Emily to Gremily
A podcast about the stories that start out normal and spiral into something unforgettable. Hosted by Emily Hogan, Emily to Gremily blends humor, honesty, and a touch of chaos through solo episodes and guest features. Expect cocktails, unfiltered “gremlin" stories, pop culture hot takes, and internet obsessions.
Subscribe for new episodes every Tuesday, and follow along on Instagram and TikTok @EmilytoGremilyPod for episode updates, cocktail recipes, and behind-the-scenes extras.
Make sure to email us your insane gremlin stories to EMILYTOGREMILYPOD@GMAIL.COM and they will be featured on future episodes.
Emily to Gremily
What Happens When a Community Stands Together
What happens when immigration enforcement tears apart the fabric of a community? In this raw, urgent conversation, we explore the human cost of recent ICE raids with Jessica, a social services professional who witnesses firsthand how these actions devastate families.
Jessica takes us inside the vital work of Inner City Law Center, a nonprofit poverty law firm located in Skid Row with attorneys fighting to end homelessness through free legal services. From defending tenants against eviction to helping veterans secure benefits, ICLC provides crucial support to Los Angeles' most vulnerable residents. Their community initiatives include vital document clinics and resource fairs, all offered at no cost.
The conversation turns deeply personal as Jessica shares stories from our shared hometown of Culver City, where longtime community members are being seized in broad daylight. An ice cream vendor who served the neighborhood for 20 years was taken, his cart abandoned on the street. A grandfather was dragged from his truck by masked individuals while driving to work. These raids leave families without breadwinners and children suddenly forced to become providers.
"A lot of the people being taken away have no criminal convictions," Jessica explains. "They're hardworking individuals who look like my family members. This is deeply personal."
Hope emerges through community response. Cities are approving emergency funding, implementing protocols to verify federal agents' identities, and organizing massive solidarity demonstrations. Jessica offers practical ways to help: follow rapid response networks for updates, donate to affected families, and simply check on neighbors who might be afraid to leave their homes.
The episode concludes with a powerful reminder that transcends politics: "Just because it might not affect your life personally doesn't mean it doesn't matter to somebody else... Please don't normalize this violence. This is not normal."
Join us for this essential conversation about community resilience in the face of crisis, and learn how small acts of kindness can make a profound difference during uncertain times.
all right, cheers, cheers. I have jessica on and she was my bestest biffle back in high school, so it's like a real big throwback. It is actually that is a throwback biffle I in high school, so it's like a real big throwback.
Speaker 1:It is actually that is a throwback Biffle, I feel like I know, we used to say that, yeah, I was looking through like Instagram because I was like I am going to post like pictures of us and I kept seeing like Biffle all over the place and I was like oh my god, like I forgot about it too and I was like, like that's so cute we were so little and young.
Speaker 1:So, yes, I met you. I was in 11th grade and you were in 10th. Yes, and we were working for the school newspaper for culver city high school, ghost centaurs. But yeah, so we were working on the paper and then we just got close and became biffles, we did, it was great. And so, how have you been? What have you been up to?
Speaker 2:Well, let's see since high school. Yeah right, I know Well you went to San Diego State. I did yes, yes.
Speaker 1:And then you graduated. What year?
Speaker 2:2016. I can't believe that that's nearly 10 years ago.
Speaker 1:I know it's terrifying. It is.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Since then I've been working in the nonprofit sector. I stayed in San Diego about two years after I graduated and I worked at a refugee resettlement agency through AmeriCorps. I don't know if you're familiar with AmeriCorps. Yeah, so it's kind of like the Peace Corps, but stateside.
Speaker 2:And so I did that for two terms so two years and in that role I worked with refugee families and I would match volunteers from the community with those newly arrived families, which was really fun and really rewarding, and it's so funny. I actually still talk to like a few of the volunteers that I matched, and one of them I know is still. He's still pretty connected with the family that I matched him with 10 years ago. Actually.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like 2015.
Speaker 2:Because I actually started as an intern while I was still in college at the Refugee Resettlement Agency, but that's the beginning of my nonprofit career, and then I moved back to LA in the beginning of 2018. And I was working at a nonprofit that is focused on helping people with high barriers to employment find work. So a lot of our clients were people that were experiencing homelessness, people that were reentering the community after incarceration, and there I also worked with volunteers the majority of the time that I was there and I helped clients create their resumes, like in one-on-one settings or one-on-one appointments. I facilitated classes, trained volunteers. It was really nice, I really liked it and then, yeah, so I was at my last job for, oh my gosh, okay, I started in 2018 there and then I left last year, so like six and a half years at my last job, and then last September I made the switch to my current job and now I work in fundraising.
Speaker 1:And where do you work now?
Speaker 2:So I work at inner city law center, or ICLC for short. We're a nonprofit poverty law firm and we work to end the homeless crisis in Los Angeles by offering free legal services to the poorest and most vulnerable residents of LA Nice. Perfect, and how did you find that?
Speaker 1:job. Residents of LA Nice. Perfect, and how did you find that job?
Speaker 2:So how did I find it Networking? So I, at my last job, I was working with volunteers and a lot of the volunteers happened to be donors or the volunteers became donors. So I worked really closely with the development team at my old job and I really enjoyed that. I also had the opportunity to lead a corporate volunteer events where we would have, you know, different corporate groups come in and create you know different things for us, like they would help with helping us organize our resource closet, they would help make hygiene items for our clients, and so I really enjoyed that and so I feel like it was a natural progression and interest to, you know, make the switch into development and fundraising, and I've been in my current role for about 10 months.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So 10 months, so it hasn't been too long, but it's been it's. It's been really good.
Speaker 1:I've learned a lot and I really enjoy it, and so what's your official position right now?
Speaker 2:My current position is as a development manager at Inner City Law Center and I'm part of the development team and our focus is to raise funds to support the mission and the programs of Inner City Law Center and specifically in my role, I oversee our monthly donor program, I lead our year end uh appeal campaign, I help with special events, amongst other tasks.
Speaker 1:Nice, perfect, okay, and also I always forget to talk about it Our episode drink. I make such a big deal about having an episode drink and then I don't talk about it like a dum-dum. We're having a virgin aperol spritz because it we're filming pretty early and it did feel a little weird to start drinking at like 10 30 in the morning. I've done it, but it's just not really the best. Look. So virgin aperol spritz, which I didn't know how to make, but it ended up working out. It was orange juice, cherry juice topped with like pellegrino it's, it's just fizzy juice, let's be quite honest, it's good, it's refreshing because it's hot outside.
Speaker 1:Yeah it's pretty hot, um, but yeah it's. You know doesn't compare to the real aperol, but you know we're trying to be civilized people here. So yeah, that's our drink. I talked about it. Let's move on. All right. And what's the goal of ICLC?
Speaker 2:So ICLC is located in Skid Row and we have a staff of 150 people and 75 are attorneys. Our staff help Angelenos facing eviction, struggling with landlord harassment, and help individuals fight to secure their veteran or disability benefits, as well as stand up to slum housing conditions. We have legal clinics every well, every second and fourth Tuesday of the month we have a vital documents clinic, and so people that come in they can get assistance with getting things like fee waivers for California state IDs, marriage death certificates, court records and such. We also host events for the community. We have something called the Skid Row Community Connect Day, and during this time our parking lot transforms into a resource fair and we have service providers there. We have free food, we have swag bags for participants and everything is free.
Speaker 2:We also host another event called Pets Landing, and this is specifically for the pets of Skid Row, and so the parents can bring their fur babies for veterinary services, light grooming services, and there's also referrals for the, the, the pet parents too, and again, everything is free. Oh, wow, that's great. I love that. Yeah, and pets bring so much comfort to us too, so it's a it's a really cool event. I love that. I had the opportunity to volunteer at it um the last one back in april, um, and it was. It was really nice. Um, the pets are so cute. I love that and if anyone's interested in volunteering for events like that we do have opportunities for community members to volunteer.
Speaker 2:Oh great, and that's all on our website.
Speaker 1:Perfect, yeah. And then also, I'm going to be linking the social media page for Inner City Law Center and the website. That way, any information if you want to learn more information you can definitely go to Instagram stories and it'll be turned into a highlight reel in case you guys aren't catching it the first day, but yeah.
Speaker 2:And yeah, and so some of the other things that we do are we're part of various housing coalitions and as an organization, we sponsor state bills that will support housing and our clients. For example, we're currently sponsoring AB 647 and SB 634. So SB 634, the Homeless Rights Protection Act, is a state bill that's aimed at preventing the criminalization of existing homeless or helping the homeless, and it's currently making its way through the state Senate and if you're interested in following its progression, it'll be in the stories. And then the other bill, sb 634, is the Better Urban Infill and Livable Design Build Housing Act of 2025. And this aims to combat the long-term effects of housing segregation. Ab 647 will allow up to eight homes, as long as one is affordable, in any residentially zoned area in California, and this AB 647 is endorsed by nearly 100 community organizations.
Speaker 1:Nice, perfect. She came here so prepared and I was like, oh my God, I'm just going to like listen to her talk. Basically, I try, I try, I try to be prepared. I was like she came like with a whole document and I was like, oh damn it, like I got my one page of questions.
Speaker 2:But yeah, but wait, there's more, right, yeah, tell us more, there's actually there's, I'm just really you know, proud of the work that Inner City Law Center does, and so that's why I'm like wait, there's more.
Speaker 1:Tell us more, tell us everything.
Speaker 2:So it's wild that you know earlier this year we had the fires. Yeah, it feels like so much and it wasn't even fire season, I know, and it feels like so much has happened since. Well, so much has yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, these past, like what? Six, eight, let's eight months, I guess it feels like it's been years. Like we've been at this for years and it's like we're only eight months in. Yeah, I'm terrified.
Speaker 2:It's a very stressful time, and after the January fires for ICLC, we began hosting legal clinics to support Angelenos who were affected by the fires. These wildfire relief clinics focus on tenant issues and vital documents Many of the people that were impacted. They lost a lot of their documentation due to the fires, and so the legal clinics that ICLC hosts are both virtually and in person at a church in Pasadena.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow, yeah, you don't really think about that, Like when you're running from your home to grab, you know, your birth certificate or your marriage certificate.
Speaker 1:You're focusing on you know yourself and your family and your pets, yeah your real babies and you're not thinking about right the documents that you know, prove who you are and what you are and what you have, you don't exactly so that's that's a great resource that I wouldn't have thought of you know if there was a fire right now, I wouldn't think hey let me go grab my birth certificate, right, I would you know. Grab myself and my cat, my cats, yeah same.
Speaker 2:Yeah I, I would you know, grab myself and my cats, yeah, same, yeah, I don't even you know when people ask that question like what would you save in a fire.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what would you save in a fire? I?
Speaker 2:actually don't know. I mean now, as we're talking about it, like yeah, you should have your, you know your important documents, like in a safe place, place. But when push comes to shove, when you're in that situation, it's really yeah, like it get yourself to safety exactly, yeah, you wouldn't think about it.
Speaker 1:I would just yeah, what would you save in a fire? Um, I in my head I would think like pictures, you know yeah you can't really get you know, especially like the really old ones right like you were looking at my pictures earlier, like the pictures of like my nana as a baby.
Speaker 1:I can't get those back. You know every little pictures of like my Nana as a baby, I can't get those back. You know like pictures of like me now they're on my phone and obviously who cares? But you know you can't get like those really old photos back. So that's what I would think to grab, but not my social security card.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, that's a really good point, and so stuff like that. You know, those important documents, people are missing, and so that's what these wildfire relief clinics are doing they're helping people replace that important documentation.
Speaker 2:And then we also one more thing that I want to talk about, about ICLC, is that we have a homeless veterans project and it was actually one of the first few programs in the country to offer free legal services to homeless veterans when it was first, when it first launched in 1998. And I realized I didn't mention how long we've been around, but ICLC has been around since 1980.
Speaker 2:But back to the Homeless Veterans Project, our attorneys. They work to obtain benefits for homeless veterans who have disabilities as a result of their military service, and we represent our clients throughout the entire benefits process, which can oftentimes take years to process and go through. Our attorneys have represented veterans who have served in Iraq, afghanistan, vietnam, korea and even World War II. Wow, and then our veterans program. Last year, in collaboration with public counsel and law firms Brown, goldstein and Levy and Robbins Kaplan, we secured a landmark victory in the McDonoghue v Powers case for disabled veterans in a historic ruling that mandates significant reforms at the West LA VA campus. This includes new housing and improved healthcare services for disabled veterans.
Speaker 1:So with everything that's been happening lately with immigration and within our whole country specifically California, because I feel like we're Los Angeles is kind of getting hit a little harder because we have a very large demographic of Latinos. How has that affected your work at inner city law center, that's?
Speaker 2:a good question. Our work continues with additional safety precautions and our staff is working harder than ever to empower and protect our immigrant clients as much as possible, and some of the things that we're doing are we're defending clients against landlords and property managers who attempt to exploit immigration status to harass, extort or evict tenants. We're increasing our work helping immigrant clients access immigration relief and resources to help them achieve housing stability. We're also arranging for remote court appearances to help clients avoid potentially dangerous encounters with ICE at courthouses, and we're distributing red cards from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center to clients and community members, which outline constitutional rights when interacting with ICE. And actually I brought examples of them and I can share these with you, but these are the red cards. They're available in different languages. The ones that I have are in Spanish but, they're available in Chinese, Russian, Farsi, you name it.
Speaker 1:And I will make sure to post this as well on my stories.
Speaker 2:And we also are sharing. The ICLC created blue cards, so we created something similar to this, but for legal aid offices and service providers, which outline best practices for safely and lawfully interacting with ICE in high-pressure situations. We're also ramping up our legal clinics and outreach to provide critical support to immigrant families, especially those that are undocumented, and we're revamping our community events to maximize safety for immigrant attendees. This includes offering virtual alternatives whenever possible. And, last but not least, we're growing our pro bono attorney network to meet the increasing legal need of immigrants whose rights are under immediate threat. So if there's anyone listening here who is an attorney and wants to give back and wants to get involved, please visit the inner city law center website. We have a pro bono team and there's uh amazing attorneys that will um give their time and help with different cases.
Speaker 1:So perfect, and if there's anyone who needs these services, please reach out and they can definitely help you with whatever is necessary. So I do want to say what, for those who aren't like watching what's on this card. So it says I do not wish to speak with you, answer your questions or sign or hand you any documents. Based on my fifth amendment rights under the United States constitution. I do not give you permission to enter my home based on my fourth amendment right under the United States constitution unless you have a warrant to enter, signed by a judge or magistrate with my name on it, that you slide under my door. I do not give you permission to search any of my belongings. Based on my Fourth Amendment rights.
Speaker 1:I choose to exercise my constitutional rights, plain and simple. And then so also you and I are born and raised Culver City, love it, that's home. But you wouldn't think it would like affect your very small community. But we've had an enormous amount of people who have been technically kidnapped let's just call a spade a spade straight off the street from their homes in Culver City, in Palms, in the West Side. I had seen on your personal Instagram story you had been posting GoFundMe pages for those people who had been taken, and then you also went to a event at Vets Park last Saturday, sunday.
Speaker 1:Sunday last Sunday.
Speaker 2:I'm stalking you Everyone's stalking everyone, of course.
Speaker 1:But yeah, so I had seen you had went to that event and who was it for exactly?
Speaker 2:So that event was for, and then for for these events, events like I go on, like my own like related yeah, like not related to it, so personal yeah, personal journey, and so this is in her free time.
Speaker 2:Um, yes, so last sunday there was a press conference um and fundraiser for one of the community members that has been taken from Culver City. His name is Enrique Lozano and he was a paletero, so an ice cream man, and he had been selling ice cream in the Culver City community for 20 years and it was I think it was June 23rd, let me well, it was a Monday before, so he was taken away.
Speaker 1:He was kidnapped in in plain, you know, plain daylight yeah, like they took him and left his cart on the street.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they did, and horrible it's crazy and like, if you see the snatched he yeah, he was he and the photo that, um you know, has been circulating.
Speaker 1:It's just his car and just abandoned. Yeah, it's like he just disappeared.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, it's very powerful and it's really sad he was taken on Culver Boulevard near Sepulveda, so actually really close to the high school. Yeah, yeah, Like you said, like where we grew up, like you know, like I know that area, you know that area? Yeah, know that area, that area Exactly, and so it's really sad. He is not the only one. There's been people, there's been other people there's. There was another individual. His name is Jose. I forget his last name.
Speaker 1:Was he the one?
Speaker 2:who was taken from the carwash? No that, but see, that's the thing. There's so many and it's really awful there. So the one that I was thinking of, um, he's a grandfather and um, he was taken last friday on while he was on his way to work and he was in his car um six masked uh, you know, unidentified individuals. They stopped him, they broke his window and they dragged him out of his truck. Um, and the family actually posted an update last night. Um, or I saw it last night that he is already in mexico and um, according to them, he didn't sign any deportation papers, they just they just pretty much, which is something that you know.
Speaker 2:We're hearing a lot about that. People aren't given their due process or just well, they're coerced into signing deportation papers. The conditions in the holding facilities are awful, and then there was a raid. This one was probably like three weeks ago, almost a month. It's wild to yeah.
Speaker 2:To just look back at the last month, because it really has been one full month of these ice raids, just um, terrorizing communities, um, and there was a raid at the car wash on Sepulveda and Venice, also really close to us yeah, I've been to that car wash hundreds of times as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I used to.
Speaker 2:I used to work in front of that car wash at the Baskin Robbins. Oh, yeah, yeah, um, and so, yeah, it's like that's our community and I believe it was six individuals that were taken during that raid and it's just, it's really awful what's happening and it it's very deeply concerning yeah, I mean I know.
Speaker 1:So the one at the car wash is like the first one that, like I think, gained like really big media attention, at least for like Culver City, really big media attention at least for like Culver City. But yeah, it was like you see, these men who, by the way, like literally anyone could pretend that they're an ICE agent, I feel like, which is also scary too, so scary.
Speaker 1:Like I'm not trying to give anyone ideas, but I've already seen like stories about it where, like people who aren't ICE agents are just going up and snatching like mainly women, let's be honest and you know they're just like scary people who are just like kidnapping people under the disguise of ice. So that's scary in and of itself, but I did see, yeah, the they went and they targeted the car wash and this guy was there with his two sons and he it was just wrong place, wrong time for him. He wasn't, he didn't work there, he was just there getting his car serviced and they took him and left his two kids crying on the side of the road. Yeah, and like people around them are, like you know, trying to like this one. The younger son is just in absolute tears and the older son's trying to like find out where he's going, like where are you taking my dad and everyone around is like these are his kids, they're underage, they need to know where he's going.
Speaker 1:And they don't say a word. They just take him and leave and it's horrible. I can't imagine being in that position or watching that happen to a family member or a friend. I can't imagine seeing it happen to a family member or a friend or I can't imagine seeing it happen to a stranger in person, but to see like your father taken away from you, like that is devastating yeah and I don't understand how some people don't care right it's like.
Speaker 1:At this point I feel like we're not we shouldn't be talking about this in like liberal or conservative, democratic republican. This is just like a human on human thing. How do you not care about another human being? Right like this is far beyond politics. It's just. What's happening right now in our country is abhorrent.
Speaker 2:It's terrible yeah, it really is. It's it's very scary. It's, you know, it's like. For me and many other people it's deeply personal. A lot of the people that are being kidnapped and just snatched away from their community are hardworking individuals. All these images I'm like these these individuals look like my family members, like that is so scary. And a lot of the people that are being taken away they have no criminal convictions yeah, that's like the whole thing.
Speaker 1:People are like, oh well, they're, it's. They're taking violent criminals. No, they're not, but like if that's all they were doing, like even then, just to like snatch someone away. But they're going after fathers, mothers, grandfathers, people who have worked and been in the community for years and who, like, their entire life is here and they're just being taken to wherever yeah and then thrown back into, let's say, mexico, a place that they haven't been in, you know 30 plus years and just been like OK, bye, like what? What is this?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's really awful, and a lot of these people they're you know, they're hardworking. I mean especially the two individuals that we just talked about.
Speaker 1:Like there were two of many, exactly, exactly. They're just the ones that I think you know, we, we've seen their stories. Just because they, they are such, you know, a big part of our community. Yeah, they're like neighbors. Exactly, they really are.
Speaker 2:They technically are and you know they're a great example of immigrants. Immigrants make America great. Immigrants are entrepreneurial. They're, you know, they're very hardworking and they're. These two individuals are perfect examples of that. Yeah, and it's just, it's really, it's really sad to see it. You know, I'm not going to lie, I've definitely had some, you know, just a little bit of like a little breakdown here or there.
Speaker 1:Just like you know, Sometimes we just need to cry it out.
Speaker 2:Exactly. It's really scary what's happening, but I will say that there is a silver lining in the sense that, as these things, as these kidnappings are happening, I've seen community members just really, you know, go out there and help their neighbors. You know, communities are really stepping up and help their neighbors. You know, communities are really stepping up. The city of Montebello approved 100,000 in emergency funding to support local families that were impacted by the ice raids. So Huntington Park's city council approved a resolution to verify a federal agent's identity when they are operating in the community, and that came out after they arrested someone who was impersonating a federal agent, which, yeah, is so scary.
Speaker 1:I can't imagine like you're just giving these people who have malicious intent a disguise to hide behind. Yeah Like oh, just go ahead, yeah, just take them.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:What is this?
Speaker 2:That is such a terrifying thought, like just imagine that you're snatched up by a stranger in a ski mask and you're thrown into an unmarked vehicle and you don't know where you're being taken, you don't know what they're going to do to you. And also like, as women, like I'm already scared of men. So it's like if like six, yeah, so it's like if like six, yeah, like if six masked men are like tackling me and then throwing me into a car, like I'm going to be terrified, I'm going to be extremely scared. Like yeah.
Speaker 2:So that, yeah, that's one thing that the city of Huntington Park has done to ensure that their community is safer.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And closer to home, in Culver City, they're looking to adopt a resolution to support immigrant families during this time. This past Monday, the 30th June 30th, the city council met for a special session to discuss this and during this meeting there were 40 community members who signed up to give public comment. The council did not vote on the resolution. There will be another special session on July 9th and during this time, they're going to be considering stopping the use of license plate readers, reconsider the city's police policy. On mutual aid to other agencies, for example, like mutual aid to like a federal agency, they're going to be looking at potential eviction moratorium or a rental relief for families that have been impacted by the ongoing raids in the community. And all of this is, um, you know, would be in support of helping immigrants uh, in the community and helping them keep safe yeah, yeah, like going back to the man who was snatched up at the car wash, they did, I think it was abc7.
Speaker 1:Um, they interviewed his older son who was a witness to everything and he said that his father was the main provider for the household. And now he's like he's 16, or like 15 or 16. And he's like I'm going to have to step up now and be the provider, when he should be focusing on school and being a kid and being a teenager and, you know, having fun in during the summer, and now he's focusing on getting a job that's paying enough to support.
Speaker 1:You know his himself, his younger brother and his mom because you know the mom isn't making enough to just you know it was a two-income family and now they got down to one right.
Speaker 2:So now they they don't have money to pay rent yeah bills, pay utilities, pay the lights, yeah there's all these domino effects yeah because you have this like looming threat of being, you know, stopped and then deported, uh, kidnapped, you know, like all of this. But then yeah, like the the main yeah, what happened? The main breadwinner yeah, the main breadwinner. They're taken away. So it's like maybe you have small children, like what happens now, maybe it's the mom that gets taken away and it's like who's gonna feed the baby? Like you know, especially if they're like a newborn, like it's.
Speaker 1:It's multiple, it's multiple things like it doesn't affect just the person who was taken right. It affects the entire family, the household, you know, yeah, yeah it affects americans, like you know.
Speaker 2:I mean there there are a lot of mixed status families, as we're discussing, where the children are citizens and the parents are undocumented, and that's just a reality of a lot of our neighbors and it's really sad and just awful that this is happening. But again, communities are stepping up. One other thing that the city is doing, culver City specifically. At the June 30 meeting, the council voted to send letters of support for the no Secret Police Act SB 627, and the no Vigilantes Act SB 805. And both are state bills that were introduced to keep communities safe during these raids. The no Secret Police Act bans law enforcement from covering their faces when interacting with citizens, and officers would have to wear visible identification when conducting their duties. And the no Vigilantes Act would strengthen laws against impersonating police or federal agents.
Speaker 1:Perfect.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and the city sent letters of support so awesome.
Speaker 1:Well, that's great. I'm glad to see culver city stepping up because, you know, I look back on like our high school years and I feel like we had a really like supportive high school, like it was very um diverse. It was very accepting. Um diverse, it was very accepting.
Speaker 2:You know, it wasn't like I remember watching Mean Girls as a kid and being like is that what high school is going to be like? And it really wasn't.
Speaker 1:At least for me. I hopefully I'm not, like you know, speaking out of turn, but I feel like, overall, our high school was very accepting and agree, right, yeah, and like we had people of all ethnicities and races and, um, identities, yeah, but you, you know, you never know what's going to happen in the community as a whole during tough times like this yeah so it's nice to see that culver city is City, is stepping up and protecting its citizens and population and at least trying to do what is right because it's right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I agree with you. I Culver City is diverse, and that is, that is, one of my favorite things about Culver City and having grown up here and, um, just being part of, yeah, like the school district because yeah, like you also, you went to lynn woody, how I think yeah okay, I went to albiona and, like I, one of my like first memories, or like vivid memories of um being elementary school, was they used to have something called like an international dinner.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, okay, you guys had that too. Yeah, okay, and I, it was so cool because I remember it was like one giant potluck, yeah, and people would bring dishes from you know, like their families, yeah, and then like they had their background. Yeah, and then like they had, you know, like us kids, like perform, like some dance from wherever, like your class was assigned.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Like I remember, I think in third grade maybe I'm like confusing it up Like I have memories and pictures of being in like you know, like attire and stuff, but yeah, it was like one giant potluck and like you celebrate diversity and the diversity that immigrants bring to Culver City and just the US, and I think that's a beautiful thing, and so that's why it really saddens me to see just so much hate towards our immigrant communities, specifically our Latino communities. And, as I mentioned, you know, like this is deeply personal to me, because a lot of the individuals that you're seeing on the news and you know you're seeing their GoFundMe they look like my family. They look like my family, like I, yeah, like I am really passionate about, um, you know, doing my part in just helping make the community a little bit better.
Speaker 1:Yeah, um, and again, this is on my time- so also, you went to the no king's day parade. Did you go to the one that was here in culver city or the one in downtown, the one in downtown downtown, and how was that? It was massive, yeah, I saw it was like it was insane it was so big but it was.
Speaker 2:You know, when I it was like 12 of us that went and in our group and when I was um talking to, uh, my friend and my boyfriend, I was like it just feels weird to say like it was a really nice day, but it was Because it was. You know so many people that care about other people and immigrants. There were a lot of signs, you know, calling for ICE to back off from LA, to get out of LA, and it was.
Speaker 2:It was hopeful to see such a huge physical representation of the hate that's going on right now and, to be quite honest, I was really nervous at first that morning of because, the weekend before, the Sunday before, um, my boyfriend and I went to a protest in downtown when this was all starting and it was really scary. Um, yes, it was one of the scariest moments of my life. Um, the Sunday before the no Kings day parade, I went to a protest, um, in downtown with my boyfriend and, um, we met up with one of my friends and we were going to meet up with another friend, and so when we got there, we walked towards the federal building off of Temple in downtown and there were a lot of people, there was a big crowd, everyone was peaceful and we were on Temple and I remember that there was a point where a police van just started driving towards a crowd to split the crowd To disperse them exactly, and then they started shooting rubber bullets.
Speaker 2:And when I do remember.
Speaker 1:Now that you're saying that I it's like I blocked it out from my memory because I can't have too many bad memories up here. But yeah, I, I saw that on the news yeah, it was really scary.
Speaker 2:And so we were with my friend and she was looking for her friends as well, and they started shooting rubber bullets, and then, of course, people are, like you know, panicking. So then I run the opposite way from the bullets and my friend runs into the crowd yeah, into the crowd, looking for her friend, and I was like I'm ready to go. And I was like, um, I'm ready to go.
Speaker 2:And so, um, you know, my boyfriend and I go the opposite way, but we're still there for a little bit, yeah, and then we're trying to meet our other friend who was going to meet us there, but she, she was taking the metro and she couldn't get off on the the little Tokyo stop because they were.
Speaker 1:They were just trying to divert yeah, they didn't want people to get off and go to the protest exactly, and so she wasn't able to meet us there.
Speaker 2:So she ended up on the other side of the freeway and um, we, you know we were like checking in, we were trying to meet up but we couldn't because, of how chaotic everything was and how scary everything was and, um, yeah, I like the police and like the rubber bullets and you know, like the, the big crowd, it was pretty much between me and our other friend that we were trying to meet up with, um, the one who came on the Metro, and so we, we stayed there for my boyfriend and I stayed there for a little bit, but then, um, we just well, I was like I like I need to, I need to go because I'm really, I'm really scared Like I.
Speaker 1:I wasn't built for this, I think that's actually what I said.
Speaker 2:I said I, you know I'm not sure if I was built for like this type of protest, because it's important you know we should be, we should be exercising our first amendment right to protest. It's important. But the thought of being shot out, shot at or like falling, I was just, like you know, I was just imagining. I was just imagining, like you know being trampled over or something because of, you know, people also being scared.
Speaker 2:It was the first time that I was genuinely scared, like in a, in a big crowd, and so we left and we went into little Tokyo and as soon as, like, we rounded the corner, it was like normal. And it was that was so unsettling to me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like the people on that street had no idea what was going on on this street.
Speaker 2:I I think they did, but it was more of like.
Speaker 1:It just felt like a very hard like line right like just very like it's raining right here and exactly yeah that's a really good comparison.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, we just, we just left and I was like I can't do this like this is really it's very scary.
Speaker 1:I feel like this probably isn't like a good comparison, because hopefully we don't get there, but I feel like we're like entering a stage of like the hunger games almost, where it's like we're protesting against this current administration. I'm trying to choose my words wisely here, but it's like we're being like oppressed, like you know where we're, like being told we can't protest, and it's a peaceful protest. We're just out here holding the sign. That's about it. You know chanting. We're not shooting at people, we're not doing anything, but it's just. You know, like you said, exercising your first amendment right is getting you shot at with a rubber bullet.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:What is happening here?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I thankfully did not get Thankfully, yes Shot at, but that's because I left. But yeah, it was just it was. I'll never forget it, it becomes a really sad core memory yeah, and you know that was a week before the no kings parade. So then, having right gone to the no kings parade the next week it was, it felt very different. Um, I think, I mean I I know that a lot of people were were out there yeah I know santa monica had their like own kings's parade, no king's parade um culver city.
Speaker 1:Yeah, downtown was probably one of the biggest ones yeah, I think it was like listed in, like the top five in the country was. It was like los angeles, new york I want to say chicago, was on that list. I saw the chicago crowd and I was like geez, like it was taking up like streets yeah um, what else? I should have looked at the list before, no.
Speaker 1:I just sound like I don't know what I'm talking about. I want to say, like it was, like maybe San Antonio or Dallas, it was just nice to see that, like you know, all these big, like all the big main cities had that kind of a protest, and then also, like the little suburbs, like Culver City had theirs, santa Monica had theirs. Like you, you know, I just love to see that, you know, at least we're all on the same page.
Speaker 1:It sounds like Culver City's was really big, my little cousin went um and he said there was a lot of people. Yeah, I heard it was like. So our city hall is on uh, culver and. Duquesne and it was taking up Duquesne all the way to like Madison and, like you know, up to like the Culver Hotel. Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:So, like all of downtown, pretty much, pretty much yeah, which was.
Speaker 1:I'm like, there you go, we're doing it slowly, but we're doing it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that is hopeful. It is hopeful, yeah, definitely, but it's so really sad Jesus.
Speaker 1:It's so depressing, it's so really sad Jesus. It's so depressing, it's very depressing. So how can people like myself get involved and whether it be with Inner City Law Center or just like in the community, like, what would you say to some like to me, I want to like give back and get involved. How would I go?
Speaker 2:about that. So for Inner City Law Center, the events that I mentioned are Skid Row Community Connect Day volunteering at that or a Pets Landing event volunteering at that. We have all the information on our website. We also have something called ICLC Community Conversations. We're actually planning the next one right now so I can send you that information when that happens. Yeah, once you have a date, I'll post it in stories.
Speaker 1:Oh, we're actually planning the next one right now, so I can send you that information when that happens. Yeah yeah, once you have a date, I'll post it in stories.
Speaker 2:Oh nice Thank you, and so we had an ICLC community conversation back in April and it was on women and homelessness. Okay, we talked about the unique challenges that women face while they're on the street. I learned during that that it's 23,000 women who are experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles, which is wild, and so these community conversations are a really good opportunity for people to learn what's going on, get an understanding of the issues that are happening in their community community, and the next one will be sometime in August, so I can definitely send that to you, and I believe that one's going to be virtual Um, so sometimes they're, they're in person too, um, and then um, not ICLC related, and these are more. These are my personal recommendations are, um, you know well, a getting informed.
Speaker 2:So, following social media accounts, you know, reading up on the latest, there's an Instagram account, the West LA Rapid Response Network, and they have been doing really amazing work where they will receive tips and sightings of where ICE agents are, you know, are located, where they're perhaps about to go out and kidnap people, and so they receive these tips. They go out into those locations, they verify whether they're there, they clear the areas. They also will post GoFundMes for people in the community who have been taken. So, like Enrique, who we talked about, and, uh, the grandfather, I would say those two, those two ways. And then also just checking in on your neighbors Uh, we live in LA, it's diverse, so you absolutely know someone who, um, would potentially be a target of these raids. Um, just checking in, you know, asking um if they need any support. Um, I don't think I mentioned this earlier, but right now, with everything that's happening, uh, you know, immigrant communities are really scared to do just to go to work, to go to the grocery, yeah to just exist.
Speaker 2:Go to the grocery store, go, you know, do laundry their normal life.
Speaker 1:They feel like they can't. They can't. They don't even feel safe in their own homes. I was gonna say they don't feel safe outside of their homes, but even in their own homes. It's I.
Speaker 2:I can't, I can't imagine exactly and so offering a ride to someone goes a long way. Offering to, you know, pick up groceries for them goes a long way. So, um, I would say those three things. So, yeah, for for ICLC, um following us on social media, um, potentially volunteering at one of our events, attending an ICLC community conversation, um, and then, secondly, my personal recommendations um, uh, following social media accounts that are covering these ice raids, um, specifically the West LA rapid response network covering these ICE raids, specifically the West LA Rapid Response Network. If you're in a position to give, absolutely donate to someone's GoFundMe and I know that we keep talking about the two members of our community that were taken, but there are two of hundreds- of people in the county that have been affected, and so we wouldn't have enough time to discuss each and every one, because there's just too many.
Speaker 2:Right, and I feel like I've seen somewhere on social media where there's like a spreadsheet of just like all the GoFundMes. I need to look for that because I, you know, I want to go through and donate where I can, um, and then I feel like I said something else I totally forgot. Now, oh yeah, and then um checking in with your neighbors, um, because it does go a long way, yeah um, kindness is free, you know, that is true, that is.
Speaker 1:it's not too hard to be cut. Well, for some people I suppose it is. But, um it, it costs nothing to be kind, and I do feel like I need to say this as well Just because you might not be personally affected by it doesn't mean it's not important. Just because I am not you know, I am a citizen and of legal status, doesn't mean I don't care or shouldn't care. Just because it might not affect your life personally doesn't mean it doesn't matter to somebody else. So for those people who are turning a blind eye or being like, well, it doesn't affect you personally, it affects humans. So I feel like it does affect me personally, because you should just care. I can't talk. You should just care, yeah't talk, you should just care.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you, we should care, yeah, we. Really simple as that, and I completely agree. And I think one of the last things I'll say is please don't normalize this violence. This is not. This is not normal like it's not unprecedented times yeah let's not get used to it yes, that's the perfect way to end this let's not get used to it.
Speaker 1:Don't normalize the violence and be a part, a positive part, of your community. Be kind, be generous if you're, whether it be with financials, your time, just something. It's, and that's that really. I wanted to talk about this issue for the past couple of weeks, but I didn't want to talk about it by myself because you know that's lame, but I wanted to talk about it with somebody who was well-informed and is a part of the solution, and I was able to get Jessica here and um yeah, so I feel like it's important to talk about. I understand this might not be everyone's cup of tea, and it's that's fine. You can just turn it off. So there you go, and I do think that's a great way to end the episode. It's be kind. It costs nothing to be kind people that is true, there we go.
Speaker 1:So where can people find you and your place of work?
Speaker 2:So for um inner city law center, you can follow us on Instagram. Um, you can also go onto our website and sign up for our e-newsletter we send out every month. There's a lot of really great news and um updates that we send out every month. There's a lot of really great news and updates that we send out, so if you're interested, please check out our website and follow us on instagram. And we also have other social media too. Um, and then for me, um, separate from my work, um, I am on instagram. I think that's really like the one social media that I use the most.
Speaker 2:I'm wandering just cloud.
Speaker 1:She's had that name for years.
Speaker 2:Like.
Speaker 1:I think that was your original.
Speaker 2:It was yes, yes, consistency. Yeah, she's like I'm just keeping it, but that's where I can be found.
Speaker 1:Perfect, yes, and then you can find the podcast and myself at Emily to Gremlin pod on Instagram and TikTok. Tiktok is slow moving, but I digress. You can also email me and the podcast at Emily to Gremlin pod at gmailcom If you want to send in your gremlin stories, if you need gremlin guidance, which is what I decided- to call it now.
Speaker 1:Normally I would have Jessica tell her gremlin story. We decided to keep this episode more serious and more about what's going on, because it's important to talk about. But she will be coming back again and that'll be a little more lighthearted, more fun.
Speaker 1:That's where we'll talk about the gremlin activities, but yeah, so we definitely just wanted to keep this episode you know, serious and important, because it is serious and it is very important. But if you have your own gremlin story or if you need advice on anything, email me emilytogremleypod at gmailcom. You can also watch this episode, emily to Gremlin pod, on YouTube. Like you said, consistency is key and I kept it consistent everywhere and that's the episode. Pretty much. Like we said, cost nothing to be kind and be the change you want to see in the world. And you know, I wore this shirt specifically. I can't read it upside down, but if you're watching you can read it and let's cheers with our virgin apparel. And thank you so much for coming on. It was so much fun catching up with you. I haven't seen you in years forever.
Speaker 1:So cheers.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me here. Cheers, bye.
