Michael Angel Alvarez received taxpayer money from the city of Los Angeles as a “peace ambassador.” He also happens to be a member of a terrorist gang, a convicted murderer, and the bearer of the nickname “Diablo.”
This criminal with the angelic name and infernal nickname is an active member of the 18th Street gang, which has become increasingly powerful and influential in L.A. under the reign of Mayor Karen Bass (D-estroyer). Federal officials have been concentrating anti-drug trafficking efforts in the area of MacArthur Park, L.A., an area some locals have mourned as an open-air drug market for cartels, and where the feds caught Alvarez. The 18th Street gang, or Barrio 18, also happens to be a designated foreign terrorist organization. Did Dems make "Diablo" Alvarez a "peace ambassador" to spite federal authorities, or is this an instance of willful ignorance and vast incompetence?
MacArthur Park Update
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) May 29, 2026
This morning, @FBILosAngeles arrested Michael Angel Alvarez, 41, a.k.a. “Diablo,” an active 18th Street gang member, convicted murderer, and Los Angeles “Peace Ambassador” who is being paid with L.A. city taxpayer dollars.
According to Councilwoman… pic.twitter.com/zXMMoItNIq
First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli provided a "MacArthur Park Update" Friday, May 29, to discuss the FBI arrest of Alvarez. He quoted activist and Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez (D), who represents District 1 (including MacArthur Park). Hernandez, who describes herself as a "community organizer" and "daughter of Mexican immigrants," asserted, "Peace Ambassadors are embedded in the communities they serve. Their presence strengthens safety networks and ensures families have someone to turn to outside of law enforcement when facing non-emergency conflict or community stress.”
And yet one of this bozo's "peace ambassadors" is a literal terrorist. His latest charge is possession of body armor by a violent felon, which can carry a sentence of five years in prison. And what is the felony, you ask? Essayli explained:
Alvarez was convicted in 2002 for first-degree murder for which he was sentenced to 50 years to life in state prison, but was released by the State of California after serving just 24 years’ imprisonment.
There is no indication Alvarez has ever stopped associating with the 18th Street gang. In fact, in jailhouse telephone call recordings of Alvarez since his release from state prison, he discussed assaulting individuals for breaking gang rules.
Yet Alvarez received $58,000 last year — more than many Angelenos make in a year — to work for "Healing Urban Barrios." This deceptively named group contracts with the city of L.A. for the District 1 "Peace Ambassador program." While supposedly healing urban barrios, Alvarez was fueling the violence and drug crime that have ruined District 1.
Apparently, Alvarez has been making a great deal of money off something other than woke activism, based on the following information from Essayli:
@LAPDRampart officers who searched Alvarez’s car near MacArthur Park on May 18 discovered two body armor plates in the trunk. The plates are from Las Vegas and are marketed as “the highest protection level available on the civilian market.”
Remember, Alvarez himself has talked about assaulting victims and continuing his association with Barrio 18 up to the present. Alvarez's arrest comes soon after the feds arrested city-funded nonprofit People Assisting the Homeless employee Christopher Barret Johnson for trafficking deadly drugs. Just how many taxpayer-paid individuals in Los Angeles are also murderous criminals? Please vote for Spencer Pratt, Angelenos.
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