Left-wing nonprofits distribute ‘F*ck ICE’ packages to LA rioters with goggles, protective gear

One of the groups involved, Operation Healthy Hearts, typically focuses on aiding the homeless but has shifted its attention to protesters. The nonprofit has been handing out packages that include goggles, face masks, gloves, and a phone number for “jail support.” The group has a history of posting left-wing content on social media and has publicly denounced law enforcement since the protests began.

“Police are attacking journalists and protesters. We need people to look out for each other,” volunteer Alexandra Pierce told the New York Post. “I want to help people in need, and I just feel very passionate about the politics of this and want to help protect people any way I can.”

Several left-wing groups have been involved in the protests, including organizations that have received federal funding. The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) was awarded $450,000 by the Department of Homeland Security under the Biden administration. CHIRLA has been active in staging demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with protesters carrying signs reading “Stop deportations: full rights for immigrants,” “ICE: out of our communities,” and “The Trump Fascist Regime Must Go Now.”

Another group, the LA Poverty Department, an arts nonprofit that runs the Skid Row History Museum & Archive, allowed its facility to be used to distribute protest gear. Items at the museum included anarchist literature that advocated for burning police cars, police precincts, and targeting banks and ATMs.

Pamela Miller, the group’s COO, told the New York Post that their federal funding was previously cut off.

“[The federal government] cut off our funding for other reasons, so we really have nothing left to lose,” Miller said. She also characterized the violence in LA as “a few knuckleheads doing stupid sh*t.”

“The immigrant community is important. And they are vulnerable. [ICE] say, ‘We want to get rid of the criminals.’ Then where are they going? To churches, to schools,” Miller said. “They’re targeting people who can’t protect themselves.”

“We want to support people’s rights to stand up to authoritarian takeover, and however many knuckleheads are doing stupid sh*t, that doesn’t make us want to back away from standing up for our neighbors’ rights,” she added.

The LA Poverty Department partnered with another group, Mutual Aid/Social Therapy (MAST), to distribute gear. MAST describes itself as “a decentralized project that uses the principles of mutual aid to put the tools of the psychological disciplines in the hands of the people.” The group has been handing out goggles and other protective gear to help rioters shield themselves from tear gas and rubber bullets.