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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 Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

KPCC Archive

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. Chi Ku supports her family while working as a cashier at a restaurant in the neighborhood.
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
)

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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."

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