The Democrats’ extremism has gone far enough. The LA riots have proven what they’re capable of.
Now the truth behind it all has come out as a disturbing report about the LA mayor was just released.
Karen Bass and the Marxist Shadow Over Los Angeles
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a prominent Democrat, governs a city now gripped by protests, some spiraling into violence, against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts to curb illegal immigration. Beneath the surface of these unrests lies a troubling connection: the far-left Venceremos Brigade (VB), a group Bass was deeply involved with decades ago, is entangled in a financial network linked to the Chinese Communist Party, raising questions about the ideological roots of her political career. The VB, once sympathetic to Communist Cuba, now operates under the fiscal sponsorship of The People’s Forum, a Manhattan-based Marxist organization funded by wealthy businessman Neville Singham, whose ties to radical groups cast a long shadow over Bass’s leadership.
In the 1970s, Bass was not just a member but repeatedly identified as a leader in the Venceremos Brigade, a group U.S. intelligence agencies and Cuban defectors have long accused of being co-opted by Cuba’s Dirección General de Inteligencia (DGI). The VB’s website boasts that “in the last 50 years, approximately 10,000 people from the US have traveled to Cuba with the VB, including elected officials, labor leaders, artists and entertainers, academics, activists, and social movement leaders.” Bass, then an activist, was among them, making multiple trips to Fidel Castro’s Cuba. Her involvement, which she later described as educational, raises concerns about the influence of Marxist ideologies on her political ascent from activist to congresswoman to mayor.
The VB’s historical ties to violent groups like the Weather Underground, a Communist-inspired domestic terrorist organization responsible for bombings in the 1970s, add a darker layer to Bass’s past affiliations. A 1976 FBI report, cited by The New York Times, detailed Cuban intelligence’s sway over the VB, noting that the DGI aimed “to place its assets and allies into positions of power inside the U.S. government.” This chilling assessment suggests a deliberate strategy to infiltrate American institutions, a strategy Bass’s critics argue aligns uncomfortably with her rise to power. Her eulogy for Fidel Castro in 2016, where she called him “Comandante en Jefe,” further fuels skepticism about her judgment.
“As Cuba begins nine days of mourning, I wish to express my condolences to the Cuban people and the family of Fidel Castro,” Bass wrote. “The passing of the Comandante en Jefe is a great loss to the people of Cuba. I hope together, our two nations will continue on the new path of support and collaboration with one another, and continue in the new direction of diplomacy.” These words, penned by a sitting congresswoman and future mayor, strike critics as more than diplomatic courtesy—they suggest a lingering sympathy for a regime that oppressed its people and sought to subvert American democracy. Bass’s defenders, however, dismiss such criticisms as overblown, pointing to her claim that her Cuban trips were merely educational.
The Venceremos Brigade’s current financial ties to The People’s Forum, a group within Singham’s Marxist network, deepen the controversy. The VB’s website declares that “the People’s Forum (‘TPF’), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is the Venceremos Brigade’s fiscal sponsor,” and that it relies on “the support of our friends, comrades, and supporters to continue this critical anti-imperialist work.” The People’s Forum has actively promoted the VB, hosting events like a 2019 film screening to raise funds and recruit for the brigade, and a 2023 event praising Cuba’s resistance to the U.S. embargo. These activities suggest a persistent effort to advance Marxist ideals, with Bass’s historical leadership in the VB placing her uncomfortably close to this agenda.
Singham’s network extends beyond The People’s Forum to groups like BreakThrough News and the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), both tied to the VB and active in organizing Los Angeles protests. The PSL, a radical Marxist group, has been a key player in these demonstrations, opposing ICE’s immigration enforcement. Critics argue that Bass’s failure to distance herself from these groups, given her past, raises questions about her ability to confront radicalism in her city. The involvement of Singham, whose financial empire is linked to Chinese Communist interests, adds a geopolitical dimension, suggesting foreign influences may be exploiting ideological fault lines in American cities.
David Atlee Phillips, a retired CIA official, wrote in 1982 that “Psychological warfare experts consider the DGI-sponsored Venceremos (‘We Will Win’) Brigades one of the most successful covert political operations in modern history.” He noted that “Some 2,500 Americans, in 10 contingents, visited Cuba between 1969 and 1977. The ostensible purpose was to cut Cuban sugar cane. In fact, the Americans were encouraged to destroy their own society.” This assessment paints the VB as a tool of Cuban intelligence, with Bass’s leadership role casting doubt on her claim that her involvement was benign. A 1973 FBI document, cited by the Los Angeles Times, alleged that Bass “traveled to Cuba with the 6th Contingent of the Venceremos Brigade” and “returned from Cuba to the USA bringing back propaganda literature.”
Bass’s response to these allegations has been defensive. In 1983, she told the Los Angeles Times, “I’m angry and I’m shocked that they would use (this allegation) to try to attempt to smear me personally and the brigade.” She insisted the VB was “an educational project” that fostered “closer knowledge of the Cuban people and Cuban society” through construction projects. “No one ever came in contact with the Cuban military or received any type of military training,” she claimed, adding that she learned to use a gun in the U.S. from “Los Angeles’ finest.” Yet, a 1976 FBI report contradicted her, stating that “a very limited number of VB members have been trained in guerrilla warfare techniques, including use of arms and explosives,” for those deemed trustworthy by Cuban authorities.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s infiltration of left-wing groups in the 1970s, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, adds context to Bass’s claims. A 2020 statement from her spokesperson dismissed concerns about her VB ties, alleging that “the Chief of Police fancied himself to be the Los Angeles version of J. Edgar Hoover.” This deflection does little to address the documented ties between the VB and Cuban intelligence, or the group’s links to domestic radicals like the Weather Underground. Critics argue that Bass’s refusal to fully disavow her past affiliations suggests a troubling comfort with Marxist ideologies that now manifest in her city’s unrest.
The Weather Underground’s violent legacy, including bombings of the U.S. Capitol, Pentagon, and State Department, displays the dangers of the VB’s associations. A 1976 FBI report noted that “when the WUO [Weather Underground] initiated, planned, and organized the Venceremos Brigade trips they did so with the encouragement and instructions of the Cuban government.” Bill Ayers, a Weather Underground leader, praised the VB in a 1969 speech, saying, “The Venceremos Brigade is an idea which is an attempt to show the people of the world that all Americans aren’t solid in their nature of Cuba.” Ayers’s ties to former President Barack Obama, raised during the 2008 campaign, highlight how far-left radicalism has lingered in Democratic circles, with Bass as a case study.
Recent developments in Los Angeles have intensified scrutiny of Bass’s leadership. President Donald Trump activated elements of the California National Guard, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth deployed Marines from Camp Pendleton “to restore order” in the city. Trump claimed on Truth Social, “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.” Bass countered on PBS that “the federalization of the National Guard was completely unwarranted” and would “provoke the population even further.” Her opposition to federal intervention, critics argue, aligns with the anti-authority stance of the Marxist groups she once led, prioritizing ideology over public safety.
The People’s Forum’s role in promoting the VB extends beyond fiscal sponsorship. In 2019, it produced a video titled “Venceremos Brigade: Why We Continue to Visit Cuba,” encouraging recruitment and praising Cuba’s Communist system. The forum also organized a 2021 “Holiday People’s Market” featuring the VB and a 2023 event lauding Cuba’s social policies despite the U.S. embargo. These efforts, funded by Singham’s network, suggest a coordinated campaign to advance Marxist ideals in the U.S., with Bass’s historical ties to the VB raising questions about her impartiality as mayor. The Capital Research Center noted that “the Venceremos Brigade was fiscally sponsored by the Alliance for Global Justice until 2024, when it switched its sponsorship to the People’s Forum,” questioning the group’s lack of transparency.
The PSL’s propaganda arm, Liberation News, has published numerous articles promoting the VB, including a 2011 piece by Mike Chrisemer, now a director at BreakThrough News, who wrote, “I was one of the 37 members of the Venceremos Brigade who returned on Aug. 1 from a trip to Cuba in defiance of the U.S. blockade and travel ban.” The PSL’s involvement in Los Angeles protests, alongside the VB, suggests a continuity of radical activism that Bass has not publicly condemned. Critics see her silence as tacit approval, especially given her past leadership in the VB, which a 1975 Senate report called “one of the most extensive and dangerous infiltration operations ever undertaken by a foreign power against the United States.”
Historical accounts of the VB’s founding reveal its ties to extreme groups like Students for a Democratic Society, the Communist Party, and the Black Panther Party, which the VB credits for its origins. A 1971 internal VB document, cited by Influence Watch, outlined goals to “develop solidarity with the Cuban Revolution” and “educate the U.S. movement to an anti-imperialist consciousness.” Dwight Crews, a Louisiana deputy sheriff who infiltrated the VB, testified in 1972 that the group sought candidates who were “already a Marxist-Leninist” to further “the cause of communism in the United States.” These revelations paint the VB as a deliberate effort to radicalize Americans, with Bass’s role as a leader amplifying concerns about her ideological leanings.
Jesus Raul Perez Mendez, a defected DGI captain, told U.S. investigators that the DGI controlled the VB, training its leaders in “indoctrination in ideology, psychology, organization, propaganda techniques, interview techniques, and intelligence gathering.” This level of control suggests the VB was more than an educational project, as Bass claimed. A 1969 CIA report described the VB as composed of “radicalized American youth, all sharing pro-Castro sentiments and opposing what they term U.S. imperialism.” These assessments, combined with Bass’s documented trips to Cuba, challenge her narrative of innocent activism and fuel suspicions of deeper Marxist influences.
Bass’s personal connection to the VB is further detailed in a 1996 Ph.D. dissertation by Dawn Noggle, which noted, “Another critical influence for Bass began, at age 19, and spanned the next five years: Cuba. As a ‘brigadista’ and then organizer for the Venceremos Brigades, Karen visited Cuba every 6 months.” Despite her spokesperson’s 2020 claim that “she wasn’t a leader” but merely “went with other volunteers to build houses,” the October 1975 issue of the Daily World called Bass a “leader of the Venceremos Brigade in southern California.” This contradiction undermines Bass’s attempts to downplay her role, suggesting a reluctance to confront her radical past.
The VB’s ties to Singham’s network, including groups like CODEPINK and the Tricontinental Institute, are evident in a 2023 open letter opposing “a new McCarthyism” targeting critics of U.S. foreign policy. The VB’s signature on this letter, alongside other Singham-funded entities, indicates a real Marxist alignment that critics argue Bass has failed to address. The People’s Dispatch reported in 2024 that the VB signed a letter demanding Cuba’s removal from the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, further aligning with anti-American rhetoric. Bass’s silence on these affiliations, given her history, raises questions about her commitment to countering radicalism in her city.
Los Angeles’s current protests, organized by groups like the PSL and linked to the VB, highlight the persistence of Marxist activism in Bass’s orbit. The OccupySF website promoted a 2023 rally endorsed by the VB and PSL, demanding an end to the U.S. blockade of Cuba and the “siege on Gaza,” held shortly after Hamas’s October 7 attacks. The Communist Worker’s World reported a 2024 rally in New York, attended by VB and PSL activists, condemning the U.S. embargo on Cuba. These events suggest a consistent pattern of far-left agitation, with Bass’s past leadership in the VB casting doubt on her ability to govern impartially.
Critics argue that Bass’s trajectory—from VB leader to mayor—exemplifies how Marxist ideologies have infiltrated Democratic leadership, posing risks to American institutions. Her reported consideration as Joe Biden’s 2020 running mate amplifies these concerns, suggesting that radical affiliations may not disqualify candidates in Democratic circles. The FBI’s 1976 assessment that the DGI sought to place VB members in U.S. government positions resonates uncomfortably with Bass’s career, fueling speculation about the long-term impact of her ideological roots.
