The Brief

While you may not know casting director/film and TV producer Reuben Cannon by name (yet), it’s very likely you’re familiar with his work. Over the course of his career, Cannon cast TV shows like Moonlighting and Sanford and Son, films including The Color Purple, What’s Love Got to Do With It, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and several of director John Carpenter's horror movies. His production credits include many of Tyler Perry’s TV shows and films and Spike Lee’s 1996 movie Get on the Bus.

He also made Hollywood history, by becoming the first Black casting director in the 1970s. Cannon got his start in the mailroom at Universal Studios, worked his way up to a job as a casting department trainee, then a casting director, moved to Warner Brothers to take a position as head of television casting, and then opened his own casting office in 1978.

In the latest season of The Academy Museum Podcast, Cannon spoke with host (and Academy Museum director and president) Jacqueline Stewart about getting his start in casting, what it was like to be the “first” in the industry, and why he ultimately decided to leave casting in favor of producing.

These interview excerpts have been edited for length and clarity.

Getting in the door

Jacqueline Stewart: So I want to talk about how you got started in the industry …

Reuben Cannon: I tell the story that everything I needed to know about my job at Universal Studios, as a mail person or part of the Universal Studio's Training Program, I learned in Chicago on my paper route. 'Cause there are three fundamentals when you're delivering newspapers in Chicago. One is: Deliver papers every day without fail. No excuses, no matter the weather. Number two: Get to know your customers, because if you don't get to know your customers, you will not be able to collect the money that you’re owed. And number three: Most important, don't get robbed. 

So how do those basic elements apply to Hollywood? Well, I was hired at Universal Studios to work in the mail room and deliver the mail every day without excuses. Get to know your customers. Even though your customers are Alfred Hitchcock and Paul Newman and Lew Wasserman, you still get to know them and because you're gonna need a reference at some point to move out of the mailroom. And number three, don't let anyone rob you of your dreams.

So let's talk about that transition that you made from Chicago to Los Angeles. What was L.A. like when you got out here?

Well, in 1970, ‘71, it was right after the Watts riots, so the place was teeming with a certain degree of, you can say consciousness. But I don't know if it was consciousness, so much as it was an effort on L.A. to try to right itself, to create more, now we call diversity, and more inclusiveness. There was an effort for that and I think that probably led to perhaps my being hired in the mail room.

So you're at Universal, and while you were there, were there mentors you had or how did it work in terms of giving you an orientation to the industry? 

There weren't many. There was an older gentleman who worked in the custodial department —  Willie. And Willie, while he was basically a janitor, he had such wisdom and he'd been paying attention and, you know, he went back to the W.C. Fields days. And having him tell me stories about the various factions on the studio lot, who to look out for, it really was right out of the African diaspora tradition of sharing knowledge and wisdom. 

So, if there was a mentor in that way, it was Willie. But there were also very few brothers there, very few Black folks. There was a guy in personnel, Jim Harris, who was the one who hired me. And to give you a history of how I was hired, my uncles had given me a strategy for how to get a job that had never failed me in Chicago.

And that is, if you go to the place that you wish to be hired the day after payday, and introduce yourself to the person that's gonna hire you. Because he's gonna, inevitably, and these are blue-collar jobs, he's gonna be short. 'Cause someone would've gone out the night before and partied, and you're there.

I got my job as a busboy at a restaurant that way, I got my job once as a steel mill for the summer that way. So I thought, I'm gonna try that strategy here at Universal Studios. So I'm talking to Jim Harris in personnel and after I fill out my application I said, "Mr. Harris. You mind telling me what day do people get paid here?" And he looked at me like, "You know, you don't even have a job. You want to know about payday?" And he says, "Well, we have different unions and different guilds here, so every day people are being paid here." I said, "OK, I'll be here every day." And I was.

So I rode the bus from Crenshaw and Adams every day and sat in the reception area of the personnel department at Universal and waited for someone not to show up. I didn't care what department it was. Get me on the lot, I'll find my way. So by mid-December, I said I need to break this up. So let me spend half my day at Warner Brothers, and the other half of my day at Universal, and I'm down to $28. And it's the day before New Year's Eve. So Jim Harris sticks his head out of the door and says "Reuben, there are two mailroom employees that are stuck up at Big Bear. They went skiing. They can't get back in time to bag the mail. Can you help us out?"

And that temporary position turned into a full-time position. The mail room was the recruitment center — the first place that the studio would look when they were looking to add staff. And so there was a posting for a casting department trainee. And I'd spent time in the theater working with actors. That was what first got me interested in entertainment and the magic of creating and expressing through the arts. So I applied for the position along with two other fellow mail boys.

So those are the three resumes that were sitting on the desk of the head of the casting department, Ralph Winters. And it comes back to the story about "get to know your customers." I had met Ralph delivering mail because in the mail room, you deliver mail to the entire lot. And it really goes to show you how one person can impact the entire industry.

So Ralph Winter said, "Reuben, I've seen you here delivering mail. Everyone in the office here seems to like you. If I had career ambitions, I'd have to hire one of the other two gentlemen, because of their connections, their letters of recommendation are from very influential people in the industry. But on paper, you're more qualified because of your background. But because I'm gonna retire in three years, I have the luxury of doing what's right and what's fair."

And so he hired me. I became the first Black casting trainee, and then became Universal's top casting director.

Being the first

So for quite a long time, you were the only Black casting director in Hollywood. And I wonder how you felt about that. I mean, you made it clear that there were others you wanted to bring in, but during that period, was this pointed out to you a lot? 

Well, it was obvious. And it just spoke, to me, to the historical racism of Hollywood. But I also knew that it was a trial. I was a test balloon. If I messed this up, who knows how long it would be before another one? So there was that weight, there was the cultural pressure, as well as the industry pressure.

So I was very mindful [of that] and fortunately, you know, having grown up in Chicago, I just knew how to compartmentalize my life in a way that I could focus. And my world was pretty much locked into focusing on making sure I became the most knowledgeable person in the room about actors on TV, and two plays a week, and two films a week. So I had a pretty steady diet built around just gaining knowledge about talent.

Were there moments where you really faced explicit forms of discrimination? Or more subtle microaggressions?

More, I guess you would call microaggressions. People — there would be a shock because once again, the history of racism, the assumption that you go and audition, they'd never seen a Black casting director before. So then the agent would send him out to audition and the agents, I don't think, said to them, "You're gonna meet Reuben Cannon, and he's Black." I don't think they made that add-on. So the actor would come in, and they might have been thrown, you know, to see, and some would actually say, "I didn't know you were Black." I guess the name Reuben could imply other possibilities. And I said, "Is it a problem?" [And they’d say] "Oh, no, no, no, no, no."

Although there was one guy who said, "I have a problem with that." He was a devout racist and he said he didn’t want to read. So I called his agent up, and I think his agent might have dropped him after that.

What was the reaction of Black actors? 

Well, they were overjoyed, but it was — they were overjoyed, but then they expected me to absolutely just flood Universal Studios with, you know — 

With the hookup. 

Totally, totally.

You know, I was casting a pilot once: “Lazarus Syndrome.” And the usual suspects were on the list. Former TV series stars. But I knew that Lou Gossett was looking for a series and I, of course, to myself, [thought] "When do I bring his name up? Do I bring it up in the beginning or do I bring it up after all these other guys say no?"

So that's just even that type of, you know, thinking in terms of when it's gonna be best received. I decided not to put his name on the list in the beginning, but let's get three turndowns. So we got three turndowns. And I say, "You know, there's a great way to do this show with an actor who has great marquee, great skill, in Lou Gossett." And [writer] Bill Blinn and [director] Jerry Thorpe, they loved the idea. But I'm sure if I had not been there, that wouldn't have happened.

The ‘Ray Charles moment’

Let's talk about your auditioning process. How do you approach it? 

I would first try to engage actors in conversation and make them feel comfortable. 'Cause I know the anxiety that surrounds the audition, and so I find out more about them. The part I enjoyed most about casting was just finding out about the actors' personal lives. 

So I would try to create a comfortable environment 'cause I want them to do the best work. I mean, I wanna get the job done so I can move on to my next project. I'm not looking to delay the process. 

There's a metaphor I use, what I call the “Ray Charles syndrome.” When Ray Charles sings “America the Beautiful,” a song you've heard all your life, it's like hearing it for the first time. Same with dialogue. When you’re auditioning, you hear the dialogue read by any number of actors, but someone will come in and say those words and it's like Ray Charles singing “America the Beautiful.” You will hear it for the first time in a new way. And that's what I would look for. I would look for that Ray Charles moment.

And when it happens, it's just — you know, the room changes, the air in the room changes.

Leaving the casting for producing 

I want to talk about your transition to producing. Why did you make that decision? What was it that made you wanna go into that side of the industry? 

The thing is, casting directors are almost the unheralded heroes of the whole filmmaking process.

You know, it really annoys me when people accept their awards, they thank the incredible cast. Well, who put that cast there? I mean, you hear it over and over again. "I owe to the — to my cast." Well, where'd that cast come from? Did they just walk in off the street? They should be acknowledged. 

Why do you think it's underappreciated and under-acknowledged? 

Because once the work is done, the focus then goes on the actor. You know, it's almost like your work is done in the shadows. Once it's completed — it's like the home you're living in, you know, you don't give the architect credit. So the architect of the movie, from a casting perspective, is just not acknowledged. The work is done and you move on. 

So that was part of it, the lack of appreciation for the craft and the work that goes into it. But also the, just the financial — you know, that you put that work in and the work lives on, but you don't get any ongoing residuals.

So whenever I would work on a movie with a producer, I would say, "Look, I'm the casting director, but I’m also a student. My aspiration is to produce films." And they would welcome that. So I would be there on days when my work was done, and I would still go to set and observe. 

The first opportunity came [when] I was casting for [film producer] Bill Borden. Bill Borden called me and said, "Reuben, we have a project that we'd like for you to direct." I said, you know, "I really don't have — I'd rather be the kingmaker, not necessarily the king. But what's the project?" He says, "The Million Man March. What if we were to do a movie about a group of men that embark on a bus from Los Angeles as strangers and form relationships and friendships before they get to Washington?"

I said, "I like that. I like it because there's a chance to show diversity among Black men. But it's not for me to direct. Let me call Spike [Lee] and see if he might be interested." So I called and pitched the idea to Spike. Spike says, "What are they gonna be doing? They gonna be singing on the bus?"

I said, "No, it's not a musical, it's a road trip." I said, "Look, I think it's a great movie, we could put together a group of wonderful actors." And then he came around. He says, "You know what, you’re right. But let's do it this way. If we're gonna do it in the spirit of the march, it should be financed by Black men. And why don't you, you’re in Hollywood, you take the actors, I'll take the athletes, OK?"

So if you see the movie it says “15 Black Men Productions.” The movie was financed by 15 Black men — the first time in the history of Hollywood a movie’s ever been financed totally by Black men. The initial investment was from myself, Spike and screenwriter Reggie Bythewood. And the four actors that were investors were Wesley Snipes, Danny Glover, Robert Guillaume and Will Smith. 

And we made the movie [Get on the Bus]. It holds up and it's one of my favorites 'cause it accomplished what we talked about in terms of diversity. And the issues that are discussed are still in the forefront of conversations.

Listen

How do I find The Academy Museum Podcast? 

It's now available from LAist Studios — check it out wherever you get your podcasts! Or listen to the episode with Reuben Cannon on the player above.

Expect silent nights in Naples’ channels this holiday season.

The Naples Improvement Association announced Saturday that this year’s Naples Island Holiday Boat Parade, a Long Beach tradition since 1946, has been canceled because of expected high tides and heavy surf that organizers said would make the event too unsafe for visitors and participants.

It’s the first time in six years — since the onset of the COVID pandemic — that the parade has been canceled. What began as a small procession of decorated barges filled with singing church choirs has grown into an institution in Long Beach with more than 100 entries, from Duffys to dragon boats, and 60,000 spectators.

Ben Fisher, the association president, said the decision came after weeks of deliberations and a 600-respondent poll that found most wanted the parade — and all holiday events in Naples — to be canceled this year.

Forecasters expect a powerful El Niño season that will raise tides 6 to 18 inches above typical levels. This is paired with a series of slow, very wide swells of warm water known as Kelvin waves expected to frequent Long Beach’s southern-facing coast this winter.

During the week of Christmas, tides are expected to reach 7.5 to 8.5 feet, with the highest forecast to arrive in the mornings and peaking around Christmas Eve.

Part of the decision was also tied to ongoing frustrations with the city, which Fisher said has failed to address the island’s deteriorating infrastructure, from its aging seawall to underperforming drainage systems, that make it “too unsafe to draw tens of thousands of people to visit Naples this holiday season.”

“The city has told us to sandbag everything (public and private property); docks and gangways are being dismantled and sawed off however each individual owner sees fit; and the seawalls themselves are crumbling with exposed, rusted and sharp rebar in many places along the canals where many families normally would sit on any given holiday evening,” Mr. Fisher wrote.

For decades, the seawall has shielded multimillion-dollar homes and fortified the man-made canal that loops around the island. The city evaluated the structure in 2009 and found it in significant disrepair. A six-phase repair plan is underway, but only two phases are complete.

City officials have said they need $125 million to finish replacing the aging seawall, and they have halted reconstruction amid shrinking oil revenue and an uncertain future for federal disaster aid. Among the options under consideration is a 30-year bond spread across the whole neighborhood that would cost $5,100 per property annually. If limited to homes along the seawalls, it would cost $48,000 per property.

In a statement Saturday, council member Kristina Duggan, whose district includes Naples, said she respected the decision and added that the focus this winter should be on preparing the island for the upcoming weather. While the seawalls are stable under high tidal pressure, she said, maintenance work will “start next week to seal cold joints and help reduce water seepage.”

“We are encouraging everyone to prepare, and we look forward to seeing the Naples Boat Parade return next year,” Duggan wrote.

When high tides arrive, water already spills over the seawalls in some spots, reaching nearly two feet deep, flooding sidewalks and threatening homes. Residents and officials disagree over whether to prioritize coastal protection or recreational amenities.

The money normally spent on the parade will go instead toward pumps, hoses, plugs and generators, Fisher said, “resources our waterways and neighbors desperately need.”

Whether residents decorate their homes this year, he said, is up to them.

Crowds gathered at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights on Saturday for a rally and march to Adventist Health White Memorial after federal immigration agents mounted a blockade at the emergency room entrance and detained at least two people outside the hospital.

Community organizers and elected officials on Saturday handed off a letter to the hospital’s administrators, calling for an end to any collaboration between the hospital and federal immigration agents.

Sen. Maria Elena Durazo said that it appears the hospital is earning a reputation for being an “ICE-friendly hospital.”

“What happened last night was unacceptable,” Durazo told the hospital’s administrators in the same parking lot where the blockade was held. “It’s unacceptable that ICE would go into our healthcare facilities. But we also believe that White Memorial can and should do more.”

Several hours earlier, patients arriving at the hospital were met by a large presence of masked agents who stood outside the hospital starting Friday evening and into the early hours of Saturday. Ambulances were diverted to nearby hospitals for about two hours while the activity took place.

Local residents and rapid response groups were kept away from the hospital and in multiple videos shared on social media, masked agents pushed away protesters and sprayed them with what appeared to be pepper spray.

The backstory ad what the hospital says

The series of events began after eyewitnesses said they saw federal agents detain a person and take them into the hospital before a crowd of protesters came to rally against the ICE agents, according to Raquel Roman, executive director of Proyecto Pastoral and member of the Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network.

Saturday’s rally, organized by the local rapid response group, started at Mariachi Plaza and coincided with a Dia de los Muertos celebration. People marched with signs that read “Protect the Sacred” and “Melt ICE” while others wore La Catrina face paint.

Community members, Durazo, Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez and Mayor-elect Nithya Raman gathered outside the hospital around 2:30 p.m. with members of Proyecto Pastoral and Centro CSO to denounce the ICE activity that had taken place outside the emergency room.

Daniel Fontoura, president at Adventist Health White Memorial, said the hospital staff does not work with federal immigration agents.

“I don’t know what I can do to assure you there’s no special relationship, no special contract. When they show up, they show up,” Fontoura said, referring to the federal agents.

He added that the hospital would like to work with community organizations and elected officials to understand what they should do in these types of situations.

The LA Local was provided a copy of the letter handed to the hospital administrators. Durazo asks White Memorial leadership to provide a detailed account of what happened and determine why agents were allowed to block the ambulance entrance.

The letter also asks that the hospital “implement and enforce clear procedures” to block ICE agents from obstructing entrances and accessing patient rooms and to issue a public statement in English and Spanish “reaffirming the hospital’s unwavering commitment to caring for all patients, regardless of immigration status.”

The letter requests a written response from hospital leadership by Nov. 21.

“If these concerns remain unresolved, we will seek a review by the California Attorney General of White Memorial’s compliance with state law,” Durazo wrote in the letter.

The letter was signed by multiple community leaders and elected officials present at the rally.

Fontoura appeared flustered as he spoke to Durazo and the other officials. He told the crowd that hospital staff called 911 to try and stop the blockade. He was drowned out by people shouting, “Shame.”

About the rally

Derek Mejia, 30, a police accountability co-chair at Centro CSO, joined the rally Saturday afternoon.

He was part of a group who gathered outside the hospital early Saturday morning after federal immigration agents detained two people. By that time, Los Angeles Police Department officers arrived at the scene and an LAPD helicopter circled the area, Mejia said.

“It’s a shame,” Mejia said of the incident.

Mejia said he was at the rally because, “One, we want to show ICE that we’re not afraid and two, we want to let White Memorial know that their collaboration with ICE is not only detrimental to the community but that it needs to stop.”

Verita Topete of Centro CSO, addressed the crowd at the rally. “White Memorial is endangering the same community they claim to serve,” she said.

“ICE out of L.A. ICE out of Boyle Heights. ICE out of California,” Topete chanted, and the crowd followed suit.

The group then marched back to Mariachi Plaza before dispersing around 3 p.m.

They were also joined by Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who represents Boyle Heights, along with CHIRLA’s Executive Director Angelica Salas, union organizer David Huerta of SEIU and Father Brendan Busse with Dolores Mission Church.

Mayor Karen Bass did not atend the rally, but denounced the ICE activity and in a statement called “on the Trump Administration to stop all immigration enforcement in and around health care facilities. Hospital leadership also had a duty to step in right away to protect patients and neighbors, and by all appearances, that did not happen.”

Mayor-elect Nithya Raman joins community members at Adventist Health White Memorial in Boyle Heights on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026 after federal immigration agents blocked off the emergency room entrance.

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Steve Saldivar

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The LA Local

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Raman, who was elected L.A.’s next mayor, did attend the rally and thanked community members who showed up to protests ICE’s presence several hours earlier at the hospital. She said that as an immigrant herself, she has “felt the fear that so many across the city and across this country have felt … since these raids began.”

“What happened last night at this hospital was an affront to the wishes of the American people and to the people of Los Angeles,” Raman said.

As she left the rally, community members shouted at Raman to “fire the police chief.”

Throughout her mayoral campaign, Raman said she will attempt to replace LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell after criticizing the department’s handling of ICE enforcement, protests and sharing data with federal authorities, which Raman says is a violation of L.A.’s Sanctuary City policies.

The post Community, LA leaders denounce ICE activity at White Memorial appeared first on LA Local.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that he has offered the job of White House press secretary to his friend and UFC boss Dana White, an announcement unconventional even for the norm-busting president. White said Saturday that he plans to meet with Trump on Monday at the White House.

Trump, while he was at his golf club in Florida, posted on social media that he made the offer to “the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior” to become the Republican president's chief spokesperson.

White, who was in London on Saturday for a boxing event, was asked at a news conference about Trump's post and responded by saying that he planned to fly to Washington right after and meet with Trump on Monday.

When asked how he would balance the job with the current positions he has in the fighting world, White seemed confused by the question and then said, “Yeah, I got a lot of jobs already.”

He declined to say what conversations he'd had with Trump but said, “I'm sure I'll have more to talk about after that.”

Before the news conference, the UFC head shared an image of Trump’s post on Instagram, along with an image of himself standing behind the podium in the White House press briefing room with the words “On to the next chapter.”

The White House and a spokesperson for the UFC did not respond Saturday to messages inquiring about the Truth Social post.

Trump said in his post that he requested that White bring along several UFC fighters as “assistants,” adding, “We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left. Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!”

While White didn't make it clear if he was seriously considering the position of becoming the primary spokesperson for the president of the United States, he did elsewhere in his news conference describe his ambitions to expand the Zuffa Boxing organization he also runs with Saudi Arabian backers and hold more of its events around the world.

Trump's post came as his White House is in a period of major transition and struggling with his party's deep losses in Tuesday's midterm elections. The historic wins by Democratic candidates, including in areas that Republicans had held for decades, led to the GOP losing control of both chambers of Congress.

Trump on Friday announced he was replacing his longtime adviser Susie Wiles, who was seen as something of a tempering force on the president's impulses, with aide Stephen Miller to serve as the next chief of staff. Miller is known as the architect of the administration’s hard-line immigration policies and is among the most determined of Trump's inner circle.

The shake-up at the heart of his administration follows the brief but tumultuous week when Trump tried out a new press secretary in Katie Zacharia, who seemed uncomfortable in her sole appearance before reporters before leaving the job after five days.

The post had been vacant since Karoline Leavitt left at the end of August. Trump remains without a chief spokesperson.

Trump is close friends with White and has attended several UFC events with him since returning to the White House in January 2025.

He brought White and the sport to the White House’s South Lawn in June for the celebration of America’s 250th year of its independence and the president's own 80th birthday. A wire-mesh Octagon was constructed near the executive mansion under " The Claw,” a spaceship-like metal arch fitted with lights, sound equipment and large screens.

“It was an amazing experience, this was a one-of-one,” said White afterward.

White also spoke at the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024.

Associated Press writers Daniel Gelston in Philadelphia and Jesse Bedayn in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.

Federal immigration agents detained at least two people late Friday outside Adventist White Memorial Hospital in Boyle Heights, where protesters had gathered after reports of immigration enforcement activity, according to rapid response groups. Protesters remained at the hospital into the early hours of Saturday, where immigration agents maintained a large presence.

It appears the incident began after people witnessed someone being detained and taken into the hospital, according to Raquel Roman, executive director of Proyecto Pastoral and member of the Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network.   That spurred a crowd of protesters to rally against ICE agents, who then detained two protesters who are U.S. citizens, Roman said.

ICE activity was also reported near Mariachi Plaza at 5:50 a.m. Saturday, according to witnesses, and outside the East LA Sheriff’s Station, where agents have been seen detaining people in the L.A. County-designated ICE-Free zone. 

Arrests captured on social video

Video posted on social media appears to show one person being detained outside the hospital. In the video, at least three officers in tactical vests are seen detaining someone at the intersection of Boyle and Pennsylvania Avenues around 11:30 p.m.

A group of about six more officers in tactical vests and masks can be seen walking around the area as another, whose vest says “Police ICE,” yells at the person recording to “back up” and “do not impede with the arrest.”

“You’re arresting U.S. citizens,” the person recording says. “18 USC 111, they’re interfering,” the officer replies, referring to Title 18, Section 111 of the U.S. Code: Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees. 

In the video, a bystander who says the person being arrested is his brother can be seen speaking to the officer. 

“Your brother assaulted a federal agent. He’s being arrested for assaulting a federal agent; he’s coming with us,” the officer tells them. 

Boyle Heights Beat reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for more information about the incident but has not yet received a response.

LAPD response

The Los Angeles Police Department was first called to the scene at 11:59 p.m. to respond to a “large group causing a disturbance,” according to LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman. LAPD responded again at 2:24 a.m. as crowds continued to gather outside of the hospital. 

“Officers responded to maintain public safety and keep the peace. At no point did LAPD officers assist federal immigration authorities with enforcement activities or detain any individuals in connection with immigration enforcement,” Eisenman said. 

Video posted on social media by Izzy Ramirez shows a line of agents blocking the emergency loading dock around 2:30 a.m. as a crowd continues to shout at the agents and make noise.

“It was horrible for the local community. The ICE presence was a lot more than I’ve seen it visibly before,” said Roman. 

What the hospital said

Japhet De Oliveira, corporate communications executive at Adventist Health, shared the following statement:

“Federal agents brought a person in their custody to our emergency department, and we cared for that patient with dignity and privacy, as we do for every patient. When agents formed a line across our ambulance entrance, which we did not request nor authorize, we diverted ambulances to nearby hospitals for about two hours to ensure every patient received timely care. White Memorial does not participate in immigration enforcement. We know last night frightened our neighbors. No matter what happens outside our doors, everyone who comes inside is our patient, and our focus will only be on that patient, and it will not change.”

Doctors at Adventist White Memorial last year reported that ICE agents were violating the privacy rights of detained patients and prohibiting contact with patients’ family members. While the hospital released guidelines to protect patients and support staff,  doctors and advocates have said they fall short.

What's next

Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who represents Boyle Heights, said she was “deeply troubled” by the reports overnight and demanded answers from hospital leadership. She said:

The Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network said it plans to lead a protest against ICE outside White Memorial at 2 p.m. Saturday.

This is a developing story and will be updated. 

The post ICE detains two U.S. citizens protesting outside White Memorial Hospital, rapid response groups say appeared first on LA Local.