How do you stand up to lies and cruelty? Maybe he’s whistling

Frank Clem, a pickleball friend of mine, recently put out word that he was collecting whistles to bring to the front lines of anti-ICE protests in downtown Los Angeles, Highland Park, Pasadena and elsewhere.

I was out of the country at the time, but shortly after I returned, I thought of Clem when Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by ICE agents at a protest in Minnesota. It wasn’t long before the Trump administration senior officials took turns blaming the victim, lying about the circumstances and calling Pretti a murderer.

Pretti’s parents responded by saying:

“The painful lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.”

And yet it is not at all surprising, given the state of disinformation and the obvious corruption of legal and ethical principles under Trump, who one day blew the gas again about the theft of the 2020 election.

How do you stand up to a president who hypocritically pardons thugs and other thugs, including thugs who beat the cops and break into the Capitol, as he raids cities to terrorize and kidnap working people?

Maybe he blows the whistle, first.

I know, small gesture. But Clem and others are choosing sides, standing up for their communities, and refusing to remain silent as it becomes clear that ICE’s agenda is less about law and order and more about the politics of racism.

I arrived story on Fox11 about a large group of whistleblowers in Los Angeles. Artist Hector Flores, of Las Cafeterashe said that he has been distributing whistles for free in coffee shops because “we have to protect each other,” and that the whistleblower can say that ICE is busy.

If Trump were honest about rounding up violent criminals, we wouldn’t need this kind of resistance. But arrests of immigrants with no criminal records are on the rise, and most of them are here to work and support their families. And American employers have embraced and trusted them as important contributors to the economy.

When I couldn’t get hold of Flores immediately, I called the owner of the Cafe de Lechea coffee shop in Highland Park where he had taken whistles. Matt Schodorf told me he had just been whistled, and I thought of Clem, who agreed to meet me at Cafe de Leche for a special delivery.

Clem, the actor, is someone you want on your pickleball team because he comes to play and covers a lot of ground. You may have seen him in theater productions, TV shows or movies, and you didn’t get to see him. not he saw him as I am a farmer in Liberty Mutual marketing.

Clem passed the “I Like My Coffee Without ICE” window sign and sat down at Cafe de Leche. He was wearing an LA ballcap and carrying a shopping bag with hundreds of whistles.

Black whistles. Red whistles. Whistles with strings and whistles with hooks to attach to key chains.

Enough of the symphony.

“They’re 18, 20 bucks, like a hundred whistles,” Clem said, showing a sandwich-sized bag of 100 colored whistles in the shape of mini pencils.

Clem buys them in bulk online, accepts donated whistles from friends, and makes his own with a 3D printer. He said he has donated more than 1,500 in the past few weeks to rallies and protests.

People smile, says Clem, “when they see opportunities,” when they join the chorus and the cause, and instead of retreating quietly, they make themselves heard. Strong opposition to ICE brutality in Minneapolis has led to the resignation of hundreds of agents, so a corner may have been turned.

“We’re blowing $20 on coffee, right?” Clem said. “But here’s $20 that you can spend on something and feel like you’re getting some kind of return for it. … Throw me 100 whistles, we’re going to put them in the hands of people who can make a difference.”

Schodorf joined us with a cleared space that said “Free Ice Alarms” on it, and said he would be happy to fill the rack with Clem’s donations. Before long, 100 whistles were loaded and placed on the front counter.

When I asked Schodorf about joining the whistle brigade, he mentioned his wife, Cafe de Leche owner Anya Schodorf.

“He grew up here, but he was born in Nicaragua,” he said, and it’s hard not to get involved when “they’re profiling people right there on the streets. I mean, nobody feels safe…

Schodorf said they have been trying to stay in business after losing their Cafe de Leche restaurant in a fire that destroyed Altadena last year. A picture of them in the ruins of one of their stores hangs on the wall, along with other pictures of the destruction in Altadena.

“I don’t know what to do,” Schodorf said of ICE’s tactics in Highland Park and beyond, “but I feel like we want to raise people’s voices.”

His wife entered the store and greeted friends and customers before joining us. He has been an American citizen for decades, and yet he feels that the color of his skin makes him a suspect.

Anya and Matt Schodorf, owners of Cafe de Leche in Highland Park, talk about their fear of ICE in the community.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

“You can shout from above that you are a citizen, and they don’t care,” said Anya. “I really can’t think straight… and it’s hard for me to concentrate.”

Anya said she walks and sometimes runs along Arroyo’s trails but has started taking extra precautions, such as calling her husband and leaving the line open. She recently went to a park in Pasadena and became concerned after going into a restroom.

“I heard … a commotion outside and I got scared,” said Anya. “I went out and I saw ICE people harassing employees, like city employees. They are city planners, and I panicked. I went back to the bathroom, and I said, what should I do? And why should I panic? I’m a citizen.”

His children worry about him as much as he does.

“It’s my son that I’m really worried about,” said Anya. “He says, ‘Make sure you have your passport.’ Yes, my children. They are really worried. And my son is like, please be careful. … It’s that extra stress they don’t need — they have to worry about me.”

The Schodorfs say ICE agents recently busted a neighbor — a guy selling tamales.

“They just pick people up, left and right,” Matt said.

“You look like 72,” said Anya.

The first whistles presented by Hector Flores were gone before long.

“It was just a matter of hours,” said Matt. “I think it’s twofold. People who think they might need it, but people who feel other people might need it. … it was very popular.”

“We are a beautiful country,” said Anya. “But we fall into the hands of people who are cruel and who don’t care about anyone but themselves, and they enrich themselves.”

Clem said at the gatherings, he made sure to give whistles to the vendors.

“People selling hot dogs and churros,” he said. “They ask how many they can take for their families and friends, right?

Clem said he’s never really been a protester, but “anyone with eyes can see” the terrifying level of corruption emanating from the White House.

“Dad fought in the Battle of the Bulge, didn’t he?” Clem said. “My father fought the Nazis and Fascists in World War II, and he always warned me when I was growing up that it could happen here. So now, the least I can do is blow the whistle.”

When Clem’s whistles were displayed at the counter, one of the first customers was Hannah McElroy. He called for coffee and took a whistle.

“I’m a babysitter, and I pick up a few kids from their preschool and I know and love a lot of kids whose parents are in very difficult situations,” said McElroy, who is Irish American. “It’s just a scary time to be an Angeleno.”

Hana McElroy, right, picks up a free whistle while ordering a cup of coffee from Soleil Hernando at Cafe de Leche.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

McElroy said he knows of some Latina babysitters who charge their fees in the small park across the street from Cafe de Leche, and he’s worried about them as well.

McElroy showed me the knife on his key chain but said it was broken. Soleil Hernando, the barista, told him after he took one of Clem’s whistles that they were free, and he should take as many as he liked.

McElroy caught another.

steve.lopez@latimes.com