Councilmember Traci Park’s Deafening Silence After Violence Against Student Protester

On February 6, students from Venice High School joined a city-wide walkout to protest President Trump’s cruel immigration policies, as well as to advocate for reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ protections, and democracy itself. The demonstration was organized via social media and, like many student-led protests, was intended to be peaceful.

But instead of being met with support, these students were faced with violence. An unidentified man confronted the young demonstrators in anger. When he noticed a student filming the interaction, he rushed at the minor and physically assaulted them. In a separate but related moment, another student attempting to retrieve an object from the street was shoved by a second individual. Witnesses say other students had to intervene to deescalate the situation.

The response from local leadership should have been swift and unequivocal. A grown man attacking a minor for exercising their First Amendment rights is not just disturbing—it is a blatant act of political violence. And yet, in the days following this attack, Los Angeles City Councilmember Traci Park, whose district includes Venice High School, has remained completely silent.

This silence is not just a failure of leadership; it is a statement in itself. When crime and violence occur in her district, Park is usually quick to issue statements, particularly when incidents fit into her well-documented tough-on-crime messaging. But when a student—one of her own young constituents—was physically attacked for standing up for justice, she has offered nothing. No condemnation. No call for accountability. No words of support for the students who were targeted.

The contrast is glaring and raises serious concerns about Park’s priorities. Her refusal to speak out suggests that she is either indifferent to or complicit in the growing hostility toward young people, immigrants, and those who oppose Trump’s policies. Her silence sends a dangerous message: that political violence against those who challenge right-wing policies is tolerable.

At a time when democracy and basic civil rights are under attack, our elected officials should be standing up for those who exercise their rights—not turning a blind eye when they are harmed. Councilmember Park’s failure to denounce this violence is more than an oversight; it is a betrayal of the young people in her district who deserve a leader willing to defend them.

If Traci Park cannot even condemn an act of violence against a student protester, what does that say about her commitment to protecting all of her constituents? And more importantly, how much longer will our community tolerate leaders who only speak up when it is politically convenient for them?