Fighting Back Against ICE: Grupo Auto Defensa’s Courage & Love

Fighting Back Against ICE: Grupo Auto Defensa’s Courage & Love

Author: Creative Process Original Series August 7, 2025 Duration: 0:00
“I think the community came together more when we started getting those notices about people being swept up by these supposedly ICE agents who are just covered up. So that was the thing that made us come out there and start defending everyone who doesn't want to come out to defend themselves.” In this episode of the Speaking Out of Place podcast, Professor David Palumbo-Liuspeaks with Daniela Navin and Jeanette de La Riva, two members of Grupo Auto Defensa a community organization based in Pasadena CA, which has come about in response to attacks by ICE, which have violently disrupted everyday life and led people to form new relations of mutual support and care. We hear their stories of how Trump lieutenant Stephen Miller's demand that ICE arrest 3000 people every day has put unbelievable constraints on hard-working people's lives. Nevertheless, we also hear how they have invented tactics to challenge these repressive measures. We are joined by journalist-activist Maxmillian Alvarez of The Real News Network who grew up in Los Angeles and comments on the broad networks of resistance cropping up organically to fight fascism. Maximillian Alvarez is an award-winning journalist and the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Executive Director of The Real News Network (TRNN) in Baltimore. He is the founder and host of Working People, "a podcast about the lives, jobs, dreams, and struggles of the working class today," and the author of "The Work of Living," a collection of interviews with US workers recorded during Year One of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to joining TRNN, he was an Associate Editor at the Chronicle Review. His writing has been featured in outlets like The Nation, In These Times, Poynter, Boston Review, The Baffler, Current Affairs, and The Chronicle of Higher Education; as an analyst and commentator, he has appeared on programs like PBS NewsHour, Breaking Points, Democracy Now!, The New Republic, NPR’s 1A, The Hill’s Rising, and more.

Within the broader collection of The Creative Process, this curated series focuses specifically on the vital intersection of creativity and social change. Social Justice & Activism brings forward voices often working at the grassroots: organizers from environmental movements, representatives of Indigenous groups, and artists and writers whose work is inseparable from advocacy. These conversations, part of the Creative Process Original Series, move beyond abstract theory to explore the lived experiences of people who have devoted their lives to making a tangible difference. We hear directly about their motivations, their artistic or strategic practices, and how they navigate challenges related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The discussions delve into personal history and professional work, revealing how creative thinking fuels activism and how the drive for justice shapes art and literature. Guests include acclaimed figures from various fields-winners of honors like the Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Pulitzer-who use their platform for impact, alongside frontline activists whose stories are equally compelling. This podcast provides a space for deep, thoughtful dialogue that connects the personal with the political, the artistic with the actionable. It’s for anyone interested in how change is imagined, built, and sustained through a blend of conviction and creativity. Each episode offers a unique perspective on the ongoing struggle for a more equitable world, highlighting the human stories behind the headlines.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Social Justice & Activism - The Creative Process - Activists, Environmental, Indigenous Groups, Artists and Writers Talk Diversity, Equity and inclusion
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