In mid-May a new social media account called Red Angeles, featuring video clips, started being shared on familiar LOKA pages. Despite sounding like a nickname Joe McCarthy would use for mid-century Los Angeles, Red Angeles purports to be a "faith-based" network of podcasts. The instagram account was quickly populated with video clips featuring familiar LOKA figures including:
Failed school board candidate Aneta Krpekyan, who rehashes her 3-years-old rage about the donation of LGBTQ+ inclusive books to GUSD school libraries.
David Hernandez, founder of the LA Hispanic Republican Club and host of a weekly radio show on the Salem-media (a large Christian Nationalist media conglomerate)-owned AM870.
Tara Martinez-Fernandez, one half of 180.Shift, a right-leaning social media/streaming entity which features teen mom Tara and recent high school graduate Ellie Santana-Zavala and purports to be focused on motivating Gen Z to participate in politics. Tara and Ellie are both TPUSA ambassadors and Tara has been busy-- she recently launched a TPUSA chapter at a La Crescenta church and is credited by Red Angeles as the Social Media Manager. The set shown in Red Angeles network podcasts appears similar to the set used for 180.shift podcasts.
Benito (Benny) Bernal, a Republican candidate for congress, frequently seen with David Hernandez (including at the GUSD board meeting riot on 6/6/23). Bernal is also the communications director of 180.Shift.
Beau Robinson, a failed actor who appears to be chasing the spotlight as a reactionary instagram content creator.
Brother and sister duo Phillip and Arden Young. Phillip appears wearing a Boogaloo shirt- a reference to a desired race war and the logo for his show features Pepe the Frog, a cartoon currently categorized as a hate symbol because of its use on extremist channels such as 8chan. Arden claims to have gone undercover to expose illegal practices at PornHub as part of a new outfit "Sound Investigations" which appears to use James O'Keefe-like hidden camera investigations to target PornHub specifically. Arden has previously appeared on reactionary channels/pocasts hosted by transphobe/anti-abortion extremist Allie Beth Stuckey, the TPUSA-connected Charlie Kirk Show, and the Daily Wire's Michael Knowles show (Knowles is a Traditional Latin Mass cultist who believes divorce should be outlawed and parents who affirm trans youth should be jailed).
On the Red Angeles YouTube Channel, 5 shows are listed including the LOKA Podcast hosted by LOKA spokesperson Manuk Grigoryan. In its first episode, plumber/transphobe/misogynist Edgar Essayan, appearing to be intoxicated, joined Grigoryan to rant about gender. Elephant in the Room appears to be hosted by Benny Bernal, Red Angeles Report by David Hernandez, CA PropCast by Phillip Young, and Heart of the Issues by Tracy Schroeder who is currently running for CA Assembly district 46 and was a vocal proponent of the failed "Restricts Rights of Transgender Youth" ballot initiative.
While the network claims to be "making waves" it looks like basically the same reactionary elements who've been trying for years to infiltrate local communities with hateful reactionary content.
So far, all that's interesting is that this seems to be yet another attempt by dark-money funded media groups like Salem to rebrand and create niche content with local extremists, with an apparent focus on a younger audience.
That and the fact that Red Angeles appears to be an accurate mask-off look at the professional politicians, too-online bigots and conspiracy theorists, and well-funded political operatives who comprise the LOKA movement. Aneta told us she's not going anywhere, and boy, does that seem true!
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