‘Irresponsible to allow a fascist back into office,’ Mijente’s voting tour kicks off

With the 2024 presidential race heating up, Mijente’s team is mobilizing the Latine vote ahead of the November general elections with its El Chisme 2024 Tour hitting 18 cities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico by October’s end.

“The chisme is…the story at the local level…the story beyond Trump versus Biden,” said Mijente’s executive director Marisa Franco, describing the tour’s name and purpose. “What’s the bigger story here?”

Mijente, an organization promoting the national and political representation of Latinx and Chicanx people, teamed with queer cumbia dance party Cumbiatón to kick off its tour in Los Angeles. Following the West Coast, Mijente’s chisme tour bus will journey to the East Coast, then to the Midwest, until it reaches its final destinations.

Los Angeles Chisme: Mass Incarceration, Down-Ballot Voting and Anti-Blackness

At its first stop at the Echoplex, Mijente representatives hosted five local leaders to participate in an intimate discussion. Though all contributors identified as Latine, each one spoke from their own unique experience in government, media or community organizing. Their stories highlighted the Latine political landscape across the city and country. 

“We're gonna talk about things on a personal level,” Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez said. The former labor organizer was elected in 2022, and represents Council District 13, which encompasses the neighborhoods of Echo Park, Silver Lake and Westlake, among others. “Latinos make up 20% of the national population, and that is continuing to grow.” In CD13, Latines comprise half of the population, according to the LA Census 2020. “What is oftentimes not talked about is that a lot of folks in Los Angeles are undocumented, and they can't vote.”

Some panelists stressed the importance of the Latine vote in protecting undocumented families. “Vote with your conscience,” said President and CEO of Community Coalition Alberto Retana. “It’s irresponsible, irresponsible, to allow a fascist back into office.” A child of Mexican and Costa Rican immigrants, Retana said he directs his message to engaged voters, not to those who choose not to vote. 

Among those who are unable to vote is Queen Angelina, who performed at the tour spot. Angelina moved to Los Angeles in January from Texas. Before that, the gender fluid person changed the gender marker on her Mexican passport from “M” to “X.” Her identity is now officially recognized in her home country, which is not the case in the state she relocated from. 

“I had to leave Texas because of all the new laws that they’re trying to pass,” said Angelina.

Sporting a keffiyeh, Executive Director of La Defensa Ivette Alé-Ferlito playfully introduced themself by announcing, “First of all, ¡Feliz Pride jotos!” as the audience cheered. They then delved into the topic of mass incarceration. “Los Angeles is the epicenter of mass incarceration. We are the largest jailing county, in the largest jailing state, in the largest jailing country in the world. Let’s sit with that for a second.”

When Alé-Ferlito emigrated from Mexico as a child, they felt isolated, a feeling that was exacerbated when they witnessed their dad’s arrest at their school. He was subsequently incarcerated.  

“La Defensa has a justice PAC. It’s called The Justice PAC by la Defensa, and it’s focused on electing progressive attorneys and public defenders for judges in L.A. County,” Ale-Ferlito said. “Vote down the ballot all the way to judge and vote for the defenders of justice,” referring to the importance of voting on all office posts, including judiciary positions.  

The panelists did not gloss over the leaked audio recording of 2022 that revealed L.A. city council members along with a labor leader espousing anti-Black and anti-Indigenous sentiments. “Unity is created by folks coming together and working through some of the challenges, not ignoring the conversations,” Retana said, recognizing that the tape forced many people to reflect on the racism that exists in Latine communities. 

The community leaders in the audience could not be ignored. Franky Carrillo, candidate for State Assembly District 52, heard about the event through social media. 

“I was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life in prison. I did 20 years until they realized that they made a mistake,” Carrillo said. Being wrongfully accused of killing a man at 16 years old shaped his political pursuits, he said. “To be able to legislate with that experience and to remember, such as my story, when people should have stood up and demanded fairness and justice but didn’t, and my life was impacted and affected by that, shame on me if I would ever not raise my voice when I see something wrong that is going on.”

Ana Carrion, president of the Chicano Latino Immigrant Democratic Club of Los Angeles County, was invited due to her role as a community leader. 

She tells CALÓ News that the club had disbanded for the past few years, and that she is attempting to reestablish it. She believes in civic education, she said, which is why she values the participation of immigrant residents. Some might be unable to officially vote due to citizenship status, but they can still mobilize for others to vote.

“Que viva la joteria”

Once the panel concluded, Echoplex employees swiftly removed the rows of folding chairs from the dance floor. Within hours, the venue went from 60 people to more than 150 attendees. 

Banda Las Angelinas, an all-women banda group, played a lively show in between DJ sets. Vocalist Lisset Navarrete flung undergarments at the crowd as she shouted in Spanish, “Who is not wearing underwear tonight?”

“We put that out loud and proud,” said Navarrete, explaining that female musicians in the banda genre are rare, and often face discrimination in this male-dominated field. She mentioned that several of her bandmates identify as queer and they felt welcomed last Friday. “There are some events that don’t see queer people or LGBTQ people that great. Right here, they feel at home.”