centro CSO is holding its 7th annual International Workers Day march and rally in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. The attendees are meeting at the intersection of N Mathews Street and E Chavez Avenue at noon, before marching towards downtown. The march will stop for a protest at LAPD Hollenbeck, then continue towards Mariachi Plaza where a list of speakers and musical entertainment is planned. This year’s march has been endorsed by a number of other local organizations such as Black Lives Matter-LA, the Check the Sheriff's Coalition, CSULA MEChA, LA Catholic Worker, U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USCPN), and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

International Workers Day is a holiday for honoring the working class and remembering the workers who came before us and struggled for rights such as an eight-hour work day, the minimum wage and the right to form a union. It is celebrated on May 1 all around the world, with special significance in socialist countries such as Vietnam, Cuba and China, where the government is run by the working class. May Day grew out of the class struggle In the U.S. In 2006, May Day became a day to fight for the undocumented as that year around the country, troves of undocumented immigrants organized themselves in what is now known as the Mega Marches.

Marisol Marquez, a member of both FRSO and Centro CSO, and one of the organizers for the event spoke with Fight Back! about the goals of this year’s event, stating, “I plan to march on May Day for the undocumented who continue to be exploited and used by corporations to challenge the working class fighting to unionize workplaces. Also relevant to us in Boyle Heights is the struggle for us Chicanos to survive against police brutality at the hands of killer cops, sheriffs and their deputy gangs. This is why we will also demand community control of the police and an ouster of LA Sheriff Villanueva.”

Last year's rally in Boyle Heights was an incredible success. Organizers like Marquez are hoping to build on last year's victory and are planning for a bigger event this year, with a higher turnout and a larger list of speakers expected. If last year's event was any indication, this year is sure to be another success, putting the score at Boyle Heights 7, Killer Cops 0.

To join Centro CSO in the fight against police killings, to promote public education and win legalization for all contact them at 323-943-2030, CentroCSO@gmail.com, or @CentroCSO on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. To join FRSO contact them at frso.org/join or @Freedom Road Socialist Organization Los Angeles on Facebook and Instagram.

#LosAngelesCA #Labor #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #BoyleHeights #CentroCSOCommunityServiceOrganization

As a result of Executive Order 9066, which was both unconstitutional and executed without due process, entire families of Japanese Americans on the West Coast and in Hawaii were rounded up like criminals because of race prejudice, wartime hysteria and failure of political leadership. Their bank accounts and assets were frozen, and many farms, homes and businesses were stolen. These families were forcibly sent to prison camps where they endured nearly four years of living hell solely because of their Japanese heritage. Many had lived in the United States for decades, but were all, by law, denied citizenship. At the closing of these American concentration camps in 1945, most people rebuilt their lives with little to no resources, relying on the resilience of the individuals, family and the community.

Now, the few living survivors are once again being threatened with forced eviction from their homes at the Sakura Gardens in Boyle Heights. This intermediate care and assisted living/memory care facilities were created to provide culturally sensitive services for Japanese American elders and sits on the site of where the Jewish Home for the Aged once stood.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the international Pacifica Companies plans to turn Sakura Gardens into a 45-unit luxury apartment building, putting at risk the lives of 200 of its most vulnerable residents by forced eviction. Many of the residents are women in their eighties and nineties, and who, as children, grew up in the concentration camps in some of the harshest terrains in America — all behind barbed wire and armed soldiers watching them from military towers with weapons ready and pointed at those inside the camps.

In 2018, when the Trump administration started to cage Central American refugees, families and children at the border, Japanese American concentration camp survivors and their descendants came out to protest this inhumane treatment and remind all Americans that we cannot “let it ever happen again” or repeat these acts that add to the long and shameful history of discrimination against people of color.

By ignoring these and other tragic American stories, we would be complicit in being silent and allowing racist behavior to continue and escalate in policies that treat people of color without any regard to human rights, without kindness, without compassion.

Japanese Americans and other Asian Americans and Latinos have a great deal in common. In America, beside our Native American communities, we are absolutely and undeniably, a nation of immigrants, no matter how many generations have been here. In fact, the first “DREAMer” was a Korean American student. Our respective languages, foods, traditions and cultures are vital to our self-preservation, enrichment and the bonds to where our ancestors came from. We can, and some do, serve as bridges to countries around the world, and are, at the same time, all-American.

Let’s all help protect our seniors at Sakura Gardens and stop this cultural interruption. Sakura Gardens is one of the last traces of the once-large Japanese American community that helped build and that thrived in Boyle Heights. Before 1942, over 35,000 Japanese Americans made the East LA area home due to segregation that prohibited Asian Americans from living in other communities because those communities were deemed white-only.

Displacing our seniors who have long contributed to the rich culture and history of Los Angeles during this time of the COVID -19 pandemic is unconscionable and cruel and would cause harm to residents and families for years. We need to hold Pacifica Companies accountable for its failure to adhere to its agreed-to sales conditions by retaining the bilingual and bicultural character promised to its facilities. We cannot allow profit and gentrification to dictate what goes into our neighborhoods without investigating the impact on our communities. We demand that the Pacifica Companies provide transparency of its plans to the residents of Sakura Gardens/Kei-Ai facilities and their families so they can determine what is best for these seniors who raised us all.

Join us for a Save Our Seniors (SOS) car caravan and media event at the Kei-Ai Los Angeles Healthcare Center on February 25 at 11 a.m. Let us extend the care given at Sakura Gardens so that these resilient residents may enjoy their golden years in comfort, safety and security, with familiar food, and with people who understand them. Let’s all ask ourselves, “How would you feel and what would you do if they were your parents?” Together, can move forward to SOS.

Strength in Unity! Pa’lante

Carlos Montes is co-founder of the Brown Berets, a Chicano self-help organization similar to the Black Panthers from the late 60s and 70s. Montes was one of the leaders of the Chicano Blowouts, a series of high school walkouts at East Los Angeles High School to protest racism and inequality in East LA schools. Montes also helped organize the largest anti-war protest, known as the Chicano Moratorium. Montes lives in Boyle Heights. Tamlyn Tomita is a Japanese-Okinawan-Filipina-American actress. A native of Los Angeles, she can be seen reprising Kumiko in “Cobra Kai” (2021), the Netflix series based on the original “The Karate Kid” films. She is also well known for her role as Waverly in “The Joy Luck Club” (1993) and numerous other movies and TV shows. Her Japanese American father was incarcerated as a child with his family at Manzanar Internment Camp.

#LosAngelesCA #PeoplesStruggles #AsianNationalities #DayOfRemembrance #BoyleHeights #ExecutiveOrder9066

Los Angeles, CA – On June 17, Roosevelt High School Alumni for Black Lives Matter (RHS Alumni for BLM) held a rally in Boyle Heights. Chanting “Prosecute killer cops!” and “Defund the police,” participants marched almost two miles, from Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights to downtown Los Angeles.

Once in downtown, the marchers joined Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles for their weekly protest against Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey. The weekly protests denounce Lacey for her notorious refusal to prosecute cops who unjustly brutalize and murder Chicano and Black Angelinos.

#LosAngeles #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #BoyleHeights #BlackLivesMatterLA #RooseveltHighSchoolAlumni #ProsecuteKillerCops

Los Angeles, CA – On Friday, May 1, a car protest of over 40 vehicles driven by workers, teachers and activists took to the streets for the sixth consecutive year to celebrate International Workers Day, May Day, in the Boyle Heights neighborhood. Organized by Centro CSO, this year’s May Day protest focused on Trump’s attacks on immigrants and called for free healthcare for COVID-19 patients, support for public education, jailing killer cops and community control over the police.

“The coronavirus pandemic has affected oppressed nationalities like African Americans, Chicanos and American Indians the most. Unsafe workplaces, the push by business owners to return to work, lack of access to medical care and massive amounts of unemployment have resulted in our deaths and disproportionate likelihood of becoming sick,” said Sol Márquez, member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “And despite COVID-19, Centro CSO was still able to safely put on another successful May Day!”

Protesters assembled before 4 p.m. in Boyle Heights and decorated their vehicles with their demands: “No deportations, legalization for all,” “Free medical care for all COVID-19 patients,” “Save public education,” “Jail killer cops, community control over the police.” Other posters taped to cars or held by protesters out the windows of their vehicles denounced Trump and the privatization of education or displayed messages of solidarity with teachers and immigrants.

Honking, playing music and chanting their demands, protesters started driving on Cesar Chavez Avenue and passed by the corner of Chavez and Breed Street where LAPD killed 14-year-old Jesse Romero in 2016. Many Boyle Heights residents came out from their homes and businesses to greet and wave to the protesters and take photos. Drivers passing by honked and raised their fists in solidarity.

Driving at about 15 miles per hour, protesters then took a left to go south on Chicago Street before turning onto 1st Street and stopping at LAPD Hollenbeck Police Station to denounce police killings of Chicanos. The protest ended at Mariachi Plaza with CSO members who didn’t have vehicles waiting with posters. Some, energized by the positive reception from the community, circled the area around Mariachi Plaza several times to make sure that the action’s demands were seen and heard.

Attendees included the families of Chicanos killed by the LAPD; parents with Eastside Padres Contra la Privatización; teachers; LA Catholic Worker; Freedom Road Socialist Organization; Brown Berets from the Inland Empire, and members of Morena Party Los Angeles.

#LosAngelesCA #ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #MayDay #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #CentroCSO #BoyleHeights #Antiracism

Los Angeles, CA – On March 7, Centro CSO: Community Service Organization hosted a celebration of el Día Internacional de la Mujer (International Women’s Day), filled with poetry, singing and political discussion at the Benjamin Franklin Branch Library in Boyle Heights. This year’s event, the third that Centro CSO has put on, honored the women of Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles who have fought back against the privatization of public education, police terror, sexism and transphobia.

Sol Marquez, a member of Centro CSO and Freedom Road Socialist Organization, opened the event by explaining how International Women’s Day emerged in the 1900s out of the struggles of working-class women in New York City, Germany and the Soviet Union. She then connected International Women’s Day’s origins to current examples of patriarchy, including the election of Trump, recent laws banning abortion in certain parts of the U.S. and the #MeToo movement. Marquez asked the attendees at the event, “How many of you marched when Trump was inaugurated January 2016? We marched in the rain to protest him as U.S. president! And women again stood up in January of 2019 to participate in the UTLA strike.” She finished the introduction by reading from The Duty of Working Women in War-Time by Clara Zetkin, the German Marxist whose proposal led to the first International Women’s Day.

Chicana artist Vibiana Aparicio-Chamberlin read poems and excerpts from her memoir Mi Amor, about growing up on the Eastside of Los Angeles in a Mexican and indigenous family. She also spoke about her experiences at the mass protest against the Vietnam War – the Chicano Moratorium on August 29, 1970 – where she was beaten and sexually abused by two white police officers. Aparicio-Chamberlin then led a creative exercise, asking the crowd to reminisce together about the different spices and herbs their mothers and grandmothers used in their cooking. She closed with a poem about the femicides in Juarez made worse by the opening of maquiladoras along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Lupemar Torres, a Centro CSO and United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) member, moderated a panel that included Marquez, Rosario Bonilla (Centro CSO), Garfield High School senior Sam Garcia (East Los Angeles Women’s Center), Josefina Rizo (Centro CSO and Justice for Jose “Peruzzi” Mendez”), and Eloisa Galindo (Eastside Padres Contra la Privatización). Torres asked the panelists a series of questions: “What organization are you from and what do you do?” “Why is it important for you as a woman to fight back?” “What advice do you have for other women?”

Marquez detailed her activism as a member of FRSO in Tampa, Florida, which included campaigns against deportations and around the murder of Trayvon Martin. Since moving to Los Angeles, she’s fought for public education and organized families who’ve lost loved ones at the hands of LAPD and LA County Sheriffs. She also emphasized how FRSO places women in positions of leadership and highlighted the role of socialism in historically improving conditions for women, particularly in Venezuela and Cuba.

Rosario Bonilla, a Centro CSO and Eastside Padres Contra la Privatización member, talked about how she joined the struggle against charters after KIPP Promesa charter school attempted to open a new large school close to her son’s school in Boyle Heights. Centro CSO and other allied organizations fought back and won, as protests and Centro CSO’s lawsuit forced the KIPP corporation to cancel its plans. Bonilla told the crowd, “We are the voices of our children. We have to fight for the rights of our children.”

Sam Garcia described how their work as a youth organizer with ELAWC helped them regain their voice as a survivor of sexual assault. Josefina Rizo, whose 16-year-old son Jose Méndez was killed by LAPD in 2016, discussed how she went from attending Centro CSO meetings because of its support for her family’s case to now enjoying being an active member of the organization. Eloisa Galindo summarized the history of the Eastside Padres Contra la Privatización, explained her own process of learning about the impact of charters, and recognized the many parent activists involved with her group’s work.

Torres closed the event by highlighting the role of primarily women teachers in the UTLA strike on LAUSD in January 2019 and saying that all women, regardless of their personality and capacities, have a role to play in the movement.

#LosAngelesCA #InternationalWomensDay #BoyleHeights #California #LA #IWD

Los Angeles, CA – On August 29, hundreds of community members, activists and families gathered at a local Chicano art center, Self Help Graphics, to commemorate the 49th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium against the Vietnam War.The event marks the August 29, 1970 Chicano Moratorium, which included over 30,000 Chicanos and supporters marching against the Vietnam War in East Los Angeles. The large march ended with a rally at Laguna Park – now known as Ruben Salazar Park. The moratorium was against the Vietnam War, against the high casualty rate of Chicanos in that war, against police terror and against racism. East LA Sheriffs and LAPD attacked the peaceful rally, beating hundreds, tear gassing thousands and killing three participants. One of those killed was well-known Los Angeles Times reporter and KMEX news director Ruben Salazar.The commemoration was organized by Centro CSO, which continues to denounce police terror, President Trump's ICE raid threats against undocumented immigrants, militarization of the U.S./Mexico border, and threats of intervention in Iran and Venezuela.The event kickstarted with local indie-funk band Resonance, while everyone attending got food and refreshments. Centro CSO members Rosario Bonilla and Lupe Torres gave an introduction about Self Help Graphics.The keynote speaker of the evening was the author and longtime Chicano activist from Denver, Colorado, Ernesto Vigil. Vigil spoke about the importance of organizing the community and having the correct ideas to defeat U.S. imperialism. Lisa Vargas, the mother of Anthony Vargas, who was shot and killed by East Los Angeles Sheriffs last August, spoke about her son's legacy and her fight to seek justice.Antonia Montes, a public school teacher at Eastmont Avenue School spoke about charter schools’ devastating effects on public schools, about co-locations, and the parents, students and teachers united against privatization of education. They are currently fighting to remove Extera Charter school. Rudy Chavez, a Vietnam veteran and activist, performed an exclusive poem which included an atmospheric set up and props. Carlos Montes, a longtime Chicano activist, spoke about the Vietnam War and its high mortality rate of Chicano soldiers and about continuing the fight for public education, defeating the mega KIPP Promesa charter school and police killings.Sol Marquez, member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), spoke about different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean currently fighting back against U.S. domination. Marquez informed the crowd that FRSO trade union delegation arrived in Caracas, Venezuela for the “1st International Meeting of Workers in Solidarity with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, its Government and Its People,” which started on August 29.

“My FRSO comrades send their solidarity all the way from Caracas on this 49th commemoration of our self-determination. They are to return soon, and I ask that you be on standby if U.S. customs gives them a hard time. We may have to organize an emergency event, if they are not released in a timely manner.”

Join Centro CSO for their public meetings the third Wednesday of every month at 6 p.m. at Benjamin Franklin Library. Look for /Centro CSO on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

#BoyleHeights #LosAngelesCA #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #CentroCSO #ChicanoMoratoriumAgainstTheVietnamWar #LisaVargas

Los Angeles, CA – The evening of February 22, a group of fiery protestors gathered at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights, protesting Trump’s deceleration of a National Emergency for his wall. The Boyle Heights action was organized by Centro CSO and was one of the protests in response to a call to action made by the Legalization for All Network.

On the campaign trail, candidate Trump said that Mexico would pay for his wall. President Trump could not get funding for his wall on the U.S.-Mexico border even when his Republican Party controlled the House, the Senate and the White House. Then he shut down parts of the federal government for over a month in an attempt to get the funding for his racist wall. Trump then took it a step further by declaring a national emergency. With thousands of U.S. troops already mobilized to the border, a national emergency will heighten the tension, given that armed troops and border agents have unleashed tear gas on refugees.

Chanting, “Up, up with legalization! Down, down with deportations!” and “Trump, el burro! No! Al muro,” (Trump, the jackass! No! To his wall) the group received countless honks of support. Many passersby even joined the protesters in chanting as they drove by.

To sign onto the Legalization for All call go here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/legalization-for-all/no-trump-wall-no-state-of-emergency/2336613779684475/

#LosAngelesCA #PeoplesStruggles #BoyleHeights #California #Trump #wall #stateOfEmergency

The program, organized by Centro CSO, will honor the historic August 29, 1970 Chicano Moratorium, where over 30,000 people march to protest the high casualty rate of Chicanos in the war in Vietnam. The Chicano Moratorium event is held every year to commemorate the Chicanos’ community fight for equality, peace and against U.S. wars.

Now, the Centro CSO continues to denounce President Trump’s threats of interventions and war against countries like Iran, Venezuela and north Korea. They also call for the U.S. Navy and troops to get out of the Philippines.

Featured speakers at the event will be Raul Ruiz, former editor and photographer for La Raza newspaper. Also featured is Gloria Arellanes, a founder of the original Chicano Moratorium, Brown Berets, and Las Adelitas – an anti-war women’s group.

Cruz Becerra, a Vietnam war veteran, will also speak, along with Nikole Cababa, Secretary General of Bayan USA; Dalia Jaramillo-Chicano, Moratorium Organizing Committee; United Teachers of LA; Sol Marquez, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and members of Centro CSO.

#LosAngelesCalifornia #LosAngelesCA #AntiwarMovement #ChicanoLatino #CentroCSO #ChicanoMoratorium #BoyleHeights #VietnamWar

Los Angeles, CA – Over 50 angry people protested in front of the Los Angeles Police Department Boyle Heights Hollenbeck police station, Feb. 17. Cardboard signs with slogans like, “Justice for Christian Escobedo,” “Stop police brutality,” “Stop killing our youth,” and “De-escalation not violence” were waved at the people driving by and at the LAPD.

Christian Escobedo was a 22-year-old who was walking home at about 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 14. Escobedo was a loving and caring person who was always willing to help anyone. He graduated from El Sereno Middle School and Lincoln High School.

The LAPD claims Escobedo and another person were resting on the sidewalk behind a car, near his home in El Sereno. Someone reported the two resting to the LAPD, which responded sending officers to confront Escobedo, shooting him without provocation. They claim they saw a gun, the other person ran, and they feared for their lives. Escobedo died when LAPD shot him four times.

“We hear of the recent mass shooting in Florida,” says Dafne Jacobs of Centro CSO. “And we hear that the shooter killed 17, and he walked away without so much as a scratch. But Christian Escobedo didn’t kill anyone, and LAPD took his life.”

Since February 2016, eight young Chicanos – including two teens – have been killed by the LAPD Hollenbeck station. The East L.A. Sheriffs have killed two Chicano men during this same time. Centro CSO in Boyle Heights has been fighting back against almost every one of these killings. This protest was organized by Escobedo’s family, friends, all from the neighborhood of Happy Valley, as well as Centro CSO. The crowd demanded accountability of the officers involved in Escobedo’s killing.

Sarah Figueroa, sister of Christian, stated, “Today’s event went beautifully and I hope it helped in getting our message across to LAPD. We will not stand idly by while our youth like my brother are taken from us. We need answers, and we need then now.”

The protest was moderated by Emily Velazquez of Centro CSO.

The family and Centro CSO will continue to build the fight against the officers and to bring the energy from the protests to the May Day march in Boyle Heights. An organizing meeting will take place Wednesday, Feb. 21, 6 p.m., at the Benjamin Franklin Library, 2200 E 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033. All are welcome

Marquez is a Chicana member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Centro CSO.

#LosAngelesCA #ImmigrantRights #PoliceBrutality #PeoplesStruggles #CentroCSO #LAPD #BoyleHeights

(Fight Back! News / Staff)”)

Los Angeles, CA — A packed house is unusual for the Boyle Heights Planning and Land Use Committee (PLUC), but on Dec. 14, over 50 people filled the room. The PLUC meeting was asked by KIPP Promesa Charter School architects and developers for a statement of support from the PLUC as well as a preview of a new Community Plan with a rezoning proposal. Boyle Heights is already occupied by two charter schools which co-locate at 2nd Street Elementary and Breed Elementary.

What charter school proponents didn’t plan on was a powerful show of people ready to fight back. Present in the room were public school teachers who are members of the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), parents and students of Marianna Avenue Elementary, and at-risk for displacement Boyle Heights residents.

“Shiny and new charter schools are not always the best choice,” said Lupe Torres a public school teacher who graduated from Roosevelt High School. “Today the Boyle Heights PLUC turned them down and this is great news for public education. KIPP should not be given the chance to expand and poach students from local public schools. Charters are gaining support from public officials and billionaires looking to profit off families and their students. Which leaves us public teachers fending for ourselves and fighting back like we did today.”

Eloisa Galindo, whose children attend Marianna Avenue Elementary public school, stated, “We know it has everything to do with business and profit when billionaires are supporting charter schools. We raised our voices today and fought to protect public education. We fought against a co-location effort by KIPP Promesa at my children’s school, and we won! No KIPP Promesa Charter at Mariana nor in Boyle Heights!”

Those fighting against KIPP Promesa Charter are ready to continue the struggle, as the LA city council may consider the Kipp Charter school rezoning request in 2018.

Sol Márquez is a Chicana member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization and a resident of Boyle Heights.

#LosAngelesCA #teachers #BoyleHeights #education #California

Los Angeles, CA – The beautiful and unified chants of, “Chicano power! Immigrant power! Student power!” and “Que viva la Raza! Que viva Aztlán! Que viva Mexico!” was heard through the streets of the Chicano neighborhood of Boyle Heights, May 1. The spirited May Day march proceeded on Chavez Avenue in the heart of Boyle heights where residents came out to cheer and show support. A short rally was held at the corners of Chicago and First Street at the LAPD Hollenbeck police station to denounce the killings of Jose “Peruzzi” Mendez, Jesse Romero and other youth.

Chicano revolutionary Carlos Montes called on the protest participants to continue to fight beyond May 1, by organizing in our neighborhoods, schools and work places to defend against ICE raids and police brutality, while building the movement for equality and self-determination.

Libeth Galaviz of Centro CSO spoke about a recent immigration case of Teresa de Jesus Vidal Jaime in Boyle Heights, “When our community is attacked, we stand together and fight back. La lucha sigue y sigue and we will continue to defy and resist until our right to live is as valued as the fruits of our labor.”

Roosevelt High school student and leader of MEChA Edna Galaviz delivered a speech at the May Day rally, in which she spoke about her own father being deported when Galaviz was only 12 years old. Trump’s ICE orders to continue attacking the undocumented spell bad news for many, especially in neighborhoods with high numbers of immigrants like Boyle Heights. “We fight today not only for him, but for many others who are afraid to speak out and fight back against deportations,” said Galaviz

Estela Rodriguez, mother of Edwin Rodriguez, who was murdered Feb. 14, 2016 by East LA sheriffs, spoke against the Trump orders giving police more powers and about his supporting the “blue lives matter” call.

Josefina Rizo, mother of Jose “Peruzzi” Mendez – a Mexican undocumented youth killed by LAPD on Feb. 6, 2016, denounced the brutal murder of her son and the current deportations taking place in Boyle Heights.

The May Day protest was the third annual march and rally was organized by Centro CSO: Community Service Organization and called for an end to Trump ICE raids, an end to police brutality, and an end to U.S. wars and occupations. The overall main demand was for respect and equality for Mexicans, Chicanos and Central Americans.

Omar Ortiz, a member of Centro CSO who provided security during May Day, said, “Our May Day in Boyle Heights was different because local youth came out in high numbers. They’re becoming part of the movement to fight back without being afraid of their oppressors.”

“We became Chicanos when the U.S. forced Mexico to draw the line along the Southwest,” said Sol Marquez of the FRSO. “So be proud of who you are! You are Chicano! And we must lead ourselves to fight for full equality; no one will do it for us, but ourselves.”

Mothers and students from Marianna Avenue Elementary also participated in the march after celebrating a victory against being forced to co-locate with KIPP Promesa Charter School. Karla Gonzalez, a parent of three Marianna Ave students, said, “As parents, we need to be involved in fighting against what the empire tries to force on our children. Hate and disrespect being two of them. Fight the charter schools who are part of the privatization threat. Continue fighting back, continue uniting.”

The protest was endorsed by Roosevelt HS and CSULA Mecha, SDS PCC, Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council, Latino Equality Alliance, Lusito’s Tortas, MORENA, Hermandad Mexicana La Original, Parents United of Marianna Elementary School, CARECEN, NLG, Pro Uno, FRSO, and Congreso Latino. Security for the march was provided by students of MEXA de ELAC as well as various members of Centro CSO.

Next up for Centro CSO is a protest on May 20, 11 a.m., in front of LAPD-Hollenbeck to demand the cops be jailed and fired for the killing of Jesse Romero and Jose “Peruzzi” Mendez.

#LosAngelesCA #Labor #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #CentroCSO #BoyleHeights #Mayday

Los Angeles, CA – In the mainly Chicano Boyle Heights neighborhood, families and organizations will protest Trump’s ICE attacks and police killings by marching on May Day. The May Day march will start at 3 p.m. at the corner of Cesar Chavez Boulevard and Evergreen Street. Proceeding west on Chavez, the march will take place in the heart of Boyle heights. On Chicago Street, the march will travel south for a short rally at the corners of Chicago and First street at the LAPD Hollenbeck station to denounce the killings of Jose “Peruzzi” Mendez, Jesse Romero, and other youth.

High school student and president of MEChA at Roosevelt High School Edna Galaviz will speak about how Trump’s orders on ICE impact students. Estela Rodriguez, mother of Edwin Rodriguez, killed Feb. 14, 2016 by East LA sheriffs, will speak against the Trump orders giving police more power to suppress by supporting a “blue lives matter” call. Josefina Mendez, mother of Jose “Peruzzi” Mendez, a Mexican undocumented youth killed by LAPD on Feb. 6, 2016 will denounce the current deportations taking place in Boyle Heights.

The march is being organized by the Centro CSO (Community Service Organization).

“Boyle Heights has a rich history of Chicanos locking arms and demanding equality, liberation, self-determination, and an end to national oppression,” says Sol Marquez of FRSO. “May Day is a perfect time to look forward to revolutionary change, and for everyone who is against Trump’s racist attacks to join us. The streets are ours, join us as we march and celebrate May Day.”

Longtime immigrant rights leader Carlos Montes urges the community “to march and rally on May 1 in Boyle Heights, and to organize defense committees in each neighborhood to defend against ICE and police raids, arrests and brutality.”

The May Day event is endorsed by Roosevelt HS abd CSULA Mecha, SDS PCC, Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council, Latino Equality Alliance, Lusito’s Tortas, MORENA, Hermandad Mexicana, Eastside Greens, Parents United of Marianna Elementary School, CARECEN, NLG, Pro Uno, FRSO, United Teachers of LA, and Congreso Latino.

#LosAngelesCA #CentroCSO #BoyleHeights