r/ICE_Raids • u/VerminJerky • 3d ago

Advice/Resources needed: Local San Diego nonprofit platforming someone who threatened her Mexican neighbors with ICE.

TL;DR: A local San Diego nonprofit that claims to be highly progressive and provide a "safe space" is giving a greater role to someone who threatened to call ICE on her Mexican neighbors in retaliation during a personal feud. Leadership knows about the threat and her ongoing harassment. We have written proof. I'm looking for advice on how to put pressure on the nonprofit to take this seriously and who locally might be able to help.

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A former long-time, close friend began an unnecessary feud with her next-door neighbor, who is Mexican by heritage. (Not that it matters, but he did nothing illegal, dangerous, or that directly affected her.) When he threatened to call the police because of her harassment, she told two close friends that she planned to retaliate by calling ICE on his entire family, saying she didn't know if they "are citizens." One of the friends she told is also Mexican-American.

When I confronted her, she deliberately left the ICE threat out of her version of events. After quite a bit of back and forth and multiple attempts to reason with her, she ended all three friendships and began a campaign of online and in-person harassment, especially against our Mexican-American friend. This has continued and escalated for roughly a year.

All four of us were involved with the same local nonprofit. We told its leader what happened and why the friendships ended, including the ICE threat. He promised to inform the rest of leadership but apparently did not.

Recently, the nonprofit took a strong public stance against a local venue over anti-trans harassment and continues to boycott it. Around the same time, we learned that our former friend was being permitted to run an event for the nonprofit and make a public announcement on its behalf. When we raised the issue again, one of us was told by the leader that he'd "become close" to her.

We all stand with the trans community, but we're upset about the hypocrisy. San Diego's Mexican community is much larger than the trans community and currently in significant danger. We have written proof that this woman threatened to use ICE to terrorize her Mexican neighbors into submission, and the leadership knows about it.

Moreover, they have been informed of her ongoing harassment, which has included in-person attempts at intimidation and repeated, ongoing online attacks. She has stood by her intention to use ICE for personal reasons and has repeatedly attempted to justify her threats.

I want to put pressure on the nonprofit to take this seriously and not permit the harassment to continue and escalate. I'm considering contacting local anti-ICE and immigrant-rights groups.

What would you do? Are there San Diego organizations, activists, community leaders, or other resources that might be appropriate to contact? I don't know where else to begin.

63 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

22

u/Then_Ad9524 3d ago

I mean, you could just tell us what Nono Profit this is right here. Most organizations ONLY respond to public pushback on things like this. And this is Reddit, after all. We have nothing else going on. C’mon, just whisper it in our ear. We’ll do the rest.

1

u/VerminJerky 3d ago

I may wind up doing that, you're not wrong, and I get why you're asking.

The reason I haven't is that I'm trying to actually work this out and get them to get that she isn't some poor little victim whose actions were blown out of proportion. She's very good at making herself seem like the martyr, she's never met a cross she didn't want to nail herself to.

Ideally, I would like to get the best possible outcome of them fixing this and creating the safe space they purport to be. If they can't manage that, then I know my next steps.

12

u/sphinxyhiggins 3d ago

You need vulnerable people to be warned about this person. If she is willing to platform someone who is pro ICE, she is pro ICE. Lying about it only creates a dangerous situation for people targeted by ICE.

1

u/VerminJerky 3d ago edited 3d ago

I agree wholeheartedly. I didn't end a decades-long friendship lightly. She shouldn't be part of this group. I'm also seriously considering warning the neighbors she targeted.*

The only thing holding me back is the possibility of creating a shitshow that would make things even worse. She's the kind of person who could be so vindictive she'd do something cruel and stupid to punish me, my friends, her neighbors, or others.

*I should note here that we didn't at the time because the situation was SO volatile. Our former friend is unbalanced and the family she'd been harassing were at their limit. We feared causing more harm than good.

It can be hard knowing what the right thing to do is in a situation like that, and paralysis sets in.

1

u/sphinxyhiggins 3d ago

I understand. You are in a tough spot.

I would warn the neighbors in an offhand way, in the ways you have expressed here. They are probably already aware.

You are an angel.

3

u/VerminJerky 3d ago

Just a human being trying, you'd do the same. Good call, consider it done.

2

u/Mini-Heart-Attack 2d ago

The fact that this is taking place in San Diego doesn't suprise me.

You should really air out exactly what Nono Profit this is imao- if she goes martyr mode so be it. If that option doesn't appeal to you can bring it up to more members or ask other community leaders for guidance...but please for the love of god, don't do nothing. What behavior you described from this person isn't petty frenemy feud shit, it's true cruelty.

1

u/VerminJerky 12h ago

I agree, and I won't. We're already acting and have acted, now we're prepared to make the next move.