The vice mayor of Cudahy is apologizing for a video she posted to social media last month, apparently encouraging “cholos” -or gang members- to organize against immigration raids in Southern California.
Vice Mayor Cynthia Gonzalez last month called out the 18th Street and Florencia street gangs, saying they weren’t doing enough to stand against federal agents conducting raids in their “territory.”
On Tuesday, Gonzalez apologized for what she called a “satirical” video.
“To be clear, I created this video in my personal time and on my personal page,” she said during a City Council meeting. “The message was not about violence; it was about regular people – us, Martin had joined me in one of these – claiming ownership of our streets in a time of great distress and asking others, who I mentioned in my video, in organizing and protesting against the harm and violence being inflicted on our community. I want to apologize to city staff, members of the council and my community that my video took attention away from the pain our communities are experiencing and brought unnecessary attention to our city.”…