Undocumented street vendors decide to stay at home amid ICE operations
"I don't go out, " street vendor Lidia said in Spanish. "I am scared."
Lidia and her husband, who are both undocumented, are just two of the thousands of vendors staying home after hearing about the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, according to immigrant rights advocate Sergio Jimenez.
"ICE has been showing up in Pico Rivera, Home Depots, street vending communities in South Central, Boyle Heights, downtown L.A.," Jimenez said. "You just don't know when you're going to get hit by ICE."
Her 10-year-old son Gerardo, who is a citizen, said he and his sister don't go outside anymore.
"It just feels like you're trapped in your home because if you go outside, you're risking getting taken away by ICE," Geraldo said.
Instead of being a kid, Geraldo is left worrying if he'll wake up with his parents by his side.
"They normally go to sell on the street, but now they don't. They just stay here," he said. "We don't really go out much — just if it's important or necessary."
Fearing that ICE may come to their home, Lidia and her husband posted a sign on their window saying, "This house does not open for ICE." On the back of the sign is a list of the family's rights, which they said gives them some peace of mind.
"We are not criminals," Lidia said.
The decision to stay at home and give up their only source of income means the family does not have money for rent or food. To help the family, local nonprofits, including Community Power Collective, launched a fundraiser.
"This is the third initiative where we fundraise funds for street vendors," Jimenez said.
Jimenez said the donations will go towards the family's living expenses.
"Everything they need, but we understand that is not going to be enough," Jimenez said.
While Jimenez can help Lidia's family, he says she is one of thousands of vendors in the same situation.
L.A. organizers said the work is far from done but every donation helps keep a family together.
"There's fear all over the place," Jimenez said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
7 minutes ago
- CBS News
Possible shooting at Encino home sparks outrage amongst neighbors in midst of crime wave
Just two weeks after "American Idol" producer Robin Kaye and her husband were shot and killed in their Encino home, another possible shooting next door has outraged neighbors who are struggling to feel safe in the midst of a concerning wave of crime affecting their neighborhood. Hundreds of people flooded the White Oak Avenue home for a party that had to be broken up by police late Saturday night, shown in cell phone video captured by neighbors. They say that the house has been a constant issue, and despite complaints, nothing has yet been done. "This party house would've been shut down in Beverly Hills, would've been shut down in Burbank, but in LA you can break the law and there's no consequences," said Rob Glushon, the president of the Encino Property Owners Association. "We're very supportive of LAPD, but honestly they need to be tougher. This is an example of when something gets out of control because the law doesn't get enforced when the problem starts." Related: "American Idol" executive and husband killed with their own gun, LA County DA says Police were called to the home for reports of a disturbance, but they said there was no evidence of a shooting upon investigation. Community members say that the homeowner has been cited several times in the past for hosting loud and unruly parties, but they want the city attorney to file misdemeanor criminal charges against him, as they believe he's been renting the property out for parties. It's just the latest issue in a growing trend that has seen the neighborhood plagued by break-ins, burglaries, robberies and murder. A community meeting days after the deadly double-shooting brought hundreds of concerned neighbors in front of law enforcement and city leaders who said changes were being made. Hours later, two homes were targeted in attempted burglaries, including one at a home belonging to former "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Teddi Mellencamp. Neighbors say that that the party house is emblematic of Encino's problems in dealing with lawlessness. "That just kind of talks to the issue that we have in this whole community, where there's so many awful things going on, the burglaries and party houses and even murders," said Roy Nwaisser, president of the Encino Neighborhood Council. "It really does break my heart." Related: Suspect in killings of "American Idol" executive Robin Kaye and her husband charged with murder, burglary In recent days, neighbors have banded together to hire armed security patrols and take weapons training. "We are gathered together to learn and practice and exercise how to protect yourself inside your house and how to use guns," said one woman who wished not to be identified. "Most people I know here, they purchase the guns right now." Their new steps come at the same time that LAPD says they've increased patrols in the area, included officers on horseback. In coming days, residents will join a zoom meeting with Mayor Karen Bass, their Los Angeles City Council representative and more LAPD officers to give a list of demands.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Man drowns after swinging into Russian River
The Brief The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office responded on Saturday to the Hacienda Bridge in Forest Hills after receiving reports of a man who used a rope swing to jump into the Russian River and did not resurface. Deputies and fire department units searched the waters Saturday, but authorities did not report finding the man and noted search efforts had transitioned to "a body recovery operation." The SCSO announced on Sunday afternoon that the man's body had been recovered from the river about 11:20 a.m. that morning. FOREST HILLS, Calif. - A man's body was recovered from the Russian River near Forest Hills on Sunday after he was last seen jumping into the waters the day prior. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office responded just before 5:35 p.m. on Saturday to the Hacienda Bridge in Forest Hills after receiving reports of a man who used a rope swing to jump into the Russian River and did not resurface, according to a department statement. Deputies and fire department units searched the waters Saturday, but authorities did not report finding the man and noted search efforts had transitioned to "a body recovery operation." The SCSO announced on Sunday afternoon that the man's body had been recovered from the river about 11:20 a.m. that morning. His identity was not released. The Source Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Multiple stores looted over weekend near Los Angeles street takeovers
Multiple stores were looted across Los Angeles over the weekend near a series of street takeovers, according to authorities. The first instance was reported at around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday morning near Century Boulevard and Central Avenue in South Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. They say that there was a sideshow in the area just minutes before an AutoZone store was broken into. Though it's unclear if any arrests were made in that incident, video from the scene shows some recovered merchandise that was taken from the store, including car rims and a battery. The next morning, at around 2:45 a.m., police were again called for reports of a burglary near the spot of a street takeover. Officers rushed to S. Figueroa Street and Slauson Avenue, where a T-Mobile store had its windows shattered and the inside ransacked. Investigators still have not said if the two instances are connected. Minutes later, just after 3 a.m., deputies were called to the intersection of Wilmington Avenue and Del Amo Boulevard in Carson because of a different street takeover, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. It was there that a WSS shoe store was burglarized, leading to its closure on Sunday. Employees boarded up the stores windows after the burglary, for which at least two people were arrested, deputies said. No arrests have been reported in either the AutoZone or T-Mobile burglaries.
