A Latino running club in California had to relocate a planned event from a historically black neighborhood after members of the community expressed their discontent and even issued threats of “resistance.”
The controversy started when “Barrio Athletics” shared a promotional video for a run in Leimert Park, a neighborhood in Los Angeles with deep roots in African American culture.
Some residents were upset with the video’s message, which suggested that Latino runners would be “taking over the streets.”
One post on social media urged black Californians from areas like San Diego to the Bay to come to Los Angeles that Saturday to “check this s**t.”
An influencer expressed her frustration about the Latino community’s proposal to introduce vendors for their running event by saying: “Let me tell you something. That’s about the fifth time we got the Hispanic community trying to do a hostile takeover in Leimert under the guise of a run, a bike ride, whatever the f**k, coffee-making contest, NO!”
She added, “We don’t want you to come into Africa Town. Please make note of it; you still have time to relocate your event. You will face resistance from the black community.”
“Have some respect for black space,” she insisted.
Another local resident added his voice to the objection, stating, “We can’t go to no Mexican community and come through there without getting stabbed and getting physically assaulted.”
He echoed the sentiment by saying, “Not gonna happen. So respect … or get your brain knocked out! Black power.”
“Black LA reveres Leimert Park,” noted Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano, highlighting its cultural significance and the decline of political power within the Black community.
In light of the strong backlash, Barrio Athletics decided to cancel the event and shift it to Elysian Park instead.
Arellano concluded by saying, “I understand where the anger is coming from, even though hearing it expressed like that, it’s not pretty.”
