A mayoral candidate in Long Beach, California, is facing criticism after urging “all 55” of the city’s gangs to unite and force ICE out. He has since been contacted by both the local police department and the FBI.
The original clip was posted by Rogelio Martinez, a candidate for mayor of Long Beach. Although he has since deleted the video, many users—including TikToker rootsofhealing—managed to download and repost it in order to denounce his message.
Standing in front of the Long Beach City Hall, Martinez called for “all 55 gangs” in the California city to join his anti-ICE agenda. He specifically addressed all 55 gang leaders to answer his calling, although he refrained from mentioning the gang names specifically.
“I’m calling the Latino gangs, I’m calling the Cambodian gangs, I’m calling the Filipino gangs, I’m calling the Black gangs, I’m calling the Pacific Islander gangs. I’m calling all gang leaders to meet me right here, Long Beach City Hall,” Martinez said.
The sudden gang meetup, which arguably would be a very dangerous gathering, was to serve a specific purpose: to “take back the city,” Martinez said, referring to the ICE presence in Long Beach.
Peaceful Rally, FBI Talks, Reactions
The California man, however, then tried to turn the temperature down in a series of Instagram posts. He called for a “peaceful community rally in silence,” asking attendees to refrain from coming if they are unable to follow the nature of the protest.
“Our silence will be louder than another [sic] other demonstration before us,” Martinez wrote. “Long Beach will show the world what it means to peacefully rally a community in silence. The only thing you will hear is our breath. I love you all.”
The mayoral candidate then shared that he had a “great conversation” with the Long Beach Police Department. He also spoke with a “member of the FBI.” It is unclear if this stems from his controversial clip, asking for gang members to gather in protest of ICE.
Users, however, quickly called for consequences. “Reported to the FBI,” one wrote. Another remarked, “Didn’t we see this before in the movie Warriors? It didn’t work out then either.” A third added, “I don’t know a lot about gangs, but I’m pretty sure the leaders aren’t going to all show up for a random dude, at a gov building, and sing kumbaya together.”
Despite the backlash, the California man appears unlikely to stop criticizing ICE. In fact, he recently boasted about his social media reach, claiming to have generated half a million impressions despite having only six thousand followers.
