The New York members had first read about the Chicago Young Lords in an issue of the Black Panther newspaper that supported actions for Puerto Rican and Latino self-determination and publicized the increasing repression of Jose Cha Cha Jimenez and the Chicago National Headquarters. The New York office followed the actions of the People's Church in Chicago and took over the First Spanish United Methodist Church in East Harlem Over 100 members were arrested in the two-week takeover. National Headquarters members encouraged the New York members not to resist arrests to avoid bloodshed.