Angels of courage during ongoing disappearances

By Rev. Janna Louie, BJC Chief of Staff

I was returning home to Los Angeles from BJC’s D.C. headquarters when I received a flurry of texts and notifications from friends and neighbors: ICE raids at Home Depots across the city.

More than two months later, I still find it difficult to explain the layers of trauma and disorientation these kidnappings and disappearances have upon a city that is still struggling to recover from the fires at the start of this year.

How do I explain the shock of elderly faith leaders met with tear gas, flash bangs and pepper spray as they knelt in peaceful witness before ICE agents abducting workers? Do I talk about the women and children in chains, shuffled between vans at the base of the Federal Building in downtown? Do I talk about the betrayal of seeing the National Guard arm themselves against us when months earlier they protected our fire-scorched homes?

How do I share the story of a local pastor who witnessed a man shoved into a van in her church parking lot? Do I talk about how they pointed a weapon at her and laughed? Do I lament that no amount of training in or knowledge of rights matters when they shout back at you, “The whole country is our property!”? How do I share about immigrants who faithfully show up to their routine court hearings only to be abducted by ICE agents just outside the courtroom? How do I share the story of the woman who was taken from her hospital room — before she was discharged — to be detained in another state?

Do I talk about stripping hardworking people from working, creating barriers for families to eat? How do I explain the eerie stillness of our bus stops and train stations after a raid at a transit center? How do I explain the quietness of our streets in a city that typically hosts vibrant night markets and faithful street vendors? Do I talk about our communal worry for the flower vendor whom we haven’t seen for weeks? Or, do I describe the children who work their parents’ fruit and tamale stands to protect their parents and provide for their families?

How do I share about the cruelty of raiding public parks in the early hours of the morning so parents no longer bring their children to receive their free summer lunches? How do I talk about families whose fathers vanish after going to the park to buy tamales for their weekly breakfast?

I don’t know how to share stories, yet, I know the stories we must tell.

We must tell the stories of hope through faithful witness. The hope that arises from our collective songs of protest and the collective action that builds upon our joy. The joy of seeing a key union leader released from custody after he was arrested for protecting our community. The joy of bearing peaceful witness of faith leaders at rallies, press conferences, the courts and our streets. And the joy of seeing organizers from Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE-LA) training more than 80 clergy and faith leaders to accompany immigrants and refugees in Los Angeles immigration courts. These are the stories I will tell.

I will talk about the women who lead the weekly Godmothers of the Disappeared vigil in front of stationed Marines, members of the National Guard and ICE agents, laying flowers and honoring those abducted. I will share about the cards left on the sidewalk outside a detention facility on Father’s Day to honor the fathers separated from their families. I will talk about the largest non-violent direct action training in the country, where nearly 2,000 faith leaders and workers practiced non-violent principles. I will share about how we learned to be better neighbors, creating networks for grocery delivery and transportation. I will talk about the ways we are learning to be creative so our neighbors can continue to work and provide food on the table.

And I will pastor with deeper resolve for our faith community to be marked by hope in action. I will preach that practicing courage deepens our faith.

There is no end to this terror in our city. However, our work as clergy and faith leaders is clearer than ever. Our disciplines and practices of faith continue to be deeper than the tactics of fear and control from the government. Thank you, City of Angels, for teaching me how to better love God and love our neighbors.

The Rev. Janna Louie is chief of staff at BJC.

This article originally appeared in the summer/fall 2025 edition of Report from the Capital. You can view it as a PDF or read a digital flip-through edition.