There may be few places where being a good neighbor carries the weight it does in Southwestern Pennsylvania. “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” was not just a television show here. Fred Rogers was an actual neighbor.
That instinct often shows itself when something goes wrong close to home. People show up at fundraisers. They give to GoFundMe campaigns. They rally quickly when neighbors are in trouble.
When a man was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the reaction was immediate and just as passionate.
Much of that response focused on supporting Jose Flores and his family, Nicaraguan natives with legal status and pending asylum claims. Flores and his wife, Hariett, hold valid five-year work permits and are fully documented, with state-issued driver’s licenses and Real IDs. Nonetheless, Flores was arrested Jan. 29 as he was taking his daughter Lily, 8, to school.
Support for the Flores family was quick. An online fundraiser raised nearly $100,000 to help cover legal fees and lost income, drawing more than 1,500 donations ranging from $5 to $5,000. Political leaders publicly voiced their support, and Oakmont Council is set to vote Feb. 17 on a noncooperation resolution.
Flores was released from ICE custody Saturday and reunited with his family. His attorney said officials did not provide a specific explanation for his detention or the decision to release him.
But there was another response — one directed at Jose Flores’ employer, Oakmont Bakery.
The popular sweet shop has become the target of outrage on social media. There was speculation the bakery or someone affiliated with it had reported Flores to authorities. Boycotts have been bandied about. The business has fielded calls from people throwing out more personal attacks at employees. Fascists and Nazis, people were called.
But Oakmont Bakery co-owner Marc Serrao says his business has been in the Flores corner. Hariett Flores called Serrao first when her husband was arrested. He helped find an attorney and has contributed to legal fees.
Videos on social media have shrugged off this context. They underscore the relationship between Oakmont Bakery and various Republican campaigns, including playing host to Eric Trump during Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign and JD Vance while he campaigned for vice president in 2024.
But accuracy still matters, especially given the viral nature of social media. The Flores case has drawn comparisons to the story of young Liam Conejo Ramos, the Minneapolis kindergartner detained by ICE last month.
After the Super Bowl halftime show Sunday, rumors flashed across the internet that the little boy handed a Grammy by headliner Bad Bunny was Ramos. It would have been a great story. It also was not true. The child was a young actor, Lincoln Fox.
Everyone has a right to take to the internet or gather in the street to protest, to write a congressman or to show up at a municipal meeting to demand action. But with those rights comes a responsibility to act ethically and to seek real and accurate information before taking action.
That matters because our neighborhoods are not little corners of make-believe where facts can be picked to suit the moment. They are symbiotic environments, where what affects one family ripples outward to affect others. The impact on a business spirals quickly to its employees.
This is a challenging time, and the consequences of action and inaction can be real. So, too, are the divisions cutting across our communities. But Southwestern Pennsylvania is full of good neighbors. Sometimes, that just requires a reminder.