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Vice-Mayor calls for gang action against ICE
Cudahy Vice-Mayor Cynthia Gonzalez posted and then deleted a TikTok video asking why local gangs like Florencia 13 and the 18th Street Gang haven't "defended their turf" against ICE.
LOS ANGELES - A city official in a small town within Los Angeles County is now believed to be under federal investigation for a video posted on social media.
What we know:
In a now deleted TikTok video, Cudahy Vice Mayor Cynthia Gonzalez allegedly tells gang members to "defend their territory" from ICE agents.
"You guys are all about territory," Gonzalez said in the roughly 90 second video. "This is 18th street, this is Florencia. You guys tag everything up, claiming hood, and now that your hood is being invaded by the biggest gang there is, there isn’t a peep out of you."
Federal sources confirm with FOX that Gonzalez is under investigation for the comments. She also confirmed it with a post on Facebook.
"Don’t be trying to claim no block, no nothing, if you’re not showing up right now," Gonzalez said in the video. "Whoever is the leadership over there, just get your f*** members in order."
The controversial video was shared publicly last week and has since been deleted, along with Facebook posts, also allegedly from Gonzalez, obtained by FOX before they were taken down.
What they're saying:
In the Facebook comments, Gonzalez allegedly wrote, "I need a lawyer. The FBI just came to my house." Adding, "It was about a TikTok that I made that went viral. Literally a TikTok."
In another post Gonzalez allegedly wrote that she, "believes this is a First Amendment rights issue".
The nearby Mayor of Huntington Park, Arturo Flores, tells FOX 11 he condemns the video.
"She’s a personal friend," said Mayor Flores. "I know her. I know she wouldn’t call for violence. Words are important. You have to be careful with what you say and how you say it."
Mayor Flores is currently pushing to have local police work to "identify" immigration agents within the Huntington Park community.
"If a caravan is coming into our community, 4 or 5 vehicles, what I expect is a vetting to happen of who those individuals are," said Flores.
The other side:
In a statement, the Los Angeles Police Protective League called for the immediate resignation and prosecution of Gonzalez.
"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. Her actions are deplorable and potentially illegal. She should resign and she should be prosecuted if what she called for broke the law."
According to the LAPPL, both gangs "have a known history of murdering police officers." The organization referred to the 1998 killing of LAPD Officer Filberto Cuesta by an 18th Street gang member and more recently, the 2022 murder of LAPD Officer Fernando Arroyos by several Florencia gang members.
What's next:
FOX 11 called, emailed, and texted Cudahy Vice Mayor Gonzalez for comment about her video, but so far we haven’t heard back.
We also reached out to all Cudahy city council members, but no one responded to answer our questions. Late Tuesday afternoon, we received a written response from a spokesperson for the City of Cudahy saying, "The City of Cudahy is aware of recent comments made by Vice Mayor Cynthia Gonzalez 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."
The Source: Information for this story came from a video posted by Cudahy Vice Mayor Cynthia Gonzalez and an interview with Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores.