All Eyes on LA

I moved to LA in October of 2017. I’ll never forget the towering palm trees dotting the horizon as I drove down the 10 highway. The sight of them made me giddy inside. It was my birthday that day and after 41 years, I was finally ready to make California my home. Looking back, it was one of the greatest gifts I ever gave myself.

I lived in LA for eight unforgettable years. The city is unlike any other place in the world. Despite the allure of its sun-soaked beaches and Hollywood glamour, the real magic is the spirit of its people. Community is what makes LA strong. The city is a melting pot of laborers, seekers, artists, and dreamers from all over the world—many of whom are immigrants. Diversity is what makes Los Angeles great. It makes the city powerful. And that is exactly why the current administration is taking aim at it.

As I write this article, Angelenos are holding the line for all of us. They are at the epicenter of a clash between what’s progressive and what wants to claw it back.

All eyes on LA.

Once ICE raids began at places of employment on Friday, June 6, Angelenos at once started protesting in solidarity with their undocumented neighbors. For the record, it is not illegal to be undocumented in the United States, though certain actions taken while undocumented could be. These protests have widely been peaceful and contained to a few blocks of downtown Los Angeles. There had been some limited reports of vandalism that mostly involved the burning of Waymo cars. President Trump decried the LA demonstrations with exaggerated claims that compared them to a “foreign invasion” and escalated the situation by sending in the National Guard and then the Marines. This is a move straight from page 555 of Project 2025, which recommends the ”use of active-duty military personnel and National Guardsmen to assist in arrest operations along the border.” What we are seeing is a weak excuse for the real-time deployment of the military against the American people to suppress lawful protest and potentially turn Los Angeles into a police state. All of this side-steps the authority of California governor Gavin Newsom to handle the situation in his own state. Newsom has called the move “purposefully inflammatory” and one that will only “escalate tensions.” Trump responded by vocally encouraging his ‘border czar,’ Tom Homan, to consider possibly arresting Newsom.

Fast-forward to this past Thursday, June 12, when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made an acutely ominous statement at a press conference:

”We (the federal agents intervening) are not going away. We are staying here to liberate the city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into the city.”

These statements are grossly misleading. More than that, the Secretary is literally saying the quiet part out loud: this isn’t about quelling protests. This is about using the immigration issue to push the limits of power. It’s about manufacturing an excuse so that the federal government can seize and occupy a liberal state.

After Noem made her chilling statement, California Senator Alex Padilla stepped forward to ask her a question. He introduced himself as seen on camera here—a fact that Noem denied on national television—and was quickly reprimanded, dragged outside the press room onto the floor, and handcuffed.

We are living in a time where elected officials are being assaulted for asking a question.

Watching this video hit hard on a personal level. Exactly one year ago this month, I was meeting with Senator Padilla’s staffers in his DC office. I had come to the nation’s capital to meet with lawmakers and advocate for trans rights with Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE). I had never done anything like this before but was open to putting my fears aside and trying. Anti-trans legislation had reached a fever pitch in the United States and this was a time to pull out all of the stops. I stepped forward not only to push for trans rights, but also to push for democracy. I was well-aware of Project 2025 and what awaited under a second Trump administration. I knew the stakes even back then. And I was gravely concerned. For all of us.

Now, all of that is rapidly unfolding.

I remember one poignant moment on the last day there in DC. I was leaving my Airbnb for the airport when I caught a view of the Capitol building’s rotunda in the distance. I paused, contemplating the election coming up in November. I knew Trump stood a strong chance of winning. Tears came to my eyes as I thought to myself:

“Please, America. Don’t do this.”

Well, America chose otherwise. We’ve been feeling the effects of that for five long months now. And LA is the one holding the line. The beautiful, unrelenting people of that city are showing up in droves now for the No Kings protests. I’m so goddamn proud of them. And I’m so proud of all the protests happening in cities all across the country. I’m proud of the people who are standing up to say, ‘Yes!” to our democracy. They are fighting for the freedom that makes this country great because this experiment in government is also worth fighting for.

I may be physically somewhere else right now, but my heart still beats with the fire of an American. It pounds with optimism, in fact, because I know that we can still get it right. It is still possible. That means we all need to come together, though. And we need to do it now.

In closing, I will readily admit LA is a difficult place to live. The city is sprawling in size and dizzying in its pace. I’ve had really tough times there, perhaps more ups and downs than any other place I’ve lived. And yet, it still shaped me. It sharpened me. It forced me to be stronger. The city and its people all worked to make me into a better version of myself. And I am so incredibly grateful for that. The spirit of LA is strong. And if any place in the country can withstand the threats of authoritarianism, Los Angeles is it.

I see you, LA.

I love you.

And I am rooting for you.

Keep fighting!

Thanks so much for reading and for all the support. Thanks also to those of you who recently bought me a coffee (I’m looking at you, Nina!) I promise I will give an update on my life abroad soon. Due to the evolving circumstances, I felt like the events in LA were just too pressing an issue to write about. Until then, peace and love!

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