Los Angeles anti ICE protesters adjusting

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An abandoned ice cream cart has become a symbol of resistance to residents of a west Los Angeles neighborhood who oppose President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration policies.

The cart belonged to a beloved ice cream vendor who was arrested by federal agents Monday afternoon while walking his usual route through Culver City.

The sudden disappearance of Ambrocio “Enrique” Lozano stunned residents who said the vendor was a welcome fixture in their neighborhood for more than 20 years.

“There was always a bright light around him,” said Patricia Pande, a Culver City resident who spent countless days enjoying Lozano’s ice cream with her granddaughter. “The happiest times I know with her are from the ice cream man.”

A photo of Lozano’s lone ice cream cart spread quickly across social media, triggering a tidal wave of responses from immigration advocates, residents and lawmakers.

Hyperlocal grassroots organizations like Siempre Unidos LA began sharing the image, and soon a crowdfunding campaign for Lozano and his family hit its goal of $6,000 to cover their legal fees and living expenses. The campaign topped $57,000 after the photo drew national attention.

The response to Lozano’s arrest highlights a new strategy emerging after large-scale protests overtook downtown Los Angeles earlier this month. Instead of focusing on marches outside federal buildings, residents of sprawling L.A. County are zeroing in on their own blocks and neighborhoods to show their opposition to Trump’s mass deportation efforts.

A loose coalition of dozens of grassroots organizations whose cellphone-toting members are broadcasting immigration arrests in real time over social media to millions of followers has taken shape across the region.

These groups post and repost the locations of arrests, organize spontaneous protests, help families find information about relatives who have been detained and set up donation drives when needed.

It’s difficult to measure the direct effect these actions have had since Trump’s immigration crackdown, but affected families say the outpouring of support is immeasurable.

“I’m in disbelief,” said Kimberly Noriega, Lozano’s niece. “We felt so hopeless, and then suddenly there was this whole community of Culver City and now an even bigger community behind him.”

His relatives will host an event in support of Lozano on Sunday in Culver City, where they hope to sell his remaining ice cream and popsicles before they turn stale.

They've given in. People are afraid to do what's right. That is what Trump wants.