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Long Beach Candidate Courts Gang Leaders at Protest
Clear Facts
- Long Beach mayoral candidate Rogelio Martinez publicly called on 55 gang leaders to join him in a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement at City Hall.
- Martinez posted a video message on social media inviting leaders from various gangs in Long Beach, urging their presence for a peaceful demonstration.
- He stated his intentions were not to cause harm or incite violence, but to draw attention to community issues involving ICE and city leadership.
Rogelio Martinez, a Democratic candidate for Long Beach mayor, issued an online invitation for 55 gang leaders to join him in peacefully protesting the presence of ICE.
He is one of five declared candidates for the city’s 2026 mayoral race and has completed his Candidate Intention Statement.
In his video, Martinez declared, “Long Beach needs to be ICE FREE.”
He continued, “I expect a gang leader from every gang, all 55 gangs.”
Martinez specified, “I’m calling the Latino gangs. I’m calling the Cambodian gangs. I’m calling the Filipino gangs. I’m calling the black gangs. I’m calling the Pacific Islander gangs.”
He called for these gang leaders to meet with him in front of City Hall, underscoring his desire for a peaceful action.
Martinez claimed, “Specifically, I need you to be here to meet me in person, to take back this city, because our leadership is not doing anything about it, and our police are powerless.”
He told reporters his goal was to show all city members are part of the community and said he never meant to incite violence.
Martinez described his approach as “crazy, radical but fresh” to highlight issues facing mainly Hispanic and Latino cities and expressed surprise that his message went viral nationally.
By Sunday, none of the 55 gang leaders had contacted him. He explained, “I was very strategic in producing the video. So, no. No gang members are going to respond, no gang members are going to show up. That’s not the reality of the video.”
Long Beach has a diverse population, with roughly 44% Hispanic or Latino, 13% Asian, and 12% black residents, according to 2024 census estimates.
Martinez also stated in his video, “Enough is enough. ICE needs to get out of Long Beach, and this is the only way that I know how to get them out peacefully, but with strong force, but peacefully.”
He clarified, “The police are not at fault. The police are not doing anything wrong. I’m not here to defund the police.”
“I stand with my Long Beach police officers, my men and women that serve the Long Beach Police Department, but they are powerless. They are powerless against ICE,” he continued.
He affirmed in an interview, “I’ve been 100% supportive of our local police department… I’m pro police.”
Martinez, who describes himself as a political outsider and grandfather of two, works as a licensed steam engineer and is enrolled in online classes at Harvard Law School.
He entered the 2026 mayoral race to challenge the incumbent after the city’s attempt to increase the local sales tax before voters had approved it, which he called “taxation without representation.”
The mayoral election in Long Beach is officially nonpartisan, though both Martinez and the current mayor are Democrats.
Martinez said, “I’m just a normal person. I’m not a politician. I’ve never run for any public office, and I just so I need to do things completely different, unorthodox, and the reason why is because I need to bring attention to my cause.”
He explained, “I know that because I’m not a career politician, I have to do things out of the box, just like that video.”
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