Ed Flores’ family has owned and operated Juanita’s Mexican Café – one of the dozens of Hispanic-owned shops and restaurants along the city’s historic Olvera Street – for more than four generations.
Over the years, Flores said he’s seen his share of protests come and go – but none have risen to the level of violence and vandalism he’s witnessed in recent days.
The Olvera Street promenade is located at the historic center of Los Angeles, just a few blocks north of the Federal Building that’s become a flashpoint in the showdown between anti-immigration enforcement protesters and the US National Guard.
“This place is a hub – the pride of the Latino community,” Flores said of the historic city center, El Pueblo de Los Angeles. “It’s a very proud place where culture, history, neighborhood and art all converge.”
And yet, nearly every structure along the famous street has been tagged with graffiti or vandalized in recent days, Flores said. Multiple self-driving Waymo vehicles were set on fire and left to smolder outside the entrance to the promenade over the weekend.
The irony is, Flores said, many of the shop owners support protests against the Trump administration’s forceful crackdown on immigration in the city.
“Many of us are Hispanic or immigrants ourselves or come from families that are immigrants,” he said, “and the people who sympathize with you and are on your side, you’re actually destroying their property and impacting the businesses.”
The City of Los Angeles – which owns the historic district – ordered many shops to close over the weekend as the protests raged. Flores estimates business and foot traffic to the area has fallen by more than 90% in recent days.
“Even though there’s businesses here, we’re actually friends, and I’ve known people here for multiple generations,” he said.
“People are fearful here and it’s a shame – it absolutely has affected us in a really negative way.”
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