LOS ANGELES – I’ve lived in California for my whole life, I’m a citizen and both my parents are citizens. For many years, I have loved and cherished my immigrant friends from different countries, especially the Hispanic community.

What’s happening: ICE is roaming all over Los Angeles, in unmarked vehicles, with officers in plainclothes, kidnapping anyone who they deem is not a citizen, even if that person is here legally or is actually a citizen. They are violent and they wear masks for anonymity. This has created a new problem – there’s a recent news story where random men, pretending to be ICE officers, kidnapped and raped a woman. Who knows how often this has happened?

There are no “riots” – these are direct actions (by brave heroes) for revolutionary progress. I am so proud of everyone who has been out in the streets taking on the cops. Two Blackhawks were spotted over Los Angeles and 2 MQ9 Reapers. In the West, we call this the imperial boomerang, meaning that the violence the state inflicts on other countries will eventually be used on the state’s own population.

Police have been firing so many “non-lethal” bullets—at reporters, at protestors, at everyone who was there—that they had to reload. That’s when the Blackhawk came with more bullets. These rounds are less lethal than real bullets, but still lethal. Also, the police have been using copious amounts of tear gas, which most countries have outlawed even in times of war.

There are multiple groups like People's City Council LA and Unity of Fields (anti-imperialist propaganda front for the international popular cradle of resistance) who help coordinate when someone gets arrested. They provide jail support, so they provide lawyers and bail support, and they always have people waiting outside the jail to take the jailed person home and make sure they’re okay. They bring water and snacks, etc. That kind of community solidarity is what gives me hope.

The federal government sent in the National Guard—2,000 men—and they are planning to send in the Marines. The goal of the protestors is to save their comrades from being violently kidnapped and deported to a torture prison in CECOT in El Salvador. The other goal is to overwhelm and scare the police and ICE and the National Guard so badly that our government realizes it cannot continue these deportations.

In terms of attending these protests, calls go out on Twitter or elsewhere and people will just show up. It’s not about leadership or hierarchy—it’s about shared purpose and instinct.

I should also mention that Gavin Newsom is a corrupt politician. He pretends to care about California, but he’s going to use this moment to run for president in 2028 (in my opinion). But the reason we have so many fires here is in large part due to his refusal to prosecute the people who start the fires—energy companies like PG&E—and he doesn’t allocate nearly enough money to the fire departments.

I hope that it starts a nationwide movement of Americans taking their country back from the corrupt politicians and corporations.