Cudahy Vice Mayor Cynthia Gonzalez, who garnered national attention for her comments regarding immigration raids and Los Angeles gangs, addressed the controversy on Tuesday, weeks later.
In a city council meeting held Tuesday evening, Gonzalez, who is accused of calling on gang members to defend their neighborhoods from federal agents in a now-deleted social media video, affirmed her freedom of speech and cleared the air.
In part, Gonzalez said the following during the meeting:
“I just want to take some time to address the short satirical TikTok video I made recently that drew national headlines and public criticism. To be clear, I created this video in my personal time and on my personal page. The message was not about violence; It was about regular people – us, Martin had joined me in one of these – claiming ownership of our streets in a time of great distress and asking others, who I mentioned in my video, in organizing and protesting against the harm and violence being inflicted on our community. I want to apologize to city staff, members of the council and my community that my video took attention away from the pain our communities are experiencing and brought unnecessary attention to our city.”
Last month, the vice mayor drew criticism after she said she wanted to know “where all the cholos are at in Los Angeles” amid federal raids.
“Where’s the leadership at? Because you guys are all about territory and this is 18th Street, this is Florencia,” Gonzalez said in the controversial video. “You guys tag everything up, claiming hood and now that your hood’s being invaded by the biggest gang there is, there ain’t a peep out of you.”
The video prompted the Department of Homeland Security to call the comments “despicable.” The LA Protective League and union for the Los Angeles Police Department called for her resignation.