Beatriz Sosa has been protesting against President Donald Trump for years in the San Fernando Valley and downtown Los Angeles. Last Saturday, the Tarzana resident was at the National Day of Action at LA’s Pershing Square protesting the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis and Keith Porter in Northridge by ICE agents.
Sosa said she will continue to stand up against the Trump administration and is ready to be a part of the nationwide Free America Walkouts 50501 planned for Tuesday, Jan. 20 and in some cities on Saturday, Jan. 24.
The 50501 Movement is a coalition of organizations that all participate in a nationwide action for “50 protests in 50 states that are united as one movement.”
“I disapprove of Donald Trump, as well as the conservative Republicans, nationalists and white supremacists who support his regime, which is filled with hatred and destruction,” said Sosa. At last weekend’s protest in downtown Pershing Square, she held a handmade sign that read “Abolish ICE,” illustrated with a melting ice cube crossed out.
Sosa was among 3,000 demonstrators who protested Jan. 11 in downtown LA, four days after Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old American citizen and mother of three, was shot in the head and killed by a federal immigration agent in Minnesota Jan. 7.
“ICE agents are kidnapping immigrants and killing U.S. citizens,” said Sosa. “ICE is an institution full of hatred and should be abolished now.”
The protest and rally at Pershing Square was organized by a coalition of progressive organizations that included Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE Justice), the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) Los Angeles, the Democratic Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) Los Angeles chapter, SoCal Uprising, Project Islamic Hope and Freedom Fighters Street Protest Los Angeles (FFSPLA).
Sosa’s 7-year-old son, husband, mother and brother protested together. “Our family is here to speak out against the horrible Trump administration,” she said.
“I still consider the U.S. a wonderful country full of opportunities, but the American dream has been fading under the Trump administration,” said Efrain Sosa, Beatriz’s brother, a resident of Norwalk. “There is much injustice, and the work of immigrants is no longer valued; we are blamed for the problems affecting this great nation.” The targeting and racial profiling hits close to home for the two siblings. They are Mexican immigrants from the state of Puebla.
Beatriz Sosa also held a second sign that read “Hands Off Venezuela” with a graphic of bloody hands.
“We oppose the actions taking place in Venezuela, and we wish to express our support and solidarity with our Venezuelan brothers and sisters,” she said.
“Approximately 100 people lost their lives during the attack in which the Trump administration captured Maduro.” She voiced her concerns about Trump’s threats directed at other nations, including Cuba, Colombia, Greenland, Iran and Mexico. “He is threatening all of them now.”
Elvin Herrera, a graduate of California State University, Northridge (CSUN) who lives in Koreatown, attended the recent rally also to protest the mistreatment of immigrants and the killing of Good in Minneapolis.
“I haven’t protested in a few years because I’ve been busy trying to figure out my life,” said Herrera, “but I’m angry, frustrated and upset about what’s happening. We, the people, have the power to make a difference and advocate for change.”
Rebecca Rufer, a resident of Silverlake, said two of her neighbors were taken by immigration agents the day before. “We want ICE off our streets, and we want to protect our neighbors. I came here to show my support for the community.”
Some protesters who spoke to the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol requested that their full names be withheld.
Kirk, a resident of Studio City, said he felt compelled to protest after hearing about the killings of Good in Minnesota and Keith Porter Jr. in Northridge on New Year’s Eve.
“I just couldn’t just stay home and do nothing,” he said. “ICE killed these two individuals this year, acting like a rogue gang and using the full power of the state to murder people with impunity and defended by Peter Hegseth and President Trump. ICE is out of control.”
Kirk described the U.S. actions in Venezuela as “illegal and criminal.” He said, “It’s an imperialist attempt to seize their oil after kidnapping Maduro.”
“I am deeply outraged by what our government has become,” said Lisa from Los Feliz, holding two signs – one reading “Defend Democracy” and the other of the Statue of Liberty with the inscription “Defend the Constitution.” She added, “Trump has completely ignored the Constitution. What happened in Minnesota is unconscionable, and what is happening here in Los Angeles is also terrible. Additionally, Trump’s actions in Venezuela are appalling.”
Beatriz Sosa said she will continue to protest against ICE and Trump until immigration raids come to an end and the president is held accountable for his actions. “I’ve been to many protests against Trump, including the Women’s March in 2017 and the No Kings Day demonstration at CSUN last October.”
Now she plans to participate in next week’s “Free America Walk Out.”
The website for the upcoming protest reads: “We will walk out of work, school and commerce because a free America begins the moment we stop cooperating with fascism.”
The site lists various protest locations throughout Southern California, including LA City Hall, Burbank, Camarillo, Pasadena, Sierra Madre and Venice.
Another group, the Northridge Patriot, based in the valley, also plans to hold an anti-Trump rally on Jan. 19 to coincide with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. “We celebrate social justice and everything King advocated for in the civil rights movement,” said spokesperson Mariana Lennon.
“We are a group of senior citizens living in an apartment building, with ages ranging from 65 to 104. About a third of our members have a Jewish background and are protesting against what occurred in Germany starting in the 1930s and leading to the Holocaust,” she said. “Current events in the U.S. resemble those troubling years in Nazi Germany. We may be using walkers, wheelchairs and canes, but we will not be silenced.”
