As part of a demonstration of solidarity against the ongoing immigration raids that have been taking place throughout Southern California, peace activists rode horses from Paramount to Compton City Hall on Sunday.
Connecting Compton, a group of equestrian riders who serve the community, started their journey at the Home Depot in Paramount, which was the location where law enforcement and demonstrators had a confrontation earlier this month as a result of an immigration operation that took place outside the store. In order to denounce the federal raids, the horseback riders traveled to Compton City Hall as a visual metaphor to highlight the connection that exists between communities of color and the federal government.
The phrase “The people united will never be divided” was one of the chants that was recited during the ride representing unity. The participants reported that they felt compelled to become involved in order to safeguard their communities.
“No one is going to come to our rescue. Hector Gomez-Mercardo, a local educator and one of the organizers of the ride, stated that it is imperative that we come out and take a stand.
According to Gomez-Mercardo, who is an educator in the community, he has witnessed firsthand the anxiety that his students are experiencing in the midst of the immigration operations.
“You could see the fear in these children, the uncertainty of what is going to happen yesterday,” he said. “You could see it in their eyes.” “Will I be able to lose both of my parents? ” You are being picked up simply because of the color of your skin. This has reached a point where it is acceptable.
During the time that federal officials were attempting to prevent protesters from moving forward, some of the individuals in the crowd started a fire, and others began jumping on a car that had been burned.
According to Enrique Vega, one of the participants on Sunday, he was raised in the presence of horses because his father was a horseman. In the process of peacefully fighting what he considers to be an injustice, he was quoted as saying that he is passing on the tradition from one generation to the next.
Vega stated, “We are proud that we are Americans, but we are also proud that we are the sons and daughters of immigrants.” Additionally, he conveyed the following message to President Donald Trump: “To send a message to the administration that you know as much as they would like to; Latinos aren’t going anywhere.” The indigenous people of this land are us.
During the previous week, federal agents were present in Compton, which prompted the community to push back in protest about their presence. According to Assemblymember Mike Gibson, whose district includes Compton, he and other local leaders have expressed their disapproval of the raids.
“My heart is broken,” he articulated. For me, this is my homeland. This is my nation, and this is my city,” she said.
In addition, he stated that “we will continue to file lawsuits against this administration and they will be successful in court.”
A dissident from Downey provides an explanation as to why she participated in a ‘No Kings’ demonstration. This video was taken on the 14th of June, 2025.
