Los Angeles resident's outburst: I'm sensitive when people are hunted
Greg Castelnuovo-Tedesco discusses Trump's raids and the protests in Los Angeles. He recalls his Jewish grandfather's escape from Mussolini's Italy.
We catch up with Greg Castelnuovo-Tedesco in a place where Los Angeles residents spend a lot of time: in their cars. He's a 62-year-old financial advisor on his way to one of his daughters' graduations. He candidly recounts his experiences, as a native of the city and a member of LA's large Jewish community, over the past few days, including the raids and demonstrations against illegal immigrants and the deployment of the Marines by US President Donald Trump .
Mr. Castelnuovo-Tedesco, how has life in Los Angeles been these past few days?
Pretty unreal. We have four million inhabitants; in the entire region there are maybe 15 million. But the area where the demonstrations took place is tiny. It's really just the inner city. Nevertheless, a lot has changed. Before, whenever I heard a siren, I thought of a police operation or a fire department. But now everyone thinks there's a raid going on. Especially those without papers, without a green card – the nannies, housekeepers, gardeners. Some are like family. And they're afraid now. Afraid to take the bus, go to church, or go shopping. Some are considering returning to their country. But California was once part of Mexico, half the cities have Mexican names, we eat Mexican food, we celebrate Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican national holiday.
You mean the migrants belong to California?
Exactly. And many, myself included, feel more like Californians than Americans. And this illegitimate federal government is invading my state ! What also upsets me: the right wing in the USA has always fought for states' rights. That was the argument for slavery, for anti-abortion laws or the Electoral College that elects the president, all that reactionary stuff. But if a state objects, if ICE ( United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the largest police and customs agency of the US Department of Homeland Security, editor's note ) invades, or federal troops like the Marines, then the states' autonomy suddenly no longer applies to them. That's hypocrisy!
Why do you call your government illegitimate? It came into office through an election.
That's the question. There's already a debate about whether Elon Musk manipulated the election results through technology. And the other problem is that half of the electorate didn't even turn out to vote. And yet he's still talking about a landslide victory.
You always say "he." Don't you want to say Trump's name?
I call him Trumpolini because my family experienced fascism in Italy. My grandfather had to leave the country in 1939, shortly before the war broke out. He was a famous composer, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Jascha Heifetz and Arturo Toscanini helped him emigrate to the USA. That's also one reason why I react very sensitively when people are hunted. It reminds me that members of my family were hunted. This government is evil; it doesn't even send the people it arrests back to their country, but instead puts them in prisons. In prisons that operate for profit, whose stocks you can buy.
Things are calming down at the moment, aren't they?
I hope so. I was also at the demonstrations, and we discussed displaying fewer Mexican flags in the future and more American ones. We don't want to play into Trump's hands, because he wants violence. He would prefer to impose martial law. Many people think he would prefer to be a dictator.
Could it not also be that he really sees illegal immigration as a problem?
I don't know. He just seems like a lunatic. I work as a financial advisor now, but before that, I worked as a construction site manager for 20 years. With people from Mexico, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. All hardworking people who are easy to get along with. And illegal doesn't mean criminal; some are in the process of getting their papers. It takes an incredibly long time. But Trump is trying to criminalize them.
Do you think the past few days have changed Los Angeles?
I hope not. It will depend on whether the Black and Anglo-Saxon communities support the Chicanos. That there is solidarity that strengthens us. This morning on the news, a wealthy Republican addressed Trump directly and said that this action will lead to him losing his best workers. There is a big difference between Europe and the USA: We have abolished our vocational schools, we do not train artisans. And many of the people we are talking about here are skilled workers. People with a certain status. It's not just about California, it's about the entire USA. The American economy cannot function without these people. We will then have no one to bring in the harvest, to butcher the meat, or to build our houses.
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