Trump, Sarah Hirshland (who took over for the disgraced Scott Blackmun), and Casey Wasserman
The racist slumlord represents everything we’re fighting against
Donald Trump is the perfect symbol of LA 2028 and the cruelty of the Olympic project writ large. He’s a slumlord, a hotel developer, a media mogul, as well as a pro-police, pro-incarceration xenophobe with a racist, anti-immigrant agenda. Through his eyes and words we see what matters to elites: cleansing the city in order to sell the games, sell the land, and make a profit. These are the same interests profiting from and backing LA’s upcoming Olympic bid. In the invite-only conference room in Beverly Hills last Tuesday afternoon, Olympic officials gathered with Trump and his allies to discuss the Olympics, policing, immigration, and homelessness.
We caught a glimpse of the true, nonpartisan class solidarity: that among elite liberal Democrat boosters backing the bid locally, and the federal Republican goon squad ready to implement a policing nightmare for the next decade.
Through Trump’s arrogant threats and Wasserman’s grotesque fawning over him (“I promise you we’ll remember you in 2028 because it wouldn’t have happened without you.”), we confirmed what we’ve known for years. When Trump barks, “These are cities that ten years ago were the most beautiful cities. And now people walk away and leave and say horrible things. …So if they don’t get it cleaned up fast, we’re gonna come in and do it” he means the forceful cleansing of the poor, immigrants and unhoused — a goal shared with local politicians, like Olympic booster Eric Garcetti who wants the same inhumane endgame just without the hit to his liberal image. We witnessed the Secretary of DHS address the NSSE, a billion-dollar, federally-funded project that will undo whatever inkling of sanctuary protections that may exist here. We know this is going to be a pretext for more policing, in what is already one of the most militarized police cities on the planet.
We also know there is no strong mandate for the LA 2028 Olympics. We recently exposed walking conflict of interest pollster Fernando Guerra, who along with Wasserman and Garcetti tried to sell the lie that LA was “all in” for the Olympics. Our work and outreach over the past several years confirms that this is an astroturfed project. There are no parades in the streets, no sign of authentic yearning for these games.
There is, however, a widespread desire to house the homeless and make LA a habitable place for everyone, not just ultra-wealthy tourists and LA oligarchs. And this is by no means a “done deal.” There is plenty of time to dismantle this nefarious, undemocratic Olympic project and redirect focus and resources back to where they belong.
Despite what Trump, Casey Wasserman, and Eric Garcetti threaten us with, LA is worth fighting for. Now, more than ever.
Join us in this fight.