Kiké Hernández, anthem singer Nezza protest ICE raids, exhibit bravery when Dodgers refused

Last Friday, the Dodgers returned after a six-game road trip to a city in turmoil. Protests against President Donald Trump's mobilization of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in LA and across the country became violent between June 6 and 7, as protestors clashed with the LAPD and deployed members of the National Guard. Dodgers players were reportedly advised to limit travel to their homes and the stadium.

When asked for his thoughts on the situation, Dave Roberts — the Dodgers' manager of nearly a decade and a longtime resident of southern California — dodged the question and basically said that he was too uninformed to weigh in. The Dodgers as an organization have stayed mum on the situation.

ICE raids have disproportionately affected Latino communities in LA. Silence is inexcusable for a team that "boasts that more than 40% of their fan base is Latino," hosts multiple events every season in tributes to their Hispanic and Latino fanbase, and have dedicated to wearing Fernando Valenzuela patches on their jerseys throughout the season following his passing last October.

After the franchise's move from Brooklyn, Valenzuela was instrumental in bridging the gap between the team and Latino Angelenos, who were understandably resentful of the move after thousands of Mexican Americans were displaced from Chavez Ravine to accommodate the building of Dodger Stadium.

On Saturday, Kiké Hernández became the first and so far only Dodger to speak out about the protests and show solidarity, writing on Instagram that LA was being "violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart" by ICE and the National Guard's presence. He added the hashtag CityOfImmigrants.

On Sunday, anthem singer Nezza delivered her rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" in Spanish, and said later on TikTok that it was "para mi gente." However, she also alleged that the Dodgers specifically instructed her to sing the song in English and provided video evidence.

Kiké Hernández expresses support for ICE protesters, singer Nezza delivers National Anthem in Spanish against Dodgers' wishes

The Dodgers are not the only LA franchise to remain quiet on the protests, but others are doing better by the over 1.8 million Hispanic and Latino residents of the city — 48% of LA's population as of the 2020 census. Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League released t-shirts reading "Immigrant City Football Club," with net proceeds benefitting Camino Immigration Services.

Fans, especially Hispanic and Latino fans, upset with the Dodgers for their silence are not asking their team to be a paragon of moral clarity. They're simply asking the team to support them in the way they've supported the team in the last 67 years. These fans have given their time, money, and love to an organization that hasn't made a statement of support — and most likely will not, given that protests are dying down — and whose most forward-facing leader cannot cobble together an opinion on an historical event that's happening right on his doorstep.

The comments on Hernández's post are filled with both support and vitriol — a lot of the latter telling him to stick to baseball or to educate himself, as if Hernández himself is not an immigrant who could be directly affected by the current political moment, and as if baseball exists in a plane so far divorced from current events that players are disallowed from holding or expressing opinions.

Hernández and Nezza did what the Dodgers were too afraid to do. Only one of those parties is worthy of scorn.