This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
El Paso Shooting Heightens L.A. Latinos' Fears: 'Some White Supremacist Is Going To Come … Shoot Us'
Claudia Chi Ku braids the hair of her daughter, Leslie Soriano, 11, as her other children play outside of their apartment in Pico Union.
(
Benjamin Brayfield/KPCC
)
Listen
1:00
El Paso Shooting Heightens L.A. Latinos' Fears: 'Some White Supremacist Is Going To Come … Shoot Us'
The mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, has heightened fears among some Latinos about a rise in white nationalism. Kent Mendoza is a 26-year-old former gang member who was born in Mexico and grew up in Los Angeles' Pico-Union neighborhood.
He swore off his gang affiliation years ago, but still lives in Pico-Union — where the shooting has raised anxieties. "At any moment, some white supremacist is going to come into my neighborhood — which is full of Latino immigrants — just to shoot us up."