How Social Media & Outside Funding Sparked LA Riots
By Hudson Crozier
Well-funded activists and a coordinated social media campaign helped spark the pro-illegal migrant protests on Friday that descended into days of rioting in Los Angeles.
Left-wing groups posted calls to action with a location to gather on Friday in unison after the arrest of a local Service Employees International Union (SEIU) leader on Friday. The subsequent uprising echoed scenes of the Black Lives Matter riots of 2020, which brought activists such as professional “legal observers” into the streets during a wave of protests that led to fires, looting, vandalism and deaths across the country as the organization’s leaders enriched themselves.
Protests continued in a coordinated fashion through Monday, with some unidentified individuals driving up to others in trucks to distribute protective face shields resembling gas masks, according to a Fox 11 reporter who said he witnessed the trend. Fox News’ Bill Melugin reported on Sunday that protesters were being provided with ear plugs, gas masks and water bottles that they then hurled at police officers.
“The FBI is investigating any and all monetary connections responsible for these riots,” FBI Director Kash Patel said Monday night.
As the chaos built up, activist groups — and a major labor union — fanned the flames of the anti-ICE movement by fomenting resistance to law enforcement in the streets and online.
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
SEIU California President David Huerta helped kick off the tumultuous weekend by getting arrested during ICE raids on Friday morning.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges Huerta tried to obstruct federal agents who “were executing a lawful judicial warrant” while ICE conducted raids in Los Angeles. An affidavit accuses Huerta of conspiracy to impede an officer by directing others to block the path of law enforcement vehicles.
SEIU said Huerta was “exercising his First Amendment right to observe and document law enforcement activity” in a Friday press release.
Aligned activist groups and local SEIU chapters began posting announcements on Friday on platforms such as X, Bluesky and Instagram telling people to come to a downtown Los Angeles federal building at 4 p.m. and stand against the ICE raids. Many groups obtained and posted the same graphic for the announcement bearing the SEIU’s logo.
SEIU California boasts of having more than 700,000 members, and SEIU chapters are funded by member dues. SEIU California’s media team did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Coalition for Humane Immigration Rights (CHIRLA)
SEIU’s shared graphic advertised a press conference with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) at the building’s address that ended up taking place. However, after hundreds showed up to the facility starting at 4 p.m., protesters began throwing objects at police, blocking off parts of a street and vandalizing federal property, ABC7 reported. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) declared an unlawful assembly after 7 p.m.
CHIRLA is a left-wing, immigration-focused nonprofit that received nearly $34 million in government grants in 2023 under the Biden administration, tax filings show. The group did not respond to a request for comment.
Unión del Barrio and Centro CSO
Another downtown Los Angeles press conference on Friday featured speakers from Unión del Barrio and Centro CSO, Facebook video shows. Unión del Barrio’s Ron Gochez told his audience about the need to resist ICE “by any means necessary.”
“If we organize, we can kick their asses out of every single ghetto, every single barrio, anywhere where our people are,” Gochez said, drawing applause.
“Who gives a damn about legality, when these people have their boot to our neck,” Gochez said, referencing immigration law. “We have … every single obligation, moral, historical, we have every reason to defend our people, to defend our community, to defend our families by whatever means necessary.”
Unión del Barrio describes itself as “entirely self-financed through membership dues, community contributions, and local fundraising” on its website, while Centro CSO says it is a member-funded grassroots group. The organizations did not respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.
Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)
The Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) helped spread SEIU’s graphic about CHIRLA’s Friday press conference on X. “Citizens who know their rights can disrupt and slow ICE incursions, as well as pressure local authorities to take action,” another Friday X post from the group reads. The DSA chapter did not respond to a request for comment.
Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL)
Los Angeles protesters were seen carrying signs from the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), which encouraged the protests to continue their “courageous stand” over the weekend and accused law enforcement of escalating the situation. A large PSL banner and PSL signs were also seen behind speakers at CHIRLA’s Friday press conference.
The PSL is a political party that is not required to publicly disclose its funding, but it is linked to a pro-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) millionaire’s network of political and media organizations, the DCNF previously reported. The PSL did not respond to a request for comment.
50501 Movement
The 50501 Movement, formed in response to the second Trump administration, promoted the protests on Bluesky throughout the weekend, including the Friday 4 p.m. gathering. 50501 National Press Coordinator Hunter Dunn posted about being personally among the protesters.
“50501 is a peaceful movement,” its website says. “Violence of any kind will not be tolerated.” The group’s press team did not respond to a request for comment.
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