What the Dodgers can learn from Angel City about community
So that's why they're called the Dodgers.
For the better part of the last two weeks, the Los Angeles baseball franchise has evaded calls from fans begging that it speak up and show support for communities terrorized by ongoing immigration raids taking place across the Southland.
When thousands of Angelenos took to the streets for a series of protests, the Dodgers buried their heads in the sandlot and pretended the unrest wasn't happening.
'We're not going to comment,' Dodgers executive vice president and chief marketing officer Lon Rosen told my colleague Dylan Hernández, who included the quote in a scathing column published Saturday morning in which he accused the team of cowardice and letting down their Latino fan base.
But as the team found out later that evening, the issue was not going to go away.
Before the start of Saturday night's game against the San Francisco Giants, Nezza performed 'El Pendón Estrellado,' a Spanish-language version of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' commissioned by the State Department in 1945 and composed by Clotilde Arias. In a TikTok video uploaded on Sunday, the 30-year-old L.A.-based pop singer, whose real name is Vanessa Hernández, revealed that she sang the national anthem in Spanish against the team's wishes. She also claimed that the Dodgers banned her from the stadium, an assertion the club denies.
The incident became national news by Monday, and the Dodgers came out looking like a franchise that only cares about its Latino fans when it's trying to make money off of them.
On Wednesday, after initially saying that they would not be commenting, a team spokesperson told my colleague Jack Harris that the Dodgers were working on a plan to assist immigrant communities, and that they would announce the specifics soon. (As I write this, the team has not yet unveiled what said plans are.)
On Thursday morning, the Department of Homeland Security brought the immigration debate to the team's doorstep after several federal agents were spotted near a Dodger Stadium parking lot gate. Rumors spread on social media that the team had allowed ICE agents to use their parking lot as a staging area. Hours later, the Dodgers took to social media to clarify that no such thing had transpired.
'This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots. They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization. Tonight's game will be played as scheduled,' the statement said. In response, DHS said that the agents were not with ICE, but with the Customs and Border Protection — the department oversees both agencies.
That people believed the Dodgers were collaborating with ICE shows you just how much trust they have lost with fans — on Thursday night, protesters gathered outside the stadium and some of the anger appeared to be directed at the club. The team's inaction over the last two weeks should be used in crisis management classes as an example of what not to do. It was a self-inflicted wound, and it didn't have to play out that way.
Just look at what the Angel City Football Club did.
On June 7, the day after the start of the immigration raids, the National Women's Soccer League franchise released a pro-immigrant statement on X.
'We are heartbroken by the fear and uncertainty our Los Angeles community are feeling right now,' it read. 'At Angel City, we believe in the power of belonging. We know that our city is stronger because of its diversity and the people and families who shape it, love it, and call it home.'
It wasn't an empty gesture.
The following week, ahead of Saturday's match against the North Carolina Courage, Angel City players and coaches walked on to the pitch donning black shirts with 'Immigrant City Football Club' emblazoned in the front, and 'Los Angeles is for everyone/Los Ángeles es Para Todos' written on the back.
In addition to distributing them to fans in attendance, Angel City has been selling the shirts from its team store, with net proceeds going to the nonprofit Camino Immigration Services.
'The statement was the beginning. The statement was our way of making sure that our fans, our players, our staff felt seen in that moment,' Chris Fajardo, Angel City's vice president of community, told Times soccer writer Kevin Baxter. 'The next piece was, I think, true to Angel City. Not just talking the talk but walking the walk.'
It's a lesson the Dodgers ought to learn.
At some point in the last week, the topic of pro-immigrant and Latin music protest songs came up on the De Los team Slack channel. I asked the team to send me some of their favorite tracks, and a brief description about why they picked it. Here's what they said.
'The Battle of Los Angeles' by Rage Against the Machine – As Angelenos take the streets to defend the city's immigrant communities, this classic 1999 rap metal album feels more relevant than ever. Born in Long Beach to Mexican American parents, Rage frontman Zack de la Rocha wasn't a prophet so much as he was a student of history — which he illustrated with righteous fury in songs like the Grammy-winning 'Guerilla Radio' and 'Sleep Now in the Fire.' —Suzy Exposito
'Latinoamérica' by Calle 13 – This song is an ode to the strife and joy that simultaneously permeates across the Americas; it's an affirmation that its land, and its people, will never be crushed by unforeseeable forces. Layered with powerful chants by Afro-Peruvian folklore singer Susana Baca, Afro-Colombian singer Totó la Momposina and Brazilian singer Maria Rita, 'Latinoamérica' is a timeless fight song that marches in step with the pulsing heartbeat of Latin America. —Andrea Flores
'Clandestino' by Manu Chao – Multilingual reggae rocker Manu Chao was born in Paris to Spanish parents who fled the Franco regime; as a result, he felt called to promote the rights of refugees and migrants all over the world. His 1998 song 'Clandestino' would become a global anthem for the undocumented. —Elana Szczepanski
'Tres Veces Mojado' by Los Tigres Del Norte – The song reflects on the difficult and dangerous journey of an immigrant crossing borders — and the challenges of being seen as an outsider in other Latin American countries. —Lupe Llerenas
'Invalid Litter Dept.' by At the Drive-In – This Texas post-hardcore band was founded in El Paso, but their eyes were cast across the border, in the neighboring Ciudad Juárez, where hundreds of Mexican women went to work in factories and never returned home. In confronting the Mexican government for its failure to prevent the femicides, the band also challenges a culture in which commerce is valued more than the lives of the workers who keep it running. —S.E.
'La Carencia' by Panteón Rococó – 'La carencia' translates to 'the lack' — and as such, the song captures the lack of opportunities given to the working class in a globalizing world. —Anthony Solorzano
'Pa'l Norte' - Calle 13 ft. Orishas – A vibrant song celebrating the strength and resilience of immigrants who've traveled far from home for better lives, while acknowledging the sacrifices and injustices they face. —L.L.
'El Mojado' by Ricardo Arjona – A poetic reflection on the experience of being undocumented, working hard and still not belonging where you are. —L.L.
'Gimme Tha Power' by Molotov – Criticizing government corruption is always timely, no matter which administration or time period. Mexico City band Molotov decry state agents who extort the same communities that pay their salaries, and make a plea for power to be returned to the people. — Carlos De Loera
'La Jaula de Oro' by Julieta Venegas – Mexican singer Julieta Venegas paid an electronica-infused tribute to the original song by legendary norteño band Los Tigres del Norte, 'La Jaula de Oro,' which translates to 'The Golden Cage.' The song warns immigrants that, while there's much money to be made in the U.S., it can come at a high personal cost. —L.L.
'Al Millón' by Los Dos Carnales – This song embodies a strong sense of pride and resilience, emphasizing staying true to oneself and facing challenges with courage and integrity. The lyrics express a willingness to go 'all in' and not back down. —L.L.
'The Star-Spangled Banner' by José Feliciano – At the zenith of anti-war and counterculture protests throughout the world, Puerto Rican icon José Feliciano performed the national anthem before Game 5 of the 1968 World Series and infused his signature sound to the song. His rendition garnered mixed reactions as some fans booed him at the park — and the New York Times called his take 'controversial.' Really, it's just beautiful. — C.D.L.
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