{"id":73521,"date":"2025-06-16T10:43:57","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T17:43:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=73521"},"modified":"2025-06-16T10:43:57","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T17:43:57","slug":"californias-challenge-resisting-authoritarianism-without-playing-trumps-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=73521","title":{"rendered":"California\u2019s Challenge \u2014 Resisting Authoritarianism Without Playing Trump\u2019s Game"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By<\/span>Manuel Ortiz<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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California is emerging as the spearhead of both civil and governmental resistance to Trump\u2019s war on immigrants and ethnic communities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Protest Against ICE Raids. San Francisco, California. June 9, 2025. Photo: Manuel Ortiz \/ P360P<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Leer en espa\u00f1ol<\/a><\/p>\n

Donald Trump governs with hatred and violence. Los Angeles has made clear that these two pillars\u2014his political formula for success\u2014are not tolerated in California, the state that is emerging as the spearhead of both civil and governmental resistance to Trump\u2019s war on immigrants and ethnic communities.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s violent raids, carried out through ICE, target both undocumented and documented immigrants, including minors, pregnant women, and honest workers who have served this country for years. These actions have triggered mass protests that could grow into a national anti-fascist social movement.<\/p>\n

Thousands across the country, starting in Los Angeles, have\u00a0taken to the streets<\/a>\u00a0to demand an end to the war on our communities. The overwhelming majority have demonstrated peacefully and in an organized manner, holding signs and chanting slogans that say it all, many even expressing joy amid the pain felt by our communities.<\/p>\n

Protests are a way for us to meet face to face out in the streets, to speak about what outrages and inspires us and to share ideas for overcoming the storm we\u2019re going through\u2014something very simple yet incredibly important in times when technology, the pandemic, and now the fear of deportations have kept us isolated, disconnected, or only semi-connected through screens and mobile devices.<\/p>\n

It is deeply moving and worthy of recognition to see so many people leave the comfort of their homes to walk for hours, raise signs, sing, and stand against the rising tide of fascism in this country. To these people: thank you.<\/p>\n

Others\u2014a small group\u2014have chosen violence: setting cars on fire, throwing rocks onto highways, and attacking local businesses, many of which are, in fact, our allies.<\/p>\n

In response, Mexico\u2019s President, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo,\u00a0condemned the violent raids<\/a>\u00a0targeting immigrant workers, but also urged our communities not to fall for provocations. \u201cWe condemn violence, no matter where it comes from,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Other prominent figures, such as legendary activist Dolores Huerta, also called for nonviolent protest. The\u00a0same message<\/a>\u00a0came from Fuerza Migrante, a national organization based in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n

These violent incidents are isolated and do not represent the spirit of the protests. However, when our flags are present in such scenes, they become powerful images that, taken out of context, end up feeding Trump\u2019s narrative and his fascist agenda.<\/p>\n

Within migrant communities\u2014in homes, supermarkets, workplaces, and on the radio\u2014there is talk, without evidence, of infiltrators: individuals sent by the government itself to sow chaos and fear, justifying Trump\u2019s rhetoric of a \u201cforeign invasion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though Los Angeles authorities have stated that the protests are under control, Trump responded to the very unrest he himself provoked with the shameful deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s militarization efforts undermine the country\u2019s already fragile democracy, interpreted as a trial run for authoritarian policies aimed at total control and silencing any opposition\u2014measures characteristic of a dictator.<\/p>\n

In this context, California Governor Gavin Newsom has emerged, timely and appropriately, as the powerful political voice urgently needed in defense of immigrants and democracy across California and the nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf some of us can be kidnapped off the streets without a warrant, based solely on suspicion or skin color, then none of us are safe. Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting those least able to defend themselves,\u201d\u00a0said Newsom<\/a>. He warned, \u201cCalifornia will continue to fight. We will keep fighting for our people, for all our people\u2014even in the courts.\u201d<\/p>\n

California, a giant, is raising its voice. If done intelligently\u2014by recognizing and working with allies, avoiding provocation, and not playing the game of hatred and violence the bully in the White House wants us to play\u2014this could mark the beginning of an inclusive civil movement, pro-immigrant, pro-democracy, and pro-human rights: exactly what the United States needs for its reconstruction.<\/p>\n

Manuel Ortiz Esc\u00e1mez is the founder of\u00a0Peninsula 360 Press<\/a>, where this story was originally published, a bi-lingual news platform serving the San Francisco Bay Area.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ByManuel Ortiz Jun 12, 2025 California...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ca-local","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=73521"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73522,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73521\/revisions\/73522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=73521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=73521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=73521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}