Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing renewed scrutiny over her past ties to a pro-Cuban Communist group as violent protests continue to erupt throughout the city.

Investigations have revealed that the same radical networks she was once affiliated with decades ago are now playing a financial and organizational role in the current unrest.

Bass, who was a prominent member of the far-left Venceremos Brigade (VB) in the 1970s, is now overseeing a city rocked by demonstrations linked to the Marxist-aligned Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL).

Never forget that the Mayor of Los Angeles began her political career with the Venceremos Brigade, a Marxist front group in the U.S. funded by Cuba.

In the 1970s, she traveled to Cuba multiple times. In 2020, she was forced to walk back her public praise for Fidel Castro… pic.twitter.com/YnI3idmTIS

— I Meme Therefore I Am (@ImMeme0) June 8, 2025

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The PSL has helped organize many of the recent anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, some of which have turned violent.

Thousands are protesting right now in Los Angeles. The Party for Socialism and Liberation is involved in the organizing of this but I think there are other groups involved too.

Don’t assume it’s just the PSL. pic.twitter.com/NI6cEszNVR

— Karlyn Borysenko, anti-communist cult leader (@DrKarlynB) June 8, 2025

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The VB is currently fiscally sponsored by The People’s Forum, a Manhattan-based Communist organization that is part of Marxist businessman Neville Singham’s network.

The VB also maintains ties to other Singham-backed initiatives such as BreakThrough News and the PSL.

Federal officials have raised concerns about these groups’ influence.

A 1976 FBI report described the Venceremos Brigade as a target of Cuban intelligence operations, with the aim of placing individuals into positions of U.S. political power.

Former CIA Latin America chief David Atlee Phillips previously wrote that the DGI, Cuba’s intelligence agency, exerted significant control over the brigade.

Bass, who was reportedly considered for Joe Biden’s running mate in 2020, defended her ties to the group in the past, saying her trips to Cuba were educational.

“I’m angry and I’m shocked that they would use [this allegation] to try to attempt to smear me personally and the brigade,” Bass told the Los Angeles Times in 1983.

Despite those denials, the VB itself has acknowledged its anti-imperialist mission.

Its website states it was founded “in an act of solidarity with the Cuban Revolution” and calls its work “critical anti-imperialist” activism.

In 2020, Bass said she regretted referring to Fidel Castro as “Comandante en Jefe” after his death, stating, “Wouldn’t do that again…lesson learned.” She added that she did not consider herself a Castro sympathizer.

The protests roiling Los Angeles have drawn a federal response.

President Donald Trump has deployed the California National Guard and ordered Marines from Camp Pendleton to assist in restoring order.

“If I didn’t ‘SEND IN THE TROOPS’ to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Trump: “If I didn’t “SEND IN THE TROOPS” to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now.” pic.twitter.com/mq2MhBN5cI

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 10, 2025

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the deployment, while Bass told PBS that the move was “completely unwarranted” and “would provoke the population even further.”

Meanwhile, The People’s Forum has hosted events and fundraisers for the VB in recent years, including screenings, educational sessions, and recruitment efforts.

The forum and VB have also signed joint statements supporting Cuba and criticizing U.S. foreign policy.

The PSL, a consistent VB ally, has repeatedly defended the brigade in its publication Liberation News and helped organize protests where VB members were present.

New York City — The Party for Socialism and Liberation, a communist group that the recent DC Jewish museum gunman suspect belonged to, has organized a direct action against the U.S. government. They’re demanding the end of immigration enforcement. pic.twitter.com/s9VkbKKGYD

— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) June 10, 2025

Congressional investigations have long linked the VB to efforts by the Cuban regime to subvert the U.S. from within.

A 1975 Senate report described the VB as “one of the most extensive and dangerous infiltration operations ever undertaken by a foreign power against the United States.”

The FBI has also tied the VB to the Weather Underground, a domestic terrorist organization responsible for several bombings in the 1970s.

Intelligence reports claim the Weather Underground helped initiate and organize early VB trips with encouragement from the Cuban government.

Bass’s participation in the VB has continued to draw attention as her role as mayor places her at the center of a city experiencing renewed radical activism.

The People’s Forum, PSL, CODEPINK, and other Singham-affiliated groups have remained active in both pro-Cuba and anti-U.S. demonstrations throughout the country.

Bass has not responded to recent inquiries about her past involvement or the groups currently tied to the unrest in Los Angeles.

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