This has been quite a week in the City of the Angels! Businesses all over the southland have been invaded by ICE. Retail, factories, swap meets, Home Depot locations, construction sites, restaurants, hotels, schools. The strawberry fields are not being picked. Caregivers and gardeners have been picked up. Whole communities are sheltered in place. Green card holders and US citizens have been detained and not allowed to demonstrate that they are legal residents. Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security runs regular ads telling immigrants to leave. Even our US Senator was roughed up respectfully asking her a question. This does not feel like a democracy.
In my Vistage group this week, a brown Pakistani-American citizen turned to a light brown Mexican-American citizen and asked if he could be targeted. She shrugged. None of us know. The rule of law has been bent so badly, we have nothing to go on. We had a best practices sharing of what to do when ICE shows up at one of your locations. Four of my Members shared what the lawyer they consulted had told them. ICE had already been to one Member’s location. This is not good for business. This is not good for our communities. This is not good for our country.
Saturday, Flag Day, people turned out peacefully to protest all over Los Angeles. In fact, all over the United States of America. We went to Hollywood Blvd and Vermont. There were no police. There were about 1500 people on the sidewalks. obeying the traffic laws and expressing their First Amendment rights to free speech. Did I tell you that it was peaceful? It was hopeful. Millions of Americans turned out on Flag Day to stand for what our flag stands for: liberty and justice for all. We must continue to speak up for our democracy and the rule of law. This is NOT business as usual.