Los Angeles-area vice mayor breaks silence after facing backlash over social media post
Cudahy Vice Mayor Cynthia Gonzalez is breaking her silence after facing backlash for a social media post that appeared to urge local gang members to impede immigration operations continue across Los Angeles.
Gonzalez released a statement through her attorney, Damian Martinez, saying the purpose of the controversial video was to encourage her local community to exercise their First Amendment rights to free speech.
"Her message was entirely peaceful and aimed at encouraging civic engagement through lawful and constructive means, Dr. Gonzalez is deeply committed to fostering open dialogue on important and often controversial issues," Martinez wrote on his client's behalf.
His statement went on to say that Gonzalez was issuing a challenge to the Latino community to join other Angelenos to "peacefully" organize in responding to ongoing enforcement actions.
"Importantly, Dr. Gonzalez in no way encouraged anyone to engage in violence. Any suggestion that she advocated for violence is categorically false and without merit," the statement read.
Gonzalez gained national attention earlier this week when she posted a now-deleted video where she appeared to be calling on gang members to take action to resist immigration enforcement operations in the wake of raids by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
"You guys tag everything up, claiming hood, and now that your hood is being invaded by the biggest gang there is, there ain't a peep out of you. It's everyone else that's not about the gang life and out there protesting and speaking up," Gonzalez says in a portion of the video.
While Gonzalez didn't specifically refer to ICE in her video, the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, released a statement the vice mayor's comments "despicable."
The city of Cudahy shared a response to the video on Tuesday, saying they are aware of Gonzalez's comments and that they do not represent the city's official position.
CBS News Los Angeles has reached out to Gonzalez for an interview.
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