Culver City gardeners among those detained in ICE raids

Just weeks after paletero (Spanish for "popsicle vendor") Enrique Lozano was released from federal custody after being suddenly taken off the streets while working, several people were abruptly detained on Culver City sidewalks last Wednesday during an apparent series of raids in West Los Angeles by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Videos posted to Facebook last Wednesday, November 12, showed a man being handcuffed and dragged into a car by several masked individuals at the corner of Coombs Avenue and Barman Avenue. Martin Mena and another gardener were doing their normal work on the sidewalk as they had for several years when masked men cuffed and took them away in what appeared to be an unmarked vehicle.

A neighbor, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that she heard honking cars and cries of "Fuck ICE" nearby as the incident unfolded.

Masked agents donning masks, tactical duty belts, and chest rigs with the word "Police" on the back walked down the sidewalk south on Coombs Avenue towards where Mena and another gardener were working, according to eyewitness accounts. Instead of walking past them, the officers quickly moved to cuff the gardeners as vehicles pulled up to the corner.

"They had it all set up," the neighbor said. "They didn't just come in the cars."

Mena quickly relayed his phone number and made sure a set of keys was handed off to a bystander as he was being forcefully dragged into one of those vehicles. A woman who was walking her dog past the corner as the incident was unfolding tried to do what she could to help Mena navigate the dire and sudden situation.

"She was telling him, 'Give me your phone number, give me your phone number, they have you arrested already,'" another neighbor near the incident said.

Once the agents left with Mena, his leaf blower and gardening tools remained lying silently alongside his truck and a set of keys. Soon after, Mena's wife and two-year-old daughter arrived on the scene along with another relative to take his possessions back to their home and process their situation.

"She was very stoic," a witness said of Mena's wife. "She has a lot to handle."

For many living near the raid, the incident left them shaken and not feeling any safer. One resident living nearby said that their spouse usually plays Mexican music loud enough to be heard outside the home, but felt uncomfortable with it after the incident Wednesday.

"It's so very, very sad that you can't celebrate your culture as you are afraid you are going to get kidnapped by ICE," they said.

"I don't think anyone feels safer witnessing these raids," another nearby homeowner said. "My neighbors and I are angry."

Mayor Dan O'Brien released a statement the following day condemning immigration raids. He emphasized that CCPD does not participate in these immigration raids and was not notified that they were taking place.

"These actions not only remove individuals who are vital members of the community," O'Brien's statement reads, "they also instill fear, place families under economic stress, and strain our local economy."

On top of eight detainments — including the two gardeners — there were also several confrontations where bystanders interfered with ICE activity in Culver City and its neighboring cities, according to a list (EN: Link 1 and Link 2) published by the West Los Angeles Rapid Response Network (West Los Respuesta Rapida).

According to the list, a confrontation at the Culver City Best Buy at 10799 Washington Blvd. also took place on Wednesday. ICE also had staging areas — where agents gather before raids and process detainees — at Fox Hills Mall and the Culver City Ralphs located at 10772 Jefferson Blvd.

A Facebook post detailed a detainment at Fox Hills Park by Buckingham Place, but this encounter is currently unconfirmed.

A GoFundMe set up to support Mena's family has quickly garnered support from the community, reaching more than $8,700 in under 24 hours and sits at more than $14,200 as of 1:30 p.m. Monday.