A local activist and social media influencer is gaining attention for using his platform to alert Southern California communities of immigration raids and law enforcement activity.
Sennett Devermont is the founder of Always For The People Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on social justice issues. He’s also known as mrcheckpoint on Instagram, which has nearly 420,000 followers.
He uses his platform as a way to encourage accountability and transparency with law enforcement and the criminal justice system.
His latest video captured a woman being taken by agents and placed into an unmarked SUV near 6th and Broadway in the Jewelry District of downtown Los Angeles. A large group of bystanders is seen surrounding the agents and voicing their opposition to the arrest.
Devermont said he typically receives videos of police activity and immigration raids from his followers. From there, he and his team will verify the information before eventually posting the content to their account
“We’ll call them and ask, ‘Are you still there? What’s going on? Did they take anyone?’” Devermont explained of his vetting process. “A lot of times, we’ll get information in real-time.”
Devermont said he wants his platform to play a critical role for community members to receive information and alerts that affect their lives.
In another video he posted of an immigration raid, a man’s family coincidentally spotted him being detained after being left in the dark over his disappearance.
“I shared the video and someone says, ‘That’s my nephew! We didn’t know where he was. We didn’t even notice this had occurred if not for this video.’”
Although his page now features immigration raids more prominently, Devermont had initially created his Instagram account after he alleges he was targeted by Santa Monica officers when he was arrested for a suspected DUI, which he was later cleared of.
“The officer did not know I was filming,” he said. “I uploaded it to YouTube and got millions of views and the number one comment was, ‘This happened to me!” he recalled. “I said, ‘Did you have footage?’ It’s always a no, so instead of saying, ‘F*** the police,’ I said we should always film the police.”
Since that incident, Devermont said he’s focused on filming law enforcement activities in his community while encouraging others to do the same. He aims to empower residents to hold law enforcement agencies accountable while also standing up for those who can’t speak up, especially during the ongoing federal immigration raids.
“It’s disgusting and it breaks my heart,” he said. “I can’t keep watching these videos of people being chased and dragged.”
Devermont advises that the best way to protect yourself or others is to capture any activity involving law enforcement on your phone or camera for evidence.
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