5 Women Report ‘Indecent Exposure’ at WiSpa: LA Militants Rumble
A Full Timeline of Violence Stoked by Misinformation
Draft research, photos & reporting by Jeremy Lee Quinn for LA Magazine
8/25/2021
FOUR others now corroborate the account of the woman known as ‘Cubana Angel,’ at a 24 hour Korean spa. LAPD confirmed, through a public records request, that five reports have been filed over a June 23rd incident, as we reported in Los Angeles Magazine.
Here’s what happened:
On a Wednesday evening in June, a woman complained at the front desk of WiSpa, a Korean spa with separate gender designated locker rooms & public nude bathing areas.
Weeks later, over two Saturdays, the Wilshire Boulevard oasis would be forced to shutter its doors for the day. Neighboring buildings would end up coated in ‘Antifa’ graffiti. Activists & militants alike would blend in together on two sides of an LA street riot.
A worker paints over ‘SoCal Antifa’ graffiti spanning several blocks. LAPD gathers at 9AM on Wilshire north of WiSpa, anticipating dueling protests. July 17th 2021.
The street violence was initiated by a newly formed “SoCal Antifa” group on Twitter, mobilizing a militant response on July 3rd. Press would be either decide the whole thing was a hoax, or focus exclusively on right wing militants. LA’s activist scene exposed all the zealotry of the nation’s culture war in 2021, and a mainstream Press incapable of reporting on events as they unfolded.
April 15th:
Animosity increases between the activist Left & activist Right in LA, after a conservative leaning live-streamer, disguised in black, is beaten while documenting a BLM march. A crew of less than a half dozen right wingers trash a candle memorial to Duante Wright & Adam Toledo later that evening on Sunset Boulevard.
A twitter account, Socal Antifa, appears online April 28th and amasses a modest following.
June 23rd:
A Christian woman, ‘Angel’, brings her phone up from the women’s locker to the front desk of WiSpa & records herself making a scene. She & four others say an individual presenting male anatomy has been nude on the women’s side of the spa, by the steam room & in the jacuzzi area where other women & minors were bathing.
At the time of writing, the individual in question is not confirmed by LAPD, the witnesses or WiSpa as having identified themselves as Transgender.
June 24th:
Angel publishes her video to Instagram. In the video, the manager on duty tells several women that the spa can not intervene, as use of public space by gender identification is legally protected. The manager also says she has not seen the individual.
Angel’s attorney & LAPD confirm that Angel was first to file a police report on July 6th, two weeks after the incident, alleging “indecent exposure” & subsequent online threats. One of the five incident reports state a witness “observed Suspect exit a jacuzzi fully nude. Victim observed male genitals on the Suspect and became scared and upset.”
LAPD says it will not confirm if a 9 year old girl & 14 year old were present, as one of the women claims in the video. “The information being requested is considered confidential,” the LAPD clarified, “If disclosure would endanger the safety of a person involved or the successful completion of the investigation.”
Aside from the front desk, gender separated levels at WiSpa can also be accessed via elevator & stairs from the top co-ed floor. In Japanese & Korean cultures, minors also may visit public bathing areas if accompanied by an adult.
WiSpa will only say that it will abide by the laws of the State of California & cooperate with any police investigation, the owner told us.
June 26th:
The original Cubana Angel instagram video is re-posted by Lexit, a political activist account of 56K followers, advocating for Latinos to exit the Democratic party. A conservative twitter account, with more than 270K followers, states without confirmation, that the individual discussed in the video is a man who identifies as a woman.
A male customer at WiSpa makes the same assumption asserting in the video the person is likely Transgender. Angel declares Transgender “does not exist.” Cue culture war.
June 29th:
The video is repurposed by Tucker Carlson Tonight among other conservative content producers, extending its reach. Dueling protests are organized on social media with conservatives billing theirs as “anti-pedophelia” & “protecting spaces for women & children.”
SoCal Antifa schedules their “smash transphobia” opposition for 9AM July 3rd, two hours beforehand. Numerous activist accounts accuse the Right of being bigoted and cite it justification for their mantras to ‘shut it down’ & ‘no safe space for fascists.’
July 2nd:
Angel appears on Instagram to tell followers she is not the organizer of any scheduled protest & will not be attending due to anticipated ‘Antifa’ presence.
A Leftist activist live-streamer who is Transgender posts that she received targeted harassment & specified threats from online accounts. This occurs after the Leftist was singled out & disparaged on Instagram by a local woman on the activist Right who would later be present July 17th, using language Leftist activists cite as Transphobic.
July 3rd:
A twenty something named Jairo, recently active in Anti Mask & Anti Vaccination protests, takes up a bullhorn first near 9:30 AM across from WiSpa. ‘Counter protesters,’ snatch and tear up Jairo’s signs. The group snatching the signs is co-organized by ‘SoCal Antifa’ and an activist who is an elected official on the Koreatown Neighborhood Council.
A man in Black Bloc steals a sign “Trans activism erases women’s rights” from Jairo.
Jairo goes to his bag then returns brandishing pepper spray. On video, Jairo is then seen beaten and kicked on the sidewalk at 9:44AM by several people in Antifa Black Bloc.
A twist: Jairo says he has formerly lived at the LA LGBT Youth Center. After he ‘aged out’ and was ineligible after 25, Jairo was taken in by TransLatina Coalition’s H.O.P.E. House under the name of Sarah. Jairo had told the onlooking crowd on July 3rd that he has Trans friends, but was met with heckles & jeers before he was beaten.
Conservative organizer, Jairo, was living among LA’s Trans community housing as recently as May preceding a personal fallout, he says. Social media photos: Jairo R.
10:28 AM:
Socal Antifa’s Black Bloc mobs a preacher in a blue shirt as he approaches WiSpa from the east on Wilshire accompanied by two Hispanic Evangelical protesters.
SoCal Antifa occupied all 4 corners of the intersection near WiSpa before the 10 AM hour July 3rd, 2021. An embedded independent photojournalist shoots video.
The two Hispanic Evangelicals are thrown to the curb by the Black Bloc at 10:30AM.
An Antifa aligned militant prepares to land a punch to the face, after an Hispanic Evangelical is attacked curbside. Another tries to keep the mob away from the older man. July 3rd, 2021
10:31
A right wing militant wearing Black Bloc, a flannel, and a hat reading ‘Patriot’, enters the fray with a metal club and slams it onto the helmet of a man among the Leftist activist Press. Moments before, the right winger also clubbed conservative leaning NewsMax reporter James Klug on the back, thinking he was Antifa.
A man dressed in Patriot Black Bloc (right) after clubbing a NewsMax reporter & a Leftist aligned ‘Press’ videographer. Jairo stands next to him in the middle of traffic.
The assailant is accompanied by protest organizer Jairo.
Jairo had just been accompanied by GOP recall candidate Sarah Stephens who he says planned to speak at the rally. Leftist activists say Stephens was with the two as they retreated shortly after.
In the 11AM hour, several women are confronted by the Black Bloc, mobbed & slurred as ‘TERF’ (Trans exclusionary). Some belong to LA’s Lesbian community.
Conservative aligned livestreamer Chris B. aka Wysiwyg is also assaulted by the Antifa Black Bloc while filming. The preacher in blue is beaten & bloodied with a skateboard after he responds physically to a water bottle thrown at a colleague.
An Hispanic couple wearing COVID masks has their signs snatched. The couple says they support Transgender rights & also women’s spaces protected from men entering.
11:45 AM
Two diverse crowds of militants meet & face off in a melee on the northside of Wilshire at Coronado. During the initial clash, a right winger in Black Bloc (or ‘Patriot Black Bloc’ more accurately describing the appropriation of the tactic) cuts a woman’s arm, though she is on the same ‘Patriot’ side. The knife wielding Militant also cuts a Left wing activist named Alejandro who entered the fray. Alejandro says he was cut twice on the left calf and once on the right thigh during the scrum.
“Everybody was in black. I couldn’t tell who was who,” he said.
LA Leftist activists say one of the Hispanic Right wing militants is a member of the Bakersfield area Proud Boys.
Left / Right faceoff on Wilshire Blvd. July 3rd 2021, 11:48 AM.
On July 3rd, LAPD scurried about the 3–4 city block stretch, in a mostly hands off approach, before being drawn into a stand-off with the SoCal Antifa Black Bloc. This transpired after Black Bloc adherents lit a dumpster fire. LAPD says no arrests were made July 3rd, though one heavily tattooed, Hispanic individual was detained after swinging a large rosary-like necklace at Leftists.
SoCal Antifa appeared to claim responsibility for the morning attacks. The Antifa twitter account promised “Round 2” in response to the almost immediate announcement of a second right wing protest scheduled for two Saturdays later on July 17th.
SoCal Antifa on Twitter organized on twitter and IG, and claimed responsibility for direct action ‘counter protests’ for July 3rd and July 17th.
July 7th
Cubana Angel with a lawyer, Marc Little hold a press conference speaking out against California’s gender laws and the perp’s presence on the women’s section of the nude spa. Cubana Angel claims, “his penis was semi-erected.” This was not mentioned in the original video when the Spa manager asked, “Did the person do anything besides?”
Another local group on Twitter, the Autonomous Anarchist Revolutionary Front of LA (AARF LA), called for Leftists to wear pink masks in solidarity for a second July 17th action. Conservatives circulated a flyer online promoting a second protest as “anti-pedo,” and supporting protections for women & children.
“Round 2”
July 17th, 2021
9:00AM
Along with ubiquitous graffiti in the vicinity, SoCal Antifa lists the names and home addresses of local conservatives on flyers and on a theater marquee banner drop. They also dox those that they suspect are associated with rival political gang, the Proud Boys.
SoCal Antifa graffiti plastered the northside of Wilshire near the Hayworth Theater with home addresses of alleged conservative activists & right wing militants. July 17th, 2020
10:00 AM This time, LAPD blocks off the Southwest corner where the WiSpa is located on Wilshire and shields a few lone conservative protesters and live streamers.
Self-described Right-leaning Centrist ‘Villain Report,’ is harassed at WiSpa. 18 minutes later, he has an impromptu debate with an Antifa organizer named Chad. 10:45 AM July 17th, 2020
11:04 AM Right wing marchers arrive at Wilshire and Coronado, a block east of the WiSpa. LAPD quickly moves in to separate the two factions as SoCal Antifa aligned activists rush east to meet the opposing group head on.
A pink clad Leftist aligned militant gives the finger to protesters on the right wing across Coronado. LAPD successfully kept the two groups separate on July 17th.
11:08 Leftist protesters clash on Coronado with LAPD as officers strike Black Bloc adherents & others with batons. Police strike Leftist activist-photojournalist Vishal Singh on his camera hand, knocking his phone to the ground & he says fracturing his hand.
An LAPD body cam shows the clash between the SoCal Antifa aligned militants & police. Police say an individual gripped an officer’s baton with the right hand & then the left.
Image: LAPD body cam
Police deploy less lethal munitions, several at close range, near Coronado and Wilshire on the Leftist bloc. The Right succeeds at restraining their militants from clashing with LAPD. An officer also fires a bean bag round, hitting a Leftist aligned protester who was admittedly not the intended target according to LAPD.
SoCal Antifa aligned activists are beaten back with batons in clashes. They then throw fireworks & smoke bombs at the police.
11:35 AM The groups are kept separate but attempt to find a way around police lines on side streets. As a reporter from The Guardian is harassed, police baton and arrest a right wing militant on 7th street, a block south of Wilshire where the right wing has relocated.
A helmeted, right wing militant is arrested after police struck him with a baton behind the legs.
Right wing protesters scream “Get her out of here” as they chase a reporter from The Guardian. LAPD finally let the woman pass through the police line. July 17, 2021
11:40 AM Right wing protesters obey the order to disperse and retreat to MacArthur Park.
11:45 AM A right wing militant in football shoulder pads maces conservative leaning livestreamer “Villain Report” with an unknown substance, thinking he’s Antifa. A young female youtuber-journalist named Marie, who covered both sides of the July 3rd conflict, is sprayed in the face by the same militant in MacArthur Park before the right wing departs.
“I was naive. I didn’t even get a chance to ask questions,” Marie told Los Angeles Magazine, saying she did not expect the instant violence. “It was the most painful thing I ever felt in my life,” she added. Both Marie & another young man, who was also maced, had their phones stolen in the attacks.
A ‘Free Commie Rides’ shirt bears the golden laurel appropriated by the Proud Boys. Though not in plain sight, there were Proud Boys present on July 17th, 2021 according to rival Leftists.
12:30 PM Clashes between Socal Antifa aligned activists and police persist. Police arrest 39 Antifa aligned “counter protesters” on Commonwealth and Wilshire, several blocks to the west of WiSpa after an unlawful assembly is declared and the group is kettled.
When asked on camera why only one individual in the right wing group was arrested in comparison, LAPD Captain Alfonso Lopez remarked, “The other group dispersed, went back to their cars and left the area.”
The conservative protest group never made it within a city block of the WiSpa on July 17th.
Following the July 17th riots, two notable Antifa influencer accounts maintaining over 90k followers each and several web publications still theorized that the June 23rd WiSpa incident was a right wing hoax.
The hoax theory originated from an anonymously written article in The Blade on July 7th, only one day after Angel filed her police report.
LAPD commented that the PD released no such information, “As far as the hoax, we have no knowledge of it being a hoax,” said LAPD Public Information Officer Eisenman.
Co-organizer Jamie Penn, the Koreatown Neighborhood Council member & activist, who on video July 3rd tore up the first sign belonging to conservatives per the assault victim & others, tweeted after the second Saturday, “LAPD shot multiple medics today including myself and a person at point blank range. You cannot reform this. Defund the police.”
An Antifa aligned activist-organizer in a pink wig taunts police officers, calling them ‘Nazi’ one by one. July 17th, 2020
Days later Angel posted on Instagram, “Right wing or Left wing. Hows about no wings. It’s true they want this to be a political battle and not moral values.” Along with conservative activist lawyer Marc Little, Angel maintains she plans “to challenge California’s law & politicians who fail to protect women and little girls.”
The protests of July 3rd and July 17th were right wing organized protests preempted by SoCal Antifa led counter-protest action.
SoCal Antifa promoted a concert event supporting Transgender rights at the end of the month on Saturday July 31st. No right wing presence posted about or manifested at the event.
This article was the basis for collaboration on a 2nd and 3rd piece for LA Magazine.
Epilogue:
The two political factions clashed later on August 14th in front of LA city hall, with Trans Radical Activist Nina Cohen (dressed in Antifa Black Bloc) caught on camera plunging a knife into the torso of an Hispanic conservative activist, as a street confrontation fomented. Cohen’s preliminary hearing is continued for January 2023.
At the beginning of September, Journalist Andy Ngo broke the story of a warrant out for the original WiSpa suspect, identifying him / her (both acceptable to the subject) to be Darren Merager.