Three years ago, Delfin Bruce Mejia arrived in El Monte to open First Works Baptist Church and ostensibly proclaim the word of God. They submitted a petition with more than 15,000 signatures to El Monte Mayor Jessica Ancona asking her to help shut down First Works. Advertisement“What if it went off during their service when we’d be outside?” Hernandez asked. “Hate groups see El Monte as a strategic center to spread their movement, a gateway to other communities,” says Romeo Guzman, co-director of the South El Monte Arts Posse, a collective dedicated to unearthing the hidden histories of the area. They’re looking at other pressing issues in El Monte such as gentrification, hunger and the lack of an LGBTQ youth center.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 26, 2021 14:02 UTC