We Are the City of Angels—and the World Is Watching

 A City in the Shadow of Fear

There’s a chill in the air here in Los Angeles. ICE agents are raiding homes, businesses, and neighborhoods—making assumptions based not on legal status or due process, but on race, language, and appearance. People are scared. Communities are tense. The line between safety and fear is razor-thin for many Angelenos, regardless of where they were born.

It’s heartbreaking. It’s enraging. But it’s not the whole story.

Because while fear may be in the air, it does not define who we are. It never has.

This Is the City of Angels

Los Angeles is more than palm trees and freeways, more than movie sets and headlines. This city is a living mosaic of humanity. We’re home to over 200 languages. We’re the place where tacos and kimchi and palak paneer live on the same block. Where street murals tell stories of struggle and triumph. Where neighbors become chosen family.

Together with the surrounding Greater Los Angeles area, this region is not a melting pot—we’re a garden. Each culture, each story, each life adds beauty, flavor, and richness to the whole.

We stand together as Angelenos, as Californians, and as Americans.

We are the Golden State.

We are the world’s fourth-largest economy.

And that power comes not from sameness, but from difference. From immigrants. From artists. From essential workers. From innovators and creators. From every background imaginable. We are the dream that many said couldn’t work—but we make it work every day.

Peace Doesn’t Mean Passive

Right now, some would have us believe that “keeping the peace” means keeping our heads down. Staying silent. Looking away.

But here’s the truth: peace doesn’t mean passive. Real peace requires action.

We will support and protect each other. We will not let our neighbors face these raids alone. We will not stand by while families are torn apart. We will speak up, show up, and hold the line—not with hate, but with advocacy. 

We Are Not the Stereotypes

There are those who look at a city like Los Angeles and see chaos, danger, or dysfunction. They see our cultural complexity and label it as something broken rather than beautiful. They hear our accents, see our skin tones, or witness our protests, and call us un-American.

But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

We are not the monsters that pundits make us out to be. We are not broken. We are not bitter. And we are certainly not the enemy.

We are the promise of what a truly inclusive society can look like. We are the proof that it’s possible for different people to share space, resources, ideas—and even joy.

This is our moment to show the rest of the country who we really are—not just in our words, but in how we treat one another when it counts.

Let’s Be the Example

What happens in Los Angeles doesn’t stay in Los Angeles. We set trends. We shape culture. We influence policy. What we do here reverberates far beyond city limits.

And that means we have a responsibility. Not just to ourselves, but to the world.

Let us be a model of what peace and cooperation among diverse people can be. Let us show that safety and justice are not mutually exclusive. Let us prove that a multicultural society doesn’t just survive—it thrives when people look out for each other.

We’re not perfect. But we’re learning. We’re evolving. And in moments like this, we have the chance to lead—not by force, but by example.

Let’s invite the world to see how diversity can be a superpower. Let’s make it clear that in a place like LA, no one stands alone.

For the World Beyond

To my friends outside of Los Angeles—many of you I met while growing up in Thailand, attending Ruamrudee International School, traveling, or through this global digital village—we see you too. And we know you’re watching.

What’s happening in the U.S. right now is a mirror of deeper questions facing every nation:

Who belongs?

Who gets to be safe?

Who do we protect?

In LA, we are doing our best to answer those questions with compassion, not cruelty. With unity, not fear. With action, not apathy.

We hope that by living our values publicly, loudly, and unapologetically, we can remind others that building a just and inclusive society is possible—even when it's hard.

Choose Action, Choose Care

If you're in Los Angeles right now, I invite you to act in whatever way you can:

• Check in on your neighbors.

• Share resources and updates.

• Speak up when you see injustice.

• Show up for people who may be too afraid to ask for help.
  

If you're outside the city, consider how your own community reflects—or rejects—these same values. The need for empathy, courage, and solidarity is global.

The World Is Watching

Los Angeles is being tested. So is the nation. And in a time of uncertainty, we must become certain of who we are—and who we refuse to be.

We refuse to be silent.

We refuse to turn on each other.

We refuse to shrink.

Instead, we will rise. With pride. With purpose. With compassion.

This city does not just sparkle—it leads.

AND THE WORLD IS WATCHING.