A Los Angeles area politician serving as vice mayor and recently appointed to lead at UCLA allegedly posted a video urging Hispanic street gangs to participate in resisting federal authorities, whom she called the “biggest gang there is.”
“I wanna know where all the cholos are at in Los Angeles. 18th Street, Florencia, where’s the leadership at,” said a woman who appears to be Cynthia Gonzalez in a video she allegedly uploaded to social media. “Now that your hood is being invaded by the biggest gang there is, there ain’t a peep out of you.
“We’re out there, like, fighting for our turf, protecting our turf, protecting our people, where you at,” continued Gonzalez. “I don’t want to hear a peep out of you once they’re gone trying to claim that this is my block. This was not your block, you weren’t even here helping out.”
18th Street and Florencia are violent, Hispanic street gangs founded in Los Angeles. While Florencia is a mostly Mexican-American gang with a few thousand members, 18th Street gained notoriety as one of the first Hispanic multi-ethnic, international gangs. 18th Street has grown to include hundreds of autonomous gang units with an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 members, many of whom are engaged in its bloody rivalry with MS-13.
A statement from the city of Cudahy, the Los Angeles County community where Gonzalez serves as vice mayor, nods at the video’s authenticity.
“The City of Cudahy is aware of recent comments made by Vice Mayor Cynthia Gonzalez on social media,” said the city. “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.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Cudahy is approximately 97.7% Hispanic.
Gonzalez’s biography with the city of Cudahy notes that she holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, two master’s degrees and an educational leadership doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles, and additional administrative credentials from the University of California, Berkeley and UCLA.
On May 21, UCLA announced it hired Gonzalez as the new director of its Principal Leadership Institute, which trains school principals. UCLA described Gonzalez is a “long-standing leader in educational equity and social justice,” a “systems-level advocate for anti-racist, community-driven leadership,” and an “equity-focused educator.”
The Los Angeles Times also endorsed Gonzalez in 2019 for Los Angeles Unified School District’s board election, recalling her experience as teacher, administrator, and principal.
The endorsement embraced Gonzalez’s declaration that some schools have so many students with severe “learning disabilities” that they cannot reach a graduation rate of 80%, and recounted Gonzalez’s position of seeking at least a temporary moratorium on opening new charter [schools].”
