It’s been one year since ICE raids intensified across Los Angeles.
For many on the Eastside, these moments were marked by fear, uncertainty and disruption, but they also revealed something stronger: community and resistance.
Neighbors organized rapid response networks. Families showed up for one another on the streets, at schools and in living rooms. Community organizations were on the ground offering support. After care became a lifeline.
This video poem, with words by Xavi Moreno and animated illustrations by Pepe Te Adoro, reflects on that year and the ways communities chose to care for each other.
“Solo el pueblo salva al pueblo”
A community rose
to news
threats from those “in power”
Televisions and radios
volume low in living rooms
but loud enough
to change the temperature
Raids are coming
The Eastside is under watch
And for a moment
everything held its breath
Morning came anyway
“A la chamba se ha dicho”
Porque los biles no paran
So carts rolled out
Routine kept moving
even when fear stayed close
But the streets
different
Corners that once carried voices
now carrying absence
Where workers gathered
now space
Storefronts half-open
like breath caught mid-chest
Worry and work
in the same sentence
Then, a whistle
“MIGRA! MIGRA! MIGRA!”
A community calling to itself
Phones lifted
not for spectacle
but for safety
Protect
Warn
Hold the line
aquí
El pueblo siempre ha estado al frente
Y la lucha sigue
En rapid response
Cruising turns into patrol
Know-your-rights cards
passed like party flyers
Fear hit the block
like Santa Ana winds
But not the body
A community rose
Teens
Promotoras
Hoy marchamos
Nos protegemos
Nos cuidamos
And suddenly
you can step outside
a fruit vendor
peeling mango
pouring Valentina
“Nos preocupamos pero tenemos que trabajar”
Fear is here
pero también fuerza
no one is coming
So they come for each other
porque
Solo el pueblo
salva al pueblo
Credits:
Xavi Moreno is an actor, writer, producer, director, and spoken word performer, born and raised in Boyle Heights. He is a founding member of Los Poets del Norte, a spoken word duo born out of rebellion in Boyle Heights. Xavi’s work is deeply rooted in community and culture.
Pepe Te Adoro is a Oaxacan artist, animator, illustrator, and graphic designer from South Central Los Angeles. His work explores themes of migration, family, culture, and the immigrant experience.
Creative direction and editing by Jessica Perez with support from Jacqueline Ramirez and Steve Saldivar.
Additional video courtesy of: Jacqueline Ramirez, Centro CSO, Steve Saldivar, Gabby Q., Semantha Raquel Norris, Laura Anaya-Morga, Armando Velez.
