Who is in charge of Los Angeles?
How is it possible that a large group of people can roam the county—without identifying themselves, without warrants, and with violence—kidnapping dozens of individuals right in front of the police and other authorities?
Is there anyone in Los Angeles protecting its residents? Where is the sanctuary city? Where are the press conferences saying, “Don’t worry, we’re here to defend you”?
The residents of this multicultural city have had to come out in defense of themselves. A slogan often used by day laborers now feels more urgent than ever: Only the people can save the people.
Here are just three examples of the arbitrary acts these workers have suffered at the hands of masked men.
El Paletero
It was midday. Ambrocio ‘Enrique’ Lozano was making his typical rounds through a Culver City neighborhood. It was his routine, a job selling popsicles for one dollar that he had been doing for twenty years. Some people arrived and took him away, who knows if they were immigration agents or not.
His cart was left in the street. This is the last thing that is known about him. Witnesses say he was taken by agents in unmarked SUVs.
Lozano, who has sold frozen fruit bars in Culver City for decades, was a beloved figure, often giving popsicles to those short of a dollar on the promise of repayment.
Enrique’s family says he’s originally from Mexico. He’s been living in South Los Angeles with his wife but has been driving to Culver City to serve the community for roughly 20 years.
“He’s really nice. If someone doesn’t have a dollar or 50 cents… he’s like, ‘Don’t worry about it. Just take it,'” Sanchez said.
After he was stopped, his ice cream cart was left behind. He usually parks at Veterans Memorial Park. Someone brought his cart back to his car where his family later picked it up.
After no communication for more than 24 hours, he was able to call his family from the detention center in downtown L.A.
“My aunt got a call last night like around 7:45 and it was him,” Enrique’s niece Kimberly Noriega said. “He was just worried about his cart, like, ‘Did you find my cart?'”
Jesse Madera says Enrique has been serving his family for generations.
“He’s our neighborhood ice cream man, you know,” Madera said. “He’s more than that. He was almost like family.”
His niece has set up a go fund me to help out his family with living expenses and legal fees. You can donate here.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/fundraiser-for-enrique-paletero-in-culver-city
Teenager
Haydee Palacios, 14, a resident of CD13 and also known as Rachel, has disappeared. She was last seen at 6:00pm on June 16th at the corner of Glendale Blvd and Temple St, by Elizabeth.
If you have any information that may be helpful in searching for her, please call 323-403-5703 or email escalaeh5745@student.laccd.edu
Kidnapped
A woman who was seen on video being taken away by federal agents during an immigration raid in downtown Los Angeles is a U.S. citizen who did nothing to warrant her arrest, according to her family, who is now speaking out.
It all unfolded Tuesday morning. Andrea Velez, 32, of South L.A, had just been dropped off by her family for work at 9th and Spring when they say ICE agents charged her and arrested her.
Video shows Velez being put into a dark-colored vehicle as LAPD officers stood nearby.
“My mom looked at the rear mirror and she saw how my sister was attacked from the back,” said Estrella Rosas,
Velez’s sister. “She’s like ‘they’re kidnapping your sister’ and I’m like who? It just happened so fast.”
For 24 hours, her family had no idea where Velez was, how she was doing or how to contact her.
Speaking in Spanish, her mother, Margarita Flores, told Eyewitness News how sad the situation has made her, adding that she never thought it would happen to a U.S. citizen.
On Wednesday, through the help of an attorney, they found where Velez was being held.
“Just to be in the wrong place at the wrong place, and you have the full weight of the federal government against you and your family can’t find you – it is very scary,” said Dominique Boubion, attorney with the Carrillo Law Firm. “I was shocked. It took us four hours to find here and we’re attorneys. That’s crazy.”
Even when they got in, her lawyers still haven’t been told what she’s been charged with.
“What tripped her up is her skin, her skin color. Because in my opinion, these ICE agents are very racist. They focused on the dark skin, Latinos… and yank them into the jails,” said attorney Luis Carrillo.
In the meantime, Velez’s family has been left traumatized, afraid to leave the house and desperate to get her home.
“When my daughter gets out, I don’t know how she’ll live her life from now on because right now, in these times, the way we are, I think we won’t be able to go outside anymore. Because we’re already exposed her, and it’s a brutal attack because they’re basically kidnapping people,” she said.
