The Vice Mayor of Cudahy, Cynthia Gonzalez, is reportedly being investigated by the FBI after she posted a video urging criminal organizations like the 18th Street and Florencia 13 gangs to protect their “turf” against ICE. The call for gang action is disgraceful, particularly as ICE reports a 500 percent increase in attacks on its officers. However, I do not believe that the comments can be the basis for a criminal charge and would be considered protected speech.
Gonzalez has now taken down the video below, but she earlier called for these gangs to move against ICE:
“Not for nothing, but I wanna know where all the cholos are at in Los Angeles? Eighteenth street, Florencia, where’s the leadership at? Because you guys are all about territory, and this is 18th Street and this is Florencia, you guys tag everything up — claiming hood, and now that your hoods being invaded, by the biggest gang there is, there ain’t a peep out of you…It’s everyone else who’s not about the gang life that’s out there protesting and speaking up, we’re out there like fighting our turf, protecting our turf, protecting our people, and like where you at?”
This is not the first time that Democratic politicians have enlisted violent groups as political allies.
Some Democrats have played a dangerous game in supporting or excusing the work of Antifa. Former Democratic National Committee deputy chair Keith Ellison, now the Minnesota attorney general, once said Antifa would “strike fear in the heart” of Trump. This was after Antifa had been involved in numerous acts of violence, and its website was banned in Germany.
Ellison’s son, Minneapolis City Council member Jeremiah Ellison, declared his allegiance to Antifa in the heat of the protests this summer. During a prior hearing, Democratic senators refused to clearly denounce Antifa and falsely suggested that the far right was the primary cause of recent violence.
The problem with being a free speech advocate is that you are often compelled to defend speech that you find grotesque and reprehensible. Gonzalez would shake the faith of any free speech champion. However, her speech would be considered protected under the First Amendment. First, it is sufficiently vague on what she is suggesting to counter a charge of a call for imminent violence. Second, the Supreme Court held that even violent speech is protected.
Indeed, in Brandenburg v. Ohio, a 1969 case involving “violent speech,” the court struck down an Ohio law prohibiting public speech that was deemed as promoting illegal conduct. It supported the right of the Ku Klux Klan to speak out, even though it is a hateful organization. Likewise, in RAV v. City of St. Paul in 2011, it struck down a ban on any symbol that “arouses anger, alarm or resentment in others on the basis of race, color, creed, religion or gender.” In Snyder v. Phelps, also in 2011, the court said the hateful protests of Westboro Baptist Church were protected.
The video may not be criminal, but it is still an indictment of how some Democratic politicians continue to pander to violent groups for political purposes. It is a dangerous game. History has shown that those who fuel extreme groups often find themselves later targets as mob rule takes hold. Gonzalez may find that she is also unwelcomed on their “turf.”
While, according to JT, this woman’s comments might be protected speech, it certainly falls under the category, “Just because we can do a thing, it doesn’t necessarily follow that we must do that thing.”
Methinks that’s sage advice we should all heed.
Not a fan of her speech, but I do believe the good professor is correct.
UpstateFarmer-
I wonder. If her intended audience (gangs) understood her speech as a call to violence, and acted on that call, do you think her speech should still be considered protected? I think this might well have been “dog-whistle” speech, which might not be protected.
Just a thought.
-g
Well, let’s look at it from a different angle. Maybe she is trying to get ICE to clear the streets of her town. A little reverse psychology if you will.
Just a thought. (Yeah, I know I’m wrong)
… vice-mayor….
Looks like the “English-ain’t-my-first-language” grammatically-challenged mayor of Cudahy could “chill” after a few Hemlock Margaritas.
My question for Jonathan: why do you want to still consider yourself a Democrat? It’s like still wanting to be a Satan worshiper after the Lord himself strikes you with lightning. I mean, jump ship man while you still have credibility.
I share those sentiments however the actual Democrats, however few remain, must to take control of their party back from the Marxists, anarchists, and racists. This governmental system will not function any better with a single party controlling the country than it does with constant infighting between one party loyal to the country, albeit stubbornly beholding to an outdated notions of decorum and legacy politics, and the other party loyal to Socialism, anarchy and anti-American policies. The real fight for America is not between the two ordained political parties, rather it is the ongoing fight between warring ideologue cliques within the Democrat party currently held together only by the bootstrap of hatred for Trump.
To reverse what FDR said; “They may be SOB’s, but at least their our SOB’s.”
-Oddball
Annonymous,
Perhaps JT suffers from the philosophical/political version of Battered Woman Syndrome?
Turley is full MAGA and has been that way for long time.
I doubt that Prof. Turley has ever voted for a Republican in his life. What he has is the courage to speak out about Democrat (and Republican) perfidy, and I’m sure it must come as a shock to you and your fellow cult members, hearing someone not genuflecting to your idols.
Our dems have lost their minds. It’s clear they don’t care who they hurt, and are no longer afraid to say it – this is cultural sociopathy or psychopathy, and it can’t stand. I have long thought their party would fracture, but that was when their regime-like tendencies were just tendencies. Now, self-destruction is more likely, and preferable to the destruction of our freedom and society. Our indoctrinated younger generations are a big, big problem getting bigger.
Never heard of 18th Street and Florencia 13 gangs, but we can add them to the list of domestic terrorist organizations affiliated with the Democrat Party. Other terrorist wings of the Democrat Party – past and present – include the KKK, Weather Underground, Black Panthers, Antifa, Black Lives Matter, violent environmental activists groups, and others.
The Democrat Party has ALWAYS resembled an organized crime syndicate. Whether it was the violence associated with the so called “labor movement”, the wholly corrupt big city machine politics practiced in Tammany Hall, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Kansas City, etc., or the aforementioned domestic terrorist groups.
The hilarious part is how they think they are fooling anybody with their idiotic claims they support free and fair elections and democracy. They’re thugs who ONLY care about power and corruption. And always have been.
When tens of millions of Democrat primary voters chose Biden to be the Democrat nominee, a handful of thugs with influence used their power to nullify the votes of those tens of millions of voters so they could kick Biden out of his presidential campaign for a second term and install a woman as the Democrat nominee who did not win a single primary. When DNC voters selected David Hogg to a leadership position, the thugs with influence engaged in a pressure campaign to kick him out of his duly elected leadership position. When voters chose Stuart Smalley and Carlos Danger to represent them in Congress, Democrats and the media used their power to kick them out.
The Democrat Party is a de facto organized crime syndicate that could care less about “democracy”.
“The call for gang action is disgraceful”
you know what else is disgraceful? Separating parents from their children, some permanently. Nazi Germany did it, trump does it. Disgraceful
Blah blah blah. Why don’t you ever talk about all the poor children in cages during the reign of Comrade Obama?
They never do
Family courts separate parents who are unfit from their children every day. Criminal courts send parents of children convicted of crimes to prison. You don’t cry about that because the people who tell you what to think haven’t used the media to gin that up as an issue.
To state the obvious to a dim Democrat, parents who value their relationship with their children should not engage in conduct that puts them at risk being separated from them.
Pretty simple, really.
Parents send their children unaccompanied to the U.S. with coyotes. Where is the outrage for that? Unaccompanied children (more than 300K of them) are unaccounted for by the Biden administration. What, no tears for them? Allowing the millions of illegal aliens in is the root issue, that precipitated the no win situation the Trump administration is facing. From what I see, it is a very fragile glass house and the Dems need to put their stones down (no pun intended).
Nazi GY huh? Let’s see… oh, every state in the Union separates children from parents, the majority in blue states.
Another mental midget of the liberal/pedo cult.
It is my sincere hope that in future, Trump and his Gestapo will stand trial for crimes against humanity.
Already answered this copy and paste job elsewhere in this thread. Turn off CNN and grow up.
Hey baby. This is what the crazy left does. You have a long history since the KKK.
It seems I’ve missed quite a few days of MAGA hysteria and exaggerated claims about issues they don’t fully grasp. Turley certainly knows how to keep his audience stirred up with outrage, which is quite ironic.
The professor is trying hard to create a bleak narrative out of thin air, all to attack a fellow Democrat for the amusement of MAGA supporters. What the vice mayor said was not a call to violence or an encouragement for gangs to “do their thing.” It’s reminiscent of Trump’s rhetoric during his campaign and throughout his first term. It’s amusing how Turley conveniently “forgets” that the right supports similar groups that act violently against the left. Groups like the Proud Boys, Promise Keepers, and the 3 Percenters are prime examples. I don’t see Turley criticizing the right for backing such organizations or for Trump’s failure to call them out when they engage in violence against law enforcement and peaceful protesters.
During the No Kings march, the Proud Boys were inciting violence in hopes that the police would attack the protesters. Fortunately, many marches prevented them from achieving that goal. So, where was Turley’s criticism? It seems to be completely absent. He will never openly criticize or condemn anything Trump does or says, likely because he knows that Fox News would drop him as an analyst in an instant. We’ve seen how MAGA turns on its own like a pack of rabid, deranged dogs.
At no point in this rant did you ever come in contact with any part of reality. Your determined ignorance is truly breathtaking. Never change.
So you’re saying you don’t have a cogent argument because you cant refute with any form of subtantive reply. I’m not surprised.
I don’t argue with delusional homeless drug addicts in the park either, for much the same reason.
“I don’t argue with . . .”
Touché.
“. . . you don’t have a cogent argument . . .”
You first.
Ad hominem, smears, and deflection (your stock-in-trade) are *not* arguments.
Hey george
The professor is trying hard to create a bleak narrative out of thin air,
***************
Not even close. This dumb woman made this comment. Now lets see if these gangs follow her words.
I can see it now. Ice officer murdered in LA thanks to this crazy women,,, but george blames Turley
george
During the No Kings march, the Proud Boys were inciting violence.
Proof? Just like you are a expert on aircraft.
It seems I’ve missed quite a few days of MAGA hysteria and exaggerated claims
Fear not George, the Soviet Democrat Borg sent enough of your fellow Soviet Democrat Useful Idiots here to more than replace your meandering bloviating hysteria while you continue your struggles with reading comprehension. The Democrat Three Stooges clown car you claim as your own will never have a shortage of willing Useful Idiots volunteering to fill any vacancies
So did Obama. Google it, clown.
Commit a crime and risk separation from your family. Happens everyday, everywhere throughout the world. Only in this country illegally? Homan says they may be deported with their family. No separation necessary.
What else you got?
Are you lying intentionally, or are you really that stupid?
And when a criminal is arrested they get ‘separated’ from their children. Are you going to complain about that too or does it not serve your ideology?
Obama is the one who built the cages. He also separated parents from their children. Where was your outrage then? Prior to Trump, Obama was deporting illegals. So much so, there were protests and even NPR covered it.
You forgot to mention the fact that he stopped the practice after finding out what they were doing. Trump resumed it with the full support of MAGA. They sure love family values don’t they?
Proof???
BabyTrump, the only ones separating children from their parents are Democrats. Republicans want families to remain intact and when illegal immigrant families are sent back home, the children go with them. Only Democrats engage in these horrors and permit children to be used for slave labor and sexual perversions.
BabyTrump posted this infant mewling you know what else is disgraceful? Separating parents from their children
Like Biden did with all the J6ers he overcharged and jailed – without doing the exact same thing to even just ONE of his Democrat street thugs in Black Liars & Marxists and Pantifa after their two days of wounding scores of Secret Service and Capitol Police on their assault on the White House?
The separation of parents and children at Abby Gate in Kabul – where Biden allowed his hajji terrorist friends to murder 13 fine young Marines, permanently separating them from their parents, and a few of those dead soldiers from their own children back at home? Followed by permanently separating the innocent parents and children who were a family of one of our Afghan terps – taken out with a drone strike, hoping to make Biden look good after he helped the hajjis kill those Marines the day before?
How about the Illegal Alien Guest Biden Voters’ children, permanently separated from their parents after Biden lured them with promises he would not enforce immigration law – children living the rest of their lives in sexual slavery, never seeing their parents again thanks to the lies of Biden?
But you want to wave your panties because criminal Illegal Aliens who shouldn’t be here are being deported through existing immigration law.
You are a pathetic, hypocritical Cheap Fake American.
Is there something in CA’s water that make’s people make incompetance the preferred attribute in elections.
I see three things in Johnathan’s thoughts. First, not one step back from freedom to speak. The actual message is “don’t vote for me any more”. Second, Jonathan had on his Atticus Finch hat. The heart and soul of good lawyering is the zealous defense of the leprous hated accused. Third, her message T’s up True Grit with Tom Homan as John Wayne up on Bo telling Robert Duval “ fill up your hand your hand you sob!”
And the mystery of why so many voters have abandoned the Democratic Party . . . has been solved!
More bunker buster bombs may be required, president Trump.
Seems this lady is using the Mexico model of government such as AMLO and Sheinbaum and allying herself with the criminal gangs. Sort of just one step up and you are in bed with the drug cartels.
“I do not believe that the comments can be the basis for a criminal charge . . .” (JT)
Use violence, including obviously whatever weapons you have, to fight federal law enforcement.
Is that really legal?
“. . . urging criminal organizations like the 18th Street and Florencia 13 gangs to protect their “turf” against ICE.” (JT)
A Leftist politician says the quiet part out loud: Brownshirts, we need you.
Who were the Nazi Brownshirts? They were “recruited from various rough elements of society . . .”
Antifa, BLM, Hamas sympathizers, the Unión del Barrio, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, street gangs, sundry joiners — all Leftist shock troops. All acting on the tyrannical premise: Might makes right.
Maybe it was a good idea that Prez Trump sent in the Marines
Another Woke Radical Left Wing Democrat Leader who supports Criminals. If possible, she needs to be prosecuted and thrown in Jail.
This wanna-be-gang member in an elected office reflects the mindset of those who elected her — those who support gangbangers, criminal illegal aliens, taxpayer support of aliens illegally in the USA, anti-Semites, boys & men playing girls’ & women’s sports and the like.
I will take all of those over the MAGA fascists we have now.
Says the person who cannot even define fascism. Overuse has rendered this impotent, a lot like your privates after years of self-flagellation.
Gangs “protecting their turf” against ICE will give license to officials to wipe out gangs that plague communities. Any bets on who wins in “gangs v Trump”?
What about when the supreme leader of Iran chants out, “Death To America!” – would that be protected as Free speech under our laws?
He is Iran, not the USA
What the Vice Mayor has done, encouraging gangs to defend against ICE, is becoming rather common as more and more under qualified people run for and win elected office. For example, we now have members of Congress speaking against policies, using profanity and extreme language and little knowledge of applicable laws, about what the President should do. They try to solve one problem by creating a bigger one down the road. In the present case, by encouraging gangs to defend against ICE, the gangs will take this as license for violence and the force of arms. If and when ICE goes away, the gangs will retain their license for violence. In Colorado, we see the governor denying the presence of gangs, another kind of license but welcomed by the gangs. In New York, we see extravagant expenses awarded to illegal aliens, now costing serious money New York does not have. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. But not against the law.
Look at the fool who wants to be mayor of NY…. total loser