Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is under fire for allegedly misleading city residents while seemingly defending violent gang members. This uproar follows a dramatic federal operation that led to the arrest of several members of the city’s most notorious gang in a heavily-armed raid near MacArthur Park on Thursday.

Previously, Mayor Bass had criticized a federal initiative in July, when immigration officers targeted the same troubled park to combat MS-13 gang activities and open-air drug markets. She labeled the operation as “outrageous” and “un-American.”

At that time, Bass also described MacArthur Park—known for its gang issues, homelessness, and rampant drug overdoses—as a cherished haven for children.

“Just minutes before the operation, over 20 kids were playing there—then the MILITARY arrived,” Bass exclaimed on X, sharing a time-lapse video showing agents moving across an empty soccer field within the park.

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These past remarks from Bass have resurfaced and sparked outrage among frustrated Los Angeles residents, especially after the FBI-led operation successfully apprehended 12 members and affiliates of the infamous 18th Street gang on Thursday.

The gang is a major player in the drug epidemic gripping LA. It is a top trafficker of methamphetamine and fentanyl, with a special focus of their operations in MacArthur Park.

Gloria Romero, former State Senate Majority Leader and current candidate for California Lieutenant Governor, swiftly called out Bass.

“Didn’t @MayorOfLA claim they were just picnicking? Anyone with eyes could see the total destruction, corruption, trafficking that was going on there. Thanks to @billessayli maybe we might be able to picnic there one day,” she sniped on X.

“Why didn’t you take care of this problem, @MayorOfLA? Another failure,” Kent Moyer, the CEO of private security company The World Protection Group, also seethed.

“You publicly promoted MacArthur Park as a safe, family-friendly place for the community — yet gangs were controlling the area. Angelenos deserve leadership that confronts reality and protects our neighborhoods, not photo ops and empty assurances.”

Another furious LA resident called out Bass’ “elite denial.”

“Karen Bass calling MacArthur Park a paradise for kids right before the biggest gang bust there in years exposes the elite denial game… Who else is tired of leaders lying while families pay the price?” they fumed on X.

“Why was Karen Bass protecting members of the 18th Street gang at MacArthur Park?” yet another frustrated resident chimed in.

Following the Thursday raid, the feds shared frightening images of what appears to be a massive narcotics seizure, featuring a semi-automatic handgun, stacks of cash, and thousands of suspected illicit pills and powders.

“FBI agents and partners with LAPD, HSI, IRS, DEA, and U.S. Marshals served multiple search and arrest warrants,” the FBI’s Los Angeles office wrote on X. “Illegal narcotics, cash, and other evidence were seized.”

The gang, also known as, Barrio 18, is a large, multi-ethnic, primarily Hispanic street gang originating in LA, with 30,000–50,000 members across the US, Mexico, and Central America.

The US State Department designated Barrio 18 a foreign terrorist organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity in September 2025.