Mayor Karen Bass's visit to Boyle Heights on Father's Day revealed how recent immigration raids have devastated local businesses and community spaces. Mariachi Plaza, a cultural hub, was notably deserted, echoing the fear instilled in families that prevented them from participating in festivities. Bass observed that businesses faced worse conditions than during COVID-19, as there was no increase in to-go orders. The overarching atmosphere of fear and uncertainty has led residents to remain home, hindering economic activity in a community reliant on immigrant labor.
"Mariachi Plaza was completely empty. There was not a soul there," Bass recalled a few hours later. "One restaurant, there were a handful of people. The other restaurant, there was literally nobody there."
"It's the uncertainty that continues that has an absolute economic impact. But it is pretty profound to walk up and down the streets and to see the empty streets; it reminded me of COVID," bass told The Times on Sunday afternoon.
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