Centro CSO is a group that advocates for liberal expansionist immigration policy and other left-wing goals primarily through rallies and protests held throughout the Los Angeles area. The group advocates for the complete legalization of all immigration and immediate legal status for all illegal immigrants in the United States. The group is also a part of the radical-left Chicano movement. ¹²

Centro CSO does not appear to be a legally established nonprofit organization. Its website is a free WordPress page and does not list any staff members. However, Centro CSO does solicit donations, with two-thirds of the donations in its current fundraising session coming from a single anonymous donor. ³

Centro CSO has operated since at least the late 1990s. ⁴

Leadership

Marisol Marquez has been named as a member of Centro CSO and launched the group’s fundraising page. ^{5 6} Marquez is also a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (also known as Liberation Road), a far-left communist group. Marquez has previously described herself as a “Marxist-Leninist.” Marquez supports the Chicano movement, a Latino ethnic-nationalist movement which seeks self-determination for Hispanic people in an independent country often known as “Aztlan.” The movement seeks to establish the ethno-state in the Southwestern United States, claiming that the territory was unjustly taken from Mexico by the United States during the Mexican-American War. ⁷⁸

Left-wing activist Carlos Montes has also been listed as a leader of Centro CSO. ⁹ Montes protested Hispanic involvement in the Vietnam War and alleged racism in the Los Angeles school system. He was a co-founder of the Brown Berets, a Chicano nationalist group modeled after the left-wing militant Black Panther Party. He also helped found Movimento Estudiantil de Aztlan (MECHA), a student Chicano movement group. ¹⁰

In 1969, Montes was a member of the first National Chicano Youth Liberation Conference where the Plan Espiritual de Aztlan was passed. The plan officially demanded an ethno-nationalist state for Hispanic people on U.S. territory. In 2004, Montes became a field representative for the left-of-center Service Employees International Union (SEIU). ¹¹ In 2011, Montes was arrested and sentenced to three years of probation for perjury after failing to disclose a prior felony conviction while purchasing a firearm. ¹²

Activism

Black Lives Matter and Defund the Police

Centro CSO supports the left-of-center Black Lives Matter movement. After the death of George Floyd, Centro CSO organized Black Lives Matter rallies in Los Angeles but received backlash from local activists because the rallies were run and attended primarily by Hispanic people, rather than African-American organizers. ¹³

Centro CSO leader Marisol Marquez has spoken in support of defunding law enforcement agencies. ¹⁴

Chicanx Moratorium

Centro CSO hosts an annual Chicanx Moratorium (formerly known as the “Chicano Moratorium”) in which Hispanic workers and students stage walkouts to protest alleged systemic oppression. The Chicanx Moratorium originated during the Vietnam War with the Brown Berets, which were co-founded by Centro CSO leader Carlos Montes. Presently, the protest is focused on alleged police brutality. ¹⁵¹⁶

May Day Rally

Every year, Centro CSO holds a May Day rally. In 2021, the rally, which featured flags with Che Guevara’s image, was focused on opposing “killer cops” and the construction of charter schools in Los Angeles. Centro CSO leader Carlos Montes spoke at the rally about organizing “oppressed minorities” to build a “revolution” to “overthrow the system.” ¹⁷

The rally was also attended by left-wing organizations including the United Brown Coalition, Black Lives Matter-LA, White People for Black Lives, Eastside Padres Contra La Privaticazión, Justice X, MECHA de CSULA, Third World Power, La Raza Unida Party, LA Catholic Worker, the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, and Casa del Mexicano Gardners. ¹⁸

COVID-19 School Petition

Centro CSO launched a petition on demanding that the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) implement stricter COVID-19 safety standards for its in-person reopening. The petition included demands for social distancing mandates and school-wide online seminars with information on how to prevent the spread of the disease. As of August 2021, the petition has fewer than 600 signatories. ¹⁹

1. Marquez, Marisol. “My journey to Aztlan.” FRSO. March 4, 2020. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://frso.org/statements/my-journey-to-aztlan/.
2. “Centro CSO.” Facebook. August 28, 2018. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/CentroCSO/posts/1922334474525871/.
3. “Help Centro CSO – Donate Now.” GoFundMe. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-centro-cso-donate-now.
4. “Carlos Montes Papers.” Online Archive of California. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8zg6vn5/.
5. Arce, Ernesto. “Southland Communities Debate How To Defund The Police.” KPFK. June 11, 2020. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://www.kpfk.org/blogs/kpfk-news-department/post/southland-communities-debate-how-to-defund-the-police/.
6. “Help Centro CSO – Donate Now.” GoFundMe. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-centro-cso-donate-now.
7. Marquez, Marisol. “My journey to Aztlan.” FRSO. March 4, 2020. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://frso.org/statements/my-journey-to-aztlan/.
8. “Centro CSO.” Facebook. August 28, 2018. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/CentroCSO/posts/1922334474525871/.
9. “Los Angeles: Boyle Heights celebrates May Day.” Fight Back! News. May 10, 2021. Accessed August 11, 2021. http://www.fightbacknews.org/2021/5/10/los-angeles-boyle-heights-celebrates-may-day.
10. Gold, Lauren. “Alhambra activist Carlos Montes enters guilty plea on felony gun charge.” Pasadena Star-News. June 5, 2012. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2012/06/05/alhambra-activist-carlos-montes-enters-guilty-plea-on-felony-gun-charge/.
11. “Carlos Montes Papers.” Online Archive of California. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8zg6vn5/.
12. Gold, Lauren. “Alhambra activist Carlos Montes enters guilty plea on felony gun charge.” Pasadena Star-News. June 5, 2012. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2012/06/05/alhambra-activist-carlos-montes-enters-guilty-plea-on-felony-gun-charge/.
13. Contreras, Russel. “Activists: Police killings of Latinos lack attention.” Gainseville.com. August 17, 2020. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://www.gainesville.com/ZZ/news/20200817/activists-police-killings-of-latinos-lack-attention.
14. Arce, Ernesto. “Southland Communities Debate How To Defund the Police.” KPFK. June 11, 2020. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://www.kpfk.org/blogs/kpfk-news-department/post/southland-communities-debate-how-to-defund-the-police/.
15. “51^st Chicanx Moratorium Speakers List and Booth Sign Up.” Google Docs. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfyA7QFdqx9qHtLhRJbzqgybeBQHP4rysGFlUbzzkYXdmoZAw/viewform.
16. Martinez, Vanessa; Barajas, Julia. “The CHICANAS Revolt.” Los Angeles Times. August 23, 2020. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://www.latimes.com/projects/chicano-moratorium/female-brown-berets-create-chicana-movement/.
17. “Los Angeles: Boyle Heights celebrates May Day.” Fight Back! News. May 10, 2021. Accessed August 11, 2021. http://www.fightbacknews.org/2021/5/10/los-angeles-boyle-heights-celebrates-may-day.
18. “Los Angeles: Boyle Heights celebrates May Day.” Fight Back! News. May 10, 2021. Accessed August 11, 2021. http://www.fightbacknews.org/2021/5/10/los-angeles-boyle-heights-celebrates-may-day.
19. “A SAFER Return to School for Los Angeles Students.” Change.org. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://www.change.org/p/los-angeles-families-a-safer-return-for-los-angeles-students?utm_content=cl_sharecopy_30269113_en-US%3A7&recruiter=1181457208&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=G%3ESearch%3ESAP%3EUS.