The Sleepy Lagoon Murder Part 1

0:09 Hi everyone. This is Carmen and Christina and this is Estadias Unknown, a podcast where we talk about Latin American history. Sometimes it's horrible and deals with tybee topics like racism, corruption, and genocide. But more than that, it's also by resistance, power and community. And we are entering another series for me, a series. Yes, yes, So I'm just going to jump into my little intro here. From June third to June eighth, nineteen forty three, US military members off to the cops and civilians who were mostly all white, went around attacking Mexicans and other minorities in La, identifying their victims by their attire, the zoot suit. And this dark event in US history is known today as the zoot Suit Riots.

0:58 But before we do in apisode about the zootsu Riots, we need to talk about something that happened before. Do you mean some context? You know it? This whole episode is context. I love context, right. Without this event, the Zoot two Riots might not even have happened. And this event was the Sleepy Lagoon Murder. And now some context for the context, context squared. Yes, that's what that's what's happening today. So we have talked about Mexican migration to the LA Area and other episodes like the Sharvest Ravine episode among others, a bunch really throughout, So just a quick over beyond that, the Mexican Revolution really ramped up migration to the LA Area. However, there was already migration during World War One. During World War two, especially with the program and even those outside of the Bestsettle Program going to the yes to fill the gap in the workforce because everyone was off in the war and Mexicans settled into neighborhoods, the population grew. These you know, became or right away were blow income areas, which were always like known to be dangerous. I think we talked about it in the Shraveservin episode. But like the guy who wanted to make that big Section eight complex would drive

2:30 tour buses like, oh, look at these ghetto people look at this like yeah, so that's what disgusting behavior, very disgusting. And also like we know, redlining was happening during this time foreseeing everyone to stay in these areas and these areas become overcrowded, on so on and on. Yeah, then Pearl Harbor took place, and this contributed to already growing racial tensions in LA, which of course only worsened with ex secutive Order nine zero sixty six where those with Japanese ancestry were all put into concentration camps. Then, on the twenty third of February nineteen forty two, at two twenty one am, a radar picked up enemy planes one hundred and twenty miles outside of LA. It was reported that four planes were shot down, and it was like this event was called the Battle of Los Angeles, but these planes never existed. There was no planes. Oh so yeah, they were just freaking out, like somebody must have said something like there, what is that? Yes, hysteria, So what did they hear or see? I don't know, like a regular plane or no, there was no planes found. It was dismissed as a false alarm. Okay. Interesting, And during this event some infrastructure was damaged because they fired at these supposed planes wow, that were not there. And someone died of a heart attack during all this because they like announced it. They were like, oh, we're being like star radio. Yeah, yeah, there's enemy planes in the vicinity.

4:03 And so the only person who have died of this is it was a heart attack. Wow. This false alarm only revealed how afraid people were and when people it's a scary time when everyone else, sorry, let me rephrase that, it's a scary time for everyone else when white people are afraid. Oh okay, if you weren't going to say that, I was just going to say that. Yeah. And so there was obviously like Japanese and those with Japanese ancestry were already labeled as enemies, right, and that's not like a thing that people are like, Oh, they're just being racist against white people, like it's legitimate, Like people die because of white fear, Like oh no, yeah, black children were lynched, black men were women, you know what I mean, Like it's statement. Yeah, we have so many episodes that result from white fear. And so this white fear led to many Anglo Angelino's to begin to say or believe or spread this notion that Mexicans had a trace of oriental behavior. The fuck does that even mean? Basically saying like they're more Japanese than American, Oh, saying that they're foreign, yes, and the enemy. Yeah. And these beliefs influenced what were going down during the Sleepy Lagoon, Like, well, the aftermath of the sleepy lagoon murder would be informed by this belief.

5:39 So in the middle of all of that that I just said taking place, this jazz age was like a thing, right I think. I mean obviously, from like the nineteen twenties into like what nineteen forties, jazz was super popular and jazz everyone like, jazz was so popular with everyone, but it was just embraced by the working class. Yeah, and obviously it was like it originated from black people. We don't have jazz without black people. And the style of dress from jazz that was adopted by Mexican American youth the zootsu So if you're wondering what this looked like, we will post pictures on Instagram as well. But the outfit was made up of a fingertip coat, meaning it usually went up to the ankles. It goes a very long coat and a pair of poon job style pants, so loose pants that were tapered at the ankle, skinnier at the bottom than the top. Some added a long watch chain and a hat which was called a dando.

6:40 And eventually this went out of style and they would just comb their hair back into a pumpadoor. So like it was bigger on the top. Yeah, almost like a little like poof like the teasing, but in the front of the head the back. Yes, this was known as the art Argentine ducktail or ducks ass. I don't know, I guess I think it did look like yeah, yeah, it kind of looked like a ductail. This look was topped off with black galcos or thick soled black shoes. For women who supported the zutsu, because yes, they existed too, Some chose to wear the same outfit as men, but many wore a cardigan or a V neck sweater with the long, broad shouldered fingertip coat and a knee lengthd pleated skirt with fish net stockings, with platform heels, saddle shoes or wataches sandals. They also put on dark lipstick and used foam inserts called rats to lift their hair into a hi bufont, which honestly responsible teasing that we all did in like high school. Well I never did it. It didn't work there as well with our hair, but that actually better with their hair. Oh really, Well, I would say I didn't know how to do it, then you're just me either. I didn't really do it, but no, I just never tried to do it. Any hair holds shape longer, it doesn't matter. My point in that. My

8:13 point in that is that the teasing, I think feels like a cousin of this hype bufont look because back then it was like all of it, maybe like a little nibbling because it was smaller. Yeah, but yeah, very very similar. Yeah. And if they wanted to be more extra, they would also lighten their hair with peroxide and sport some tattoos. That was like the complete ultimate look, the ultimate pacho pachuca. Yes, speaking of those who dress in the style were called pachucos or patucas or cholos, cholitas, doudors or zudorinas. I've never heard those. I've only ever heard patchiko and pachuca. Yeah. Most spoke in pachuko slang, which was also known as kala, which I didn't know.

9:01 I didn't know that either. Wow. And this was highly associated with kings, and most of them were Mexican American. And I read this very interesting quote in The Woman in the zoot Suit by Catherine Esramidez. So quote they were pitied or ridiculed as cultural orphans as spochas and bocho's Americanized Mexicans. Yah. Yes. According to the cultural critic Octavio pass the Batuco had lost his whole inheritance, language, religion, customs, beliefs. He was a cultural bastard. Oh my god, I felt that end quote. Yeah, but is that not like, I know, I don't want to bring this up again because I'm sick of it. But the discourse, Yeah, the discourse of like, oh, I'm tired of being a victim or of the Niaki na. Yeah.

9:54 But there's like a reason it's so persistent because it applies yesterday as much as the does today. Yeah, then as much as now. Yeah. And while this may steer a little bit away from where we are headed, the Sleepy Laguan murder, it's all context mm hm. And I also wanted to talk about this quote from the book quote. Many Mexicans have used the term to chastise and derived Mexican Americans, especially those who appear to have ruined their Spanish without ever quite learning English. Pocho's did not do a good enough job imitating the Yankee. Not only did they do a poor job imitating Yankees, they also failed to mimic Mexicans adequately. Neither this, nor that they appeared to be more cultural void than cultural hybrid. Their ability to speak English, Spanish and Patuco slaying, to quote switch, and to invent neologisms like new ways of speaking I guess oh, thank you, okay neologisms was not seen Oh okay, I don't know, I didn't look it up. To invent neologisms was not seen as a sign of a creative and rich lingualism, but as evidence of an utter lack of language. They possessed too much of the wrong sort of culture Mexicanists and too little of the right kind American iss end quote. We can only frown at that. Wow. Wow, wow.

11:19 I mean, I'm sure that's how people feel and felt about it then and probably still now. Yes, I don't agree with that obviously, no, right, but I think it's an accurate way that some people view. Yeah. I mean, that's why that saying is never going to go away, neither King da Yam, because it's true. Yeah. Yeah, and too. So this was a view from both Americans and like Mexicans. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Yeah, And on top of like this already existing view of Mexican youth back then, but also applies to now. The media was also like regular literally contributing to these orbity negative stereotypes. The La Times would publish these papers where they attributed juvenile delinquency to quote language variants in the home where the parents speak no English and cling the past culture and this is why people were hesitant to teach their children Spanish and why a lot of Latina descented people don't know Spanish now and they're made fun of instead of you know, it's all connected. Yeah, okay, So back to the zutsuit.

12:34 This style had been around since jazz and it can be dated to at least nineteen thirties Harlem. But what it evolved into that's newer. And so during World War Two, when resources were scarce and patriotism was at an all time high, the zoot suit was seen as anti patriotic. The fabric used to produce was the same for military uniforms, and after Pearl Harbor and the usf actually entering World War Two, wool and other textiles were placed under strict rationing, and the US War Production Board regulated the production of civilian clothing made with silk, wool and other essential fabrics, and the zootsuit was made of these fabrics, and so due to these restrictions, and in that sense it was a form of protest and anti warn well. I mean, I think I think we can look back and say essay, I will and in this essay. But due to these resiction restrictions, LA and other urban areas saw the growth of bootleg tilers that continued to make zootsuits. And these were expensive. They were so expensive, like one hundred and twenty five dollars to one hundred and forty five dollars back then. Damn, oh do you want to like look that up? But that is or do I two thousand, two hundred to two thousand three hundred, Oh my god, a lot crazy, insane. Some people pop saved up for years to buy one. So many people only had one.

14:05 And these were like worned you. You had to be dressed nice to go out into like jazz clubs, and so this is what they wore to look nice. It was nice looking and it was a point of pride to be worrying one because it was like, oh, I worked hard for this. Some people got it on credit. Malcolm X himself wore one when he first left like the South and got to the city, and so he wore one himself. But yeah, it was a point of pride for those who were sporting this outfit. They looked good. But two servicemen and others, like white people, this zuzu was unpatriotic, okay. And so now now we have all the contexts, most of the contexts of the time period and the zusu itself. So a little bit about Sleepy Lagoon itself. Sleepy Lagoon was a reservoir next to the Los Angeles River around what is now five four zero zero Lindberg Lane and Bell, although some people say it's five to five zero zero's Lawson Avenue in Bell and Bell is an incorporated city in La County, considered a suburb of La fun facts, it's the thirteenth smallest city in the US and over ninety percent Latino according to the twenty twenty census. Well also low in Camerea. And some things haven't changed because back then when the Sleepy Lagoon murder took place, it was largely Latino. In the

15:38 late nineteen twenties, this area near Sleepy Lagoon was settled by ranch hands of the Williams Ranch, so the ranch workers it was in a small village of modest houses that Josse Guyardodias would live until his tragic murder in Sleepy Lagoon. And Jose was born on December ninth, nineteen nineteen, to tell Alodias and Panfila gayard Odias in Durango, Mexico, and four years after his birth, like thousands of Mexicans, his family fled the Mexican Revolution and headed north. They entered through El Paso and eventually went west to California, and for a while they followed whatever crop was in season, working in the lettuce fields of Salina's, grapes in Parlier, oranges in Ontario, and plums in Santa Clara. By nineteen twenty eight, the family had settled outside of Los Angeles in this you know community. And this community was made up of Mexicans, a couple of Italian families, at least one Japanese family, and one Chinese family, and it was tight knit. They celebrated birthdays, weddings, and funerals together. And due to the segregation of these times, the supplies to like all of California, but specifically this area. Due to the segregation of these times, Mexican youth had no choice but to swim at places like Sleepy Lagoon because they couldn't go to public pools. They weren't allowed to swim at those. One of the only options was attending home parties because they weren't allowed into like these other places.

17:07 A lot of times communities had to organize neighborhood dances because they wouldn't be allowed in other damns. Even home parties are political, no truly, and also like hang out in front of malt shops or at street corners, and in these gathering spaces, posidias probably came across those who would later be accused of his murder Damn. Though Josa himself was never associated with batchugal lifestyle. Yes, he listened to jazz and he liked it, but he didn't have a batu goal or he didn't have abitzo the opposite. Really, he was said to leave for the army. The first weekend in August nineteen forty two was his last before he was set to ship off for basic Damn. And he wasn't even subject to the draft because he was born in Mexico. He volunteered. Yeah, he felt a sense of duty to his adoptive country. He was part of the Mexicans, Mexican Americans and Mexicans who volunteer to fight in this war and then were treated like shit. After all, he would have been if he had joined right, right, right, But yeah. His siblings Sokoro and Lino Diaz, described Jose as quiet, reserved, and even conservative for his age, as in, like a rule follower and things like that. Yeah, I figured that. Okay, I'm not dumb. We had to be clear these days. I'm sorry. Yeah, Like, he didn't party, he followed the rules, blah blah blah. Yeah, he was responsible his like he had been working since like eighth grade,

18:40 and he gave his money to his parents to help out things like that. He normally didn't even attend parties, but Saturday, August first, nineteen forty two, was his last chance to hang out with everyone. The de Ladillo family, who lived one hundred yards away from him, had spent weeks preparing for the twenty first birthday of their daughter Eleanor the Yokornado, and before leaving for the party, he had even told his mom he didn't feel like going. He was anxious and uneasy, but he went anyway. Wow, the party itself started off pretty slow because you know, people don't get there. They're on Mexican time, right right. So most of the thirty families who were invited started arriving by nine pm, and that's when the BANDA started to play music. Cool Jose rarely drink, but tonight was different.

19:29 He was having fun and he was accepting all of the drinks that his friends and co workers were handing him. He spent his time talking to everyone, drinking and taking turns dancing with the Deado sisters. Everything was fun and fine. The party sounds like a good time. No, it sounds like a great time. Yeah until Yeah, the party went well except around eleven pm a group of Anglos who had not been invited started to cause some problems. Why the fuck were they there, I don't know. They heard there was a party and they showed up and they I mean, they weren't kicked out right away, not until they started causing problems. Then they were kicked out. And this group called themselves the Downy Boys. I mean they were from Downey and they were a group of boys.

20:14 This group called themselves the Downy Boys because they were from Downny. Around the same time that this happened, At the party, there was a group of friends from Latrin Tayocho thirty eighth Street who were gathering at Sleepy Lagoon. This was a regular hangout spot, especially for Mexican youth and couples. So this group of friends from thirty eighth Street, they sat in their cars drinking, talking or quote unquote necking making. Now, yeah, it's just it's a funny word I'm saying. Some of them were sixteen year old Josephine Gonzalez, Jack Melendez, her fifteen year old sister Jenny, Henry Levas, his girlfriend Dora Bacca, Bobby Deyes in a third car, Johnny mattous Manny Delgado, Gilbert Mendoza and Gus Samura. As a group hung out, they saw a car coming from the direction of the Del Ladios party. I will well, I didn't bring my book with me, but there's a little map that shows how close together all this happened, and it's very close, like the the Ladigos lived like a quarter mile away from Sleepy Lagoon. I mean it all sounds close. Yeah. He did say that he lived what one hundred yards from the family that was throwing the party, and it sounds like this lagoon was close by too, it was yeah, And so they saw a car coming from the direction of the Del Ladigos and like, still the community is small. They all know each other, even if they're not directly from this like Williams Ranch, like they're from thirty eighth Street, but they still know

21:46 people from here. And so they saw that car coming from the direction of the Del Ladios, and this car the people in this car began to yell insults, to which Henry Leavas responded because he wasn't about to be arrist or insulting in front of his girl or his friends, and so he responded, I mean anyone usually would respond yeah, well some people might not some people might turn the other way, you know, right, not me. I would yell that. I know, I'm like not I but some people I have been known to yell like cars when they say something to me. And then my friends are like, stop, You're gonna get us killed, and I'm like fuck you. So I can't even help it just comes out. And so yeah, there was back and forth, but the car drove off, and so then the friends calmed down and they were like, all right, well, we can just go chill and so some of them paired off into their you know pairings, and wondered into the dark, you know, to do some little neck in action that is a fun word. But after three minutes they heard a fight.

22:52 So the boys in these neck in pairs, So the girls stay back and they ran to see what was going on, and then they saw sixteen young men beating up both Henry and Dora. Sixteen yeah, sixteen on two, oh my god, and a girl. Yes not of course they shouldn't be attacking Henry either, but still, where is where? Like, where's the respect? Where's the rules? No respect for brown women? Not by a Mexican. I was gonna say, this is a Mexican woman. But on top of that, she's dressed like a zoo suitor, a cholita, So this already puts her in a different category. Yeah where she's okay, telling her fabric. Yeah, but these well I don't think we really ever know who this group was. We don't. We never find out the sixteen not confirmed, no wow, their speculation and you won't get into it. But so the boys came out from their necking areas that I need to stop. They came out from where they were necking neck to defend Henry and Dora, but they were out.

24:00 So they basically were getting the ship beat out of them, all of them now at this point, and they had to like run into the cornfields to get away from this group and stay there in side until we know that. We don't know who these sixteen uh people were, but we know they were wire now. No, we don't know anything really except Henry was the one who said it was a downy gang. Oh, I see, but I mean it was dark at this point. Maybe he didn't even get a good look himself. I don't know, but there's a good chance it was them, But this I don't from what I've been reading, I can't find confirmation that it was them. But he said it was a downy gang after the group had left, because so Henry and his gang of friends, so yeah, they were they well they ran into the cornfield and hid until the group left. Basically, yeah, in the middle of them getting beat up, they were all like ran retreated really into the cornfield, and eventually this group that attacked them left and that's when they all came out of the cornfields and Henry was like, it was a downy gang and so now Henry and his group they all went back to third Yate Street and they said, we were just attacked by the Downy boys.

25:12 And so you can't you know, you know how it is in the hood. Yeah, this is now not just this wasn't just an attack on Henry. This was a personal attack on all of them, right. And so twenty two young men and thirteen young women packed themselves into six cars and they drove down to Sleepy Lagoon. But when they arrived, no one was there. And if someone hadn't opened their mouths and their giant mouth, this could have all ended here. But someone in the group, we don't know who. Someone in the group said we might find the Downy boys at the De la Gadio party. Oh but at this point it's one am. Okay. The party at the De la Gadios was pretty much over.

25:56 The band was gone, most of the guests were gone. It was just sisters, their spouses or partners, and they had brought out the small radio to keep dancing while their parents course were cleaning their poor parents. Yeah, all the guests, including Jose had already started walking. Oh I'm over here. I thinking like Henry survived this Henry is not even the one that was. Oh no, this is jose who was neighbors. Okay, okay, So now they're going back to the party, which is street. Yeah, Henry and his thirty eight street friends are going back to the party because they said we'll find the downy boys there. And the Downing boys were there, but that was around eleven PM, a long time ago. They were long gone.

26:39 And so yeah, now the party's finishing. But the thirty A Street descends upon this party, and so Henry Levass and six other young men they walk up to the fence. They don't go past the fence right away, but they demand to know where the boys that said they were going to beat them up if they were here. They were like where are they that Gadio's were like everyone's gone, Like there's no one here. But at this point, like Henry and his friends, they were looking for a fight. Yeah, they're bloodthirsty at this point. Yeah, And so he locked eyes with Cruse Regyes, Josephine de Gadio, Reyes's husband, and maybe he thought he looked like, well, this is why I'm like, no one knows other than why he like, no one knows why he locked eyes on Gruse. Reyes maybe he looked like one other downy boys, but again, the downy boys were all white. Gruse is not, so who knows, or he was just like he just wanted to fight. Yeah, he just wanted to fight. But he locked eyes with him, and he stormed towards Gruse and started swinging. So Josephine de Gadio then rushed to defend her husband. But Henry's swinging like at everyone, and so he knocks her out. Everyone's yelling like why are you hitting women? Like what the fuck? Yeah, and then it turned into like a free for all at some point, Yeah, the the thirty eight stream game. Because they're like six cars deep. They all run into the house. They start

28:12 everyone starts hitting everyone. At some point, one of the sisters is like, oh my god, don't touch my mom to my mom. Everyone's either fighting back or yelling like for Henry and his group to leave. It's just free for all. But it doesn't last very long. Someone yelled oubt that the police was coming, and so the thirty eighth Street Friend group ran back to their cars and left. And so now they got your household and the remaining the few remaining guests began to tend to their wounds, clean and search the grounds for others who may have been hurt. This is when they find Joseas line Line, face down on a dirt road. His pockets were turned inside out. He was barely breathing and bleeding heavily. Oh my god, he was on his way home. He wasn't even at the part, and they found him when they were searching for everyone who might have been hurt in this incident. So Josedias was taken to the Los Angeles County General Hospital around They arrived around three am. He was diagnosed with a cerebral concussion. His face had a really bad cut on it, very swollen at the nose and eyes, and he was bleeding from his left ear.

29:27 He had been stabbed twice and one of his fingers was broken on his left hand. Damn, and he never woke up. An hour and a half later after his arrival to the hospital, he was dead, and his death was used as an excuse for LAPD to target Mexicans, specifically zoot suitors pachucos. In the week that followed up to August tenth, the police rounded up six hundred Mexican, mostly Mexican men who were charged Mexican American men who were charged with suspicion of assault, armed robbery and related offenses offenses. Wow. One hundred and seventy five of these were actually held and like put in jail in direct response to his murder. Twenty two were charged with assault with a deadly weapon and or murder. Seventeen of the twenty two were young Mexican men slash teams because some of them, some of them were like twenty one, some of them were sixteen and five young women slash teens?

30:36 Was this the whole group that was there? This is more people, isn't it. This is twenty two and they were six cars. Oh I forgot it was six cars. This is about the same number. Okay, so might a few it is the group? Yeah, I just I'm not going into it because that's going to be part two. Oh okay, I haven't said their names because all of that's going to be impart too, literally me my next sentences, and that is where we will leave part one. Oh, I'm all like, well, did they get the right people or what you'll find out? And part two wow? Okay, yeah, and Part two is where we will go over the trial, the eventual appeal. You've heard the People versus Samora, right, I believe, So, okay, that's this case. I wonder I don't know if five four has an episode on it. Oh, I don't remember having them having an episode on it. Okay, Well, yeah, if anyone remembers from their studies or at some point reading the People versus s Amura, this is that case. Yeah, so there was an eventual appeal. There was even a play at some point the Zusu, very famous Edward almost starting it. That play is about the Sleepy Lagoon murder slash trial. And then you know, after that episode that's part two. Then part three will be the Zuzu rights themselves. Okay, and who knows if that will be one or two parts.

31:59 We don't know yet. But yeah, that was this episode. We have reached the end. All right, thank you for the context. We'll be back next week for the trial. M Yeah. I was gonna ask if you had anything else to add, but nope, I guess you gave your thoughts around. So oh actually I have one working to add right now until like the end of December. I have a discount on Patreon and you can also give Patreon memberships, so if you want a discount, I wish I remembered. I think I said thirty percent off on like monthly and yearly memberships for Patreon and over on Patreon, we call them episodes. We have them at least once a week. So yeah, been in emergence, tap in, capping, clapping, all of that. But we usually go over like breaking news relating to like immigration or the US or even Latin America, and sometimes we talk about internet drama, discourse, discourse slash drama. Yeah, so yeah, it's it's a lot of fun over there. So if that sounds like something that interests you, then go ahead and check out the Patreon.

33:13 You can also, you know, do like a seven day trial and listen to whatever you wanted to listen to and then not ever join. It's fine, but that's what we do over there. If that sounds interesting to you, then check it out. It's the link is in the show notes. And yeah, other than that, we hope that this was one lest Historia unknown for you. Bye bye. Estoria's ann is produced by Carmen and Christina, Researched by Carmen and Christina, edited by Christina. You can find sources for every episode attias unknown dot com and in our show notes. Creating the podcast has a lot of work, so if you want to help us out financially, you can do so by supporting us on Patreon at patreon dot com. Slash She Studio as an own podcast