The Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL), which represents nearly 9,000 members of the LAPD, is calling for the resignation and possible prosecution of Cudahy Vice-Mayor Cynthia Gonzalez following what they described as a “shameful social media video post.”
The video advocates for local street gangs to confront peace officers, urging leaders of The 18th Street and Florencia street gangs to “get your f***ing members in order,” the LAPPL said in a statement Wednesday.
“The 18th Street and Florencia street gangs are notoriously dangerous Los Angeles-based criminal enterprises,” a portion of the LAPPL’s statement reads. “They rule their ‘turfs’ through intimidation, violence, and murder, and finance their operations through the sale of narcotics and illegal firearms, prostitution, and protection rackets.”
Although the video doesn’t call for any specific violent actions, Gonzalez identifies the two well-known criminal gangs by name for not making a “peep” as their “hood is being invaded.”
“I wanna know where all the cholos are at in Los Angeles. 18th Street, Florencia. Where’s the leadership at?… Now that your hood is being invaded by the biggest gang there is, there ain’t a peep out of you,” she is heard saying in the video, which has since been removed.
The LAPPL says both gangs have a known history of murdering police officers, citing the killing of LAPD Officer Filberto Cuesta by an 18th Street gang member in 1998 and several Florencia gang members who were convicted of the 2022 murder of LAPD Officer Fernando Arroyos.
In 2001, there were reports that the 18th Street gang had placed a bounty for the wounding or murder of Los Angeles Police officers.
“What Ms. Gonzalez urged and taunted these specific gangs to do in her social media post puts police officers and other law enforcement professionals at greater risk,” the LAPPL said. “Her actions are deplorable and potentially illegal. She should resign and she should be prosecuted if what she called for broke the law.”
