Cudahy Vice Mayor responds to social media video where she calls for gang members to help out and organize in their ‘territory’

A video from Cudahy Vice Mayor Cynthia Gonzalez drew national attention for all the wrong reasons. The video shows Gonzalez asking where some of the most dangerous gang members like Florencia 13 And 18th Street were during recent immigration raids. 

“You guys are all over territory…claiming ‘hood, and now that your ‘hood is being invaded there’s not a peep out of you … Don't be trying to claim no block, no nothing if you're not showing up right now trying to help out and organize,” she says on her video. “Where you at? Bien calladitos, bien calladitos todos los cholitos.”

The video that was originally posted on Gonzalez’s social media and then deleted made its way through the public web and went viral.  

After receiving backlash from her community, her colleagues and even the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Gonzalez is responding to the attacks that she is inciting violence. 

Her legal counsel Damian J. Martinez said she called upon her local community to exercise their First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly in order to express their views on recent ICE enforcement actions. 

“Her message was entirely peaceful and aimed at encouraging civic engagement through lawful and constructive means,” said Martinez in a statement. “Dr. Gonzalez is deeply committed to fostering open dialogue on important and often controversial issues.”

Martinez said that Gonzalez “in no way encouraged anyone to engage in violence. Any suggestion that she advocated for violence is categorically false and without merit.” 

Martinez said Gonzalez looks forward to continuing to represent her community by encouraging them to exercise their rights to free speech and assembly, hallmarks of our nation’s strength and freedom.

He added that Gonzalez’ post issued a challenge to the Latino community, to “join the thousands of Angelenos already peacefully organizing in response to ongoing enforcement actions.” 

The reactions

As a result of the video, the City of Cudahy issued a statement saying that they are aware of the Vice Mayor's comments on social media. 

“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,” says the statement. 

A Cudahy resident who asked to remain anonymous said Gonzalez has been focusing on being “TikTok famous and doing stuff that makes her trending. Now she’s trending but not for the reasons she wanted,” said the resident.

Gonzalez has 10,700 followers and more than three million likes on her TikTok page, which now is private. 

Gonzalez posted on her Facebook page that her house was raided by the FBI and she needed an attorney. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said via X that the comments made by Gonzalez are despicable. 

“She calls for criminal gangs – including the vicious 18th Street gang—to commit violence against our brave ICE law enforcement,” said DHS on X. “This kind of garbage has led to a more than 500 percent increase in assaults against our ICE law enforcement officers.”

The Los Angeles Police Protective League called for the immediate resignation and prosecution of Gonzalez. The union said 18th Street and Florencia street gangs are notoriously dangerous Los Angeles-based criminal enterprises. 

“They rule their ‘turfs’ through intimidation, violence, and murder, and finance their operations through the sale of narcotics and illegal firearms, prostitution, and protection rackets,” said the union in a statement. 

Both gangs have killed officers in the past. In 1998, an 18th Street gang member murdered LAPD Officer Filberto Cuesta. Recently, several Florencia gang members were convicted of the 2022 murder of LAPD Officer Fernando Arroyos, explained the union.

“What Ms. Gonzalez urged and taunted these specific gangs to do in her social media post puts police officers and other law enforcement professionals at greater risk,” said the union. “Her actions are deplorable and potentially illegal. She should resign and she should be prosecuted if what she called for broke the law.”