West Hollywood lit up Friday night with talk of an ICE raid at The Abbey. Only problem… that’s not what happened.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies were at The Abbey and The Chapel for an operation tied to drugs and ongoing thefts, not immigration enforcement.
Social media was buzzing with “reports” and videos showing deputies in the bar, and that’s all it took for the goss and the rumors to take off. Within minutes, posts claiming ICE was inside The Abbey spread across X and Instagram, warning people to stay away.
Problem is there was no ICE involvement. The deputies were focused on reports of drug activity and pickpocketing, a continuing problem in the bars and around the district in general. The Abbey has dealt with theft issues before.
The confusion on Friday shows how fast things can spiral in the fast moving social media loop. Misleading videos, wrong captions, and a few wannabe-gonzo journalists and suddenly the story gets away from the facts. Better to be last and right, than first and wrong.
As of this writing, The Abbey hadn’t released a statement. The Sheriff’s Department said no immigration agencies were involved and no ICE personnel were present. The full statement posted to X here and below.
“The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department @WHDLASD conducted a scheduled undercover operation last night in West Hollywood’s Rainbow District in response to reports of pickpocketing and other criminal activity. Several arrests were made. Some community members have expressed concern that the operation was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This is not the case; ICE was not involved. The City of West Hollywood and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department remain committed to ensuring public safety in our community’s entertainment areas and will continue working together to maintain a safe, welcoming, and affirming environment for all.”
No one is gonna address the bearded cop in the main pic?!? My goodness! ❤️ 😍
Well we’ll be waiting for the follow up. Who was arrested and charged and for what crimes exactly?
Yeah, I’m watching for that, too.
Stop the immigration madness and people won’t have to think otherwise. And when have you ever heard of this type drug situation in a completely crowded venue where people could get hurt?
Americans voted to deport all those in the country illegally.
Who was hurt besides your feelings?
They deported American citizens. A lot. Without council.
I have often wondered why the local authorities do not crack down on the distribution, use and sale of drugs like Cocaine in the bathrooms of clubs like Mickey’s Beach’s Tropicana or behind Koontz Hardware. It has been going on for a longtime and some say even some of the figure head owners or managers and therefore permit it. It’s a scourge in the community and while the theft of phones, jewelry, or spiking drinks continues the sale use and distribution or narcotics at the bars is simply wrong. Yet the City won’t do anything about it. We still have… Read more »
PreP is free, thanks to President Donald Trump…But he’s a raging homophobe, right? The kind of homophobe that appoints openly Gay men and women to his cabinet, administration and ambassadorships…
If you really care about ignorant “victims” behaving irresponsibly in a drug induced state, you’ll tell them and everyone you know, it’s FREE.
Hahahahahaha you’re comical. “Normal gay man”? You mean self loathing gay man. 🤡
Is it not free?
Yes it’s free, but Chump had nothing to do with it being free. It’s an ACA, aka Obamacare program that made it free.
Thank god they are finally cleaning up
Our streets
Journalism involves ethics, accountability, and analysis. You were right to call out the “gonzo” wannabe journalists who are often quick with pictures and short on accuracy.
Let’s talk about wannabes. You rip on a wannabe gonzo journalist and then you steal screenshots from his work and you don’t even give him any photo credit. Just shameful.
You’re absolutely right. We always do (and should) give credit. Uncool oversight. Thanks for bringing to my attention! Ps. I was not referring to Charles. Appreciate and love his work. Talking about the folks jumping the gun on X!