Carlos Montes es un líder reconocido a nivel nacional en el movimiento chicano, de derechos de los migrantes y en la lucha contra la guerra. Fue cofundador de los Boinas Cafés (Brown Berets), una organización chicana de la clase trabajadora en Estados Unidos a finales de los años 1960 y 1970. Los Boinas Cafés se inspiraron y a menudo fueron comparados con el Partido de las Panteras Negras (Black Panther Party).
Los Ángeles, CA – El 12 y 13 de abril, activistas y organizaciones de derechos de los inmigrantes se reunirán en la Cumbre de Emergencia del Suroeste Contra las Deportaciones en la histórica comunidad chicana de Boyle Heights, en Los Ángeles, California.
Esta Cumbre de Emergencia del Suroeste es una oportunidad para que los activistas por los derechos de los inmigrantes se reúnan en el Suroeste, una región de gran importancia histórica para chicanos y mexicanos, para compartir estrategias sobre cómo organizarse y resistir con éxito los ataques de Trump y de ICE.
Carlos Montes is a nationally respected leader in the Chicano, immigrant rights and anti-war movements. He was a co-founder of the Brown Berets, a Chicano working-class organization in the United States in the late 1960s and 1970s. The Brown Berets were inspired by and often compared to the Black Panther Party.
Montes was one of the leaders of the 1968 ELA Chicano Blowouts, a series of walkouts of East Los Angeles high schools. He is portrayed by Fidel Gomez in the 2006 HBO movie Walkout. Montes is one of the ELA 13 indicted by a grand jury for conspiracy to disrupt the Los Angeles school district. With the Brown Berets, Montes organized the first Chicano Moratorium protest against the Vietnam war in East LA, which took place December 20, 1969.
Los Angeles, CA – On March 8, activists from Centro CSO and Freedom Road Socialist Organization met up in Boyle Heights for their eighth annual celebration marking International Women’s Day. This year’s event featured a panel with speakers from different areas of work that Centro CSO is focused on such as immigration, education, and police brutality, as well as a labor activist from Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and a keynote speaker from the LAUSD school board.
Los Angeles, CA – On Thursday, February 27, at 6 p.m., Chicanos packed an East Los Angeles town hall meeting that was put on by the Civilian Oversight Commission of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and LA County. Over 60 Chicanos from East Los Angeles and the immediate surrounding area joined the meeting, both in person and virtually, to denounce the attacks on Raza by the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
Los Angeles, CA – In East Los Angeles, the grassroots organization Centro CSO has been fighting to ban the Fort Apache logo that East Los Angeles Sheriff's deputies proudly wear on the front right pocket of their uniform. The logo is disrespectful to Chicanos, as it was created by deputy gang members from the Little Red Devils gang out of the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (ELASD) station to glorify their attacks on Raza.
The logo depicts a riot helmet on top of a combat boot with the words “Low Profile” and “Siempre Una Patada En Los Pantalones (Always A Kick In The Pants).” The East Los Angeles Sheriff's Deputies created this logo after beating and killing Chicanos during the Chicano Moratorium on August 29, 1970, in East Los Angeles. The Chicano Moratorium was a large Chicano march, and protest against police brutality as well as the Vietnam War, where countless Chicanos were being sent to the front lines to die in the name of U.S. imperialism. Chicanos demanded an end to the draft and the presence of military recruiters in schools.
Los Ángeles, CA — Más de 200 estudiantes de Garfield High School realizaron un paro estudiantil el 4 de febrero. Padres marcharon junto a sus hijos, mientras los estudiantes salieron energéticamente de la escuela.
Los Angeles, CA – Over 1000 Chicanos gathered at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights on Saturday, February 8 at 11 a.m. to protest deportations and fight against Trump and his immigration policies. The rally and march was organized by Centro CSO and was supported by many allies, like Unión del Barrio and Palestinian Youth Movement LA.
Mariachi Plaza has been an unofficial rally point for local Chicanos on the Eastside of LA to meet and fight back, from protesting police killings of Chicanos and fighting for immigrant rights to Palestinian solidarity rallies.
Los Angeles, CA – Thousands of students from East Los Angeles and downtown high schools walked out this morning, February 4, and converged at LA City Hall.
Los Angeles, CA — Over 200 Garfield High School students walked out this morning, February 4. Parents marched alongside their children, as the students energetically marched out of school.
Los Ángeles, CA – Miles de chicanos e inmigrantes marcharon hacia el centro de Los Ángeles hoy, 2 de febrero. Ondeando banderas de México, Colombia, Venezuela y Centroamérica, el mar de gente lo dejó claro: los inmigrantes están aquí para quedarse. El evento fue una demostración de indignación pública y unidad en contra de Trump, sus seguidores racistas y sus numerosas órdenes ejecutivas antinmigrantes.
Los Angeles, CA – Thousands of Chicanos and immigrants marched into downtown Los Angeles, today, February 2. Waving Mexican, Colombian, Venezuelan and Central American flags, the sea of people made it clear: Immigrants are here to stay. The event was to demonstrate public outcry and unity against Trump, his racist supporters, and his many anti-immigrant executive orders.
Los Angeles, CA – On January 20, over 200 community members from Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles gathered at Mariachi Plaza for a protest to oppose the incoming Trump administration. The event, organized by Centro Community Service Organization (CSO), brought together residents and local organizations united against Trump’s reactionary anti-immigrant agenda and broader policies that threaten oppressed nationalities like Chicanos and African Americans.
Los Angeles, CA – On December 3, when newly-elected pro-police Nathan Hochman was sworn into office at the Hall of Justice as district attorney, members of Black Lives Matter-LA, Centro CSO and other LA activists arrived to protest Hochman’s agenda.
Los Angeles, CA – 30 people attended a know your rights panel and training in the Boyle Hights neighborhood, hosted by Centro CSO’s immigration rapid response team. The educational event was organized because many in the community are nervous about how immigration law will be impacted by the Trump presidential victory.
Los Angeles, CA – In a criminal court hearing on November 19, former Los Angeles Sheriff Deputy Remin Pineda was given the outrageous sentence of two years of probation, 250 community service hours, and 180 days of suspended county jail time for the killing of David Ordaz Jr. in 2021. As part of the plea deal, Pineda forfeited his right to hold a peace officer position or owning a gun.
Los Angeles, CA – On November 6, close to 50 people gathered for a rally against Donald Trump and his reactionary agenda following his election. Taking place at the intersection of Soto and 1st Street in the predominantly Chicano neighborhood of Boyle Heights, the protest drew attention to the need to organize against Trump’s expected attacks on workers, immigrants, women, and other oppressed peoples.
Los Angeles, CA – On October 29, East Los Angeles (ELA) residents, led by the community group Centro CSO, scored a major win against a proposed charter school in their neighborhood. Centro CSO members and residents spoke at a meeting of the LA County Board of Supervisors to oppose Extera Charter School’s plan to build a new facility on Gage and Eastman Avenues.
Angelina Chavez, a community member voiced her concerns, stating, “This project will bring constant traffic, noise, and pollution to our quiet street.”
Los Angeles, CA – On October 23, Centro Community organization Centro (CSO) held a press conference outside the East LA Sheriff’s Station to condemn the violent actions of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) after the Dodgers’ National League Championship Series victory celebration on October 20.
Speakers at the press conference highlighted the indiscriminate tear gassing of families, the racist “Fort Apache” mentality of the East LA Sheriff’s Station, and the broader systemic violence against Chicanos. The community demanded justice and emphasized the need for community control of the police.
Los Angeles, CA – On Friday, October 18, Centro Community Service Organization (CSO) members and community gathered at local bookstore ReArte in Boyle Heights for a film screening and discussion. The film was on the history of Haiti and was shown in light of recent racist remarks by Donald Trump in Ohio. Haitian American and CSO member Chris Bernadel and the CSO immigration rapid response team chair Jordan Peña co-facilitated the event.
