Jan. 15, 2026

The Zoot Suit Riots

The Zoot Suit Riots
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From June 3, 1943 to June 8, 1943, American servicemen attacked mostly Mexican American youth (but also Black and Filipino youth), identifying their victims by their outfit: the Zoot Suit. Hundreds were arrested, but probably not who you were thinking.In this epiosde, Cristina tells Carmen about this dark event in US history.

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Sources

Zoot suit riots. (2002). In Infobase. Infobase. https://ezproxy.spl.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Faccess.infobase.com%2Fvideo%2F11960-zoot-suit-riots%3Faid%3D79331%26rak%3D1
https://www.history.com/articles/zoot-suit-riots
Murder at the Sleepy Lagoon: Zoot Suits, Race and Riot in Wartime LA by Eduardo Obregon Pagan
The Woman in the Zoot Suit by Catherine S. Ramirez
The Zoot-Suit Riots: The Psychology of Symbolic Annihilation by Mauricio Mazo
https://www.latimes.com/california/list/zoot-suit-riot-timeline-sleepy-lagoon-murder-trial

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WEBVTT

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Hi everyone, This is Carmen and Christina. And did I

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mention last time that I have a bazeline. It's on

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like a Hello list maybe to some people you didn't

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have them on the last seats in an episode? Okay, no,

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that was the bookye Tellson where I mentioned it. Maybe, yes, Anyway,

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bear with me for at least four months. I think

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it's really not that bad. I feel like it's so obvious,

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but whatever. Anyway, this is the study as unknown a podcaster.

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We talk about Latin American history. Sometimes it's horrible and

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deals with taby topics like racism, corruption, and chine aside.

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But more than that, it's also by resistance, power and community.

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Well a day, we're finally getting into the Zootsuit riots,

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the Zuzu Riots. Yes. In episodes one thirty five and

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one thirty six, we lay down the foundation for those

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Zuzu riots. Contexts, yes, and today we're finally diving into

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this dark event in US history. But for some context

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that I forgot some mentions. Yeah, context I forgot to

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mention in our Sleepylagoon two parter. Like I said in

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those two episodes, racial tensions in LA were already at

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an all time high. But then you add in, like

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on the weekends, fifty thousand plus service members going out

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into La. Okay, So I was gonna mention that last time,

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but I thought you were gonna mention. I figured you

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had saved it for this part. I yeah, yeah, I

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wanted to bring it up in both to remind everyone

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and these fifty thousand additional service members out in the

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streets of LA they're looking to blow off steam before

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being stripped off to war. Their recon havoc in the

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streets of La. Yeah. These service members were overwhelmingly white

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from other parts of the countries where at that time

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there was almost no Mexican population like the Midwest, for example,

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very much like the Midwest, and that's exclude in Chicago.

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These these these boys were from small towns Arkansas, yeah,

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or small town Illinois, not like Chicago, Midwest. You know,

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there's no Mexicans where they're from. Those are just the sailors.

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But then you add in other military bases like the

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Coast Guard Base and Long Beach, the operations base in

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San Pedro, and they already mentioned sailors. They were stationed

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at the Navy base that was in the middle of

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Shaves Ravine and you should all know Chavis Ruvine by now,

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but that was a very largely Mexican neighborhood. And then

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there was still army facilities at Fort MacArthur. Do you

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recognize Fort MacArthur. It sounds familiar. Yeah, it's in San Pedro.

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Oh that's why. Yeah, I'm like that, that's so familiar. Yeah,

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that's why I was asking if you recognize it. Yeah.

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So all those places surrounding the La area alone then

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ad in already existing pro baganda against Mexican youth. During

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this time, we did talk about the Mexican zoot suitor

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was essentially equated to the enemy overseas leading up to

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the Zootoot riots, but also like throughout the entire Sleepy

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Lagoon trial, Mexicans were being equated to the enemy overseas,

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to the Japanese the Japs as they called them, and

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so that that is the enemy that these white soldiers

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from other parts of the US were getting ready to fight,

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and the Mexicans were being equated too set enemy, and

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so yeah, these sailors didn't like the Mexican youth. The

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Mexican youth didn't like them. On top of that, in

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this area, and I mean in a lot of places,

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but Mexican youth were not allowed. Mexicans in general were

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not allowed in certain public spaces. There was no Mexican,

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no negro, no dog signs in like pools like everywhere.

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So naturally, like for these Mexican youth, they're barrios, hoods

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became theirs, like it was their territory. It was only

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place they could be pretty much, so like who could

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blame them if they're forming friendships and groups that are

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protective over the area they grew up in. Yeah. And

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on the other hand, while these Mexican youth could not

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go into these white areas, these white sailors could go

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wherever they wanted. And so these white sailors, these white

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servicemen walked through the barrios, they picked fights, they came

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into the hood. They dated girls that quote unquote belonged

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to the tutors. That's how they felt like they really

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didn't belong belonged to suitors. Like these Mexican young they

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were mad because they were dating their women, if you will,

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exactly exactly until they saw it. Yeah, there's this very

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fascinating book called the Zutsu Riots. The psychology of symbolic

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annihilation that discusses that it wasn't just racial tensions that

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caused the Zuzu riots, but also sexual time between what

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we were just saying, the white servicemen coming in thinking

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they could just pick anybody up, the Mexican men thinking

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you can't take these are our girl women, yeah, and

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and all that. Where's the agency of the Mexican women,

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Lesoelle made like always yep, and yeah, Mexican American young women,

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specifically Patchuquita's that's so cute or zoodo arenas. Yeah, it's

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better than zoo arenas. Now like Patuquita's better. Yeah, no, same.

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They were very appealing to the sailors. I mean, of course,

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now have you seen pictures of them? They were beautiful?

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No I have, I have no, yeah, yeah, actually I

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still have the post pictures on Instagram anyway, And this

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was the reason for the emasculating done to zoot suitters

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during the riots. Quote, the pursue and beating of zoot

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suitors and the destruction of the drapes or costumes by

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mobs of servicemen were so many defeats of Mexican manhood

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and symbolic conquests, or at least the access to the

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then undefeated patitas. And the quote, and I mean that

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quote speaks for itself. Yeah. There was an author named

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Chester B. Hines who wrote for a black magazine called

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The Crisis, and in it he wrote about the behavior

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of a Southern white sailor flirting with a patuquita in

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an LA streetcar. This he saw for himself, This writer Chester,

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I kind of like love the idea of this, Like

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I don't know, like he would just stare on the

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street like his business. Yes, and then he's like, hold on,

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wait a minute, let me take my notepad out real quick,

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Like no, yeah, I loved a white sailor in the

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wild hitting on a patriquita. What this almost makes me

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want to carry around our notebook and just be like,

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what am I write down your thoughts, your observations people watching? Yeah? Exactly. Anyway,

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he was in this LA street car when the white

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sailor saw the pajuckida, and the white sailor said, oh, yeah, boy, yeah,

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I can get any goal he wants. Canny boy, can't

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get you want them. The first part was better, and

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it was okay if he didn't understand Carmen's accent. What's

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it called something like that? Yeah, if you didn't understand

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Carmen's Transatlantic accent, the sailor said. The sailor said, boy,

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a white man can get any gown he wants, can't he? Boy,

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can't he get him if he wants them? What the hell? Bug?

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Who the fuck? Shut the fuck up? What anyway? And

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and so this writer wrote about it in the Crisis,

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he said, can you believe the audacity? I can. This

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is what they're like. And in analyzing the zootsuit riots,

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the author of the same book that I mentioned, Mauricio Marson,

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he states that for servicemen, the act of destroying zoot

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suits was a symbol annihilation of the other, which I'm like, damn, yes, damn,

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that's right, that's right. Because it was so the animosity

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grew us sailors used to soaw pennies into their handkerchiefs

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and were told to use them specifically against pachucos who

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were out to get them, is what they were told.

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And it's in this environment and in the aftermath of

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the Sleepy Logoon trial that the suit riots even occurred.

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In the two weeks before the Zouzu riots officially began.

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There had been eighteen reported incidents between servicemen and suitors.

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Seven of those eighteen had ended with someone dying. Oh wow, Mexicans.

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Of course, Mexicans would never get away with the tailors

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dying murder, No, of course not. It became increasingly obvious

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to everyone involved that law enforcement overwhelmingly sided with servicemen yep.

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In the eyes of the law, military members could do

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no wrong. Any cases that somehow ended up in court

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were dismissed due to lack of evidence. Of course, of course,

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and the victims of these service men were mostly Mexican,

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followed by black youth. Sailors and other military members knew

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that they could get away with pretty much anything that

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they did to the youth of la which again was

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largely Mexican in black. On May thirty first, nineteen forty three,

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there was yet another clash between servicemen and Mexican American

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zoot suitors. Allegedly, a couple of sailors walking by a

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group of Mexican youth when one of them recognized one

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of the sailors. This sailor had previously tried to take

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his girl. And I say that in quosotion marks, and

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the zoot suitors began to yell things at the sailors.

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It escalated, a fight began. The sailors were outnumbered and

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they ended up pretty beat up. They returned to the

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naval base and reported that Mexicans had just beat them up,

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and it's got the rest of the sailors riled up,

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but the full on riot was still some days away.

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But this again contributed to getting their getting them all

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riled up on June third, ninety thirty three, So just

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like a couple of days after this, things escalated. I've

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seen this. What took place on June third reported as

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two different ways, so I'll share both. The first one

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recounts the events as follows. On June third, ninety forty three,

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a group of sailors walked by a group of civilian

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youth when one of the civilian youth raised his hand

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in away that one of the sailors that was threatening.

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So one of the sailors turned around grabbed the arm

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of the civilian youth and this is when a fight began.

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During this fight, one of the sailors jobs was broken

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and he was knocked out, and the sailors grabbed their

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knocked out friend and dragged them back to base, where

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now every sailor was riled up. The commanding officer told

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them this was enough and they went down to the art.

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They got gun belts, clubs, dumbbells, broomsticks, made up weapons,

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and went into town. The other version of events is

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that about sixteen sailors exetered a bus on Sunset Boulevard

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and were walking toward the Naval Armory along Figueroa Boulevard.

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As this group turned the corner of Alpine and Figureoa,

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they came across two suitters who write, upon seeing them,

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began yelling things like quote, sons of bitches, bastards and

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motherfuckers end quote, while shaking their fists. Why I oughta sorry. No,

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That's exactly what comes to mind when. And it's so

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funny because the documentary I was watching, the older people

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who were part of this were being interviewed, and they

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all kept saying fifty cuffs, and I fucking loved it.

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I fucking loved it every tie. I gotta give you

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a handful of my fifty cuffs. Yeah. And the white sailors,

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like the Mexican men and women interviewed for the documentary.

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It's in linked in the show notes. They all said

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fisty cuffs. Oh my god. I kept saying fisticuffs like oh,

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and then fisticuffs started and I was like, yes, every

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time they said fisticuffs, I felt alive. Oh my god,

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I love that word. Anyway, So yeah, they shook their

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fists at the sailors, but a fight didn't start, not yet.

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These sailors kept walking. But then as these two were

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walking into the bass, another two were leaving the base,

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and these two ran into a group of four zoop

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suitters and two Zurinas. This group apparently allegedly accosted the

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sailors with a tirade, a foul language that reportedly made

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even the sailor's blush sounds like nonsense to me? Why iata? Yeah.

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During this back and forth, one of the Mexican youth

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allegedly yelled, hell Hitler, huh, I feel like that's made up.

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But okay, no, no, no, hold on, I reading what

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I'm my other sources, they probably did, because I read

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in on are my other sources that it was common

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for LA youth to salute white American military as if

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they were Nazis because of the segregated military. Oh so

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they were calling them Nazis and they were telling them

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Hoil Hitler because they're Nazis. Nazi. Yeah. Now with that context,

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I believe it, and it was merited. Yeah, And this

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was super offensive to the military members, the sailors who

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were basically just I mean, who were just called Nazis. Really,

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they returned to the armory super mad. There was no

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fight yet, right, this was just a back and forth.

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But when they were called Nazis with the hell Hitler thing,

214
00:13:42.080 --> 00:13:44.519
these sailors got super mad. They returned to the armory

215
00:13:45.159 --> 00:13:48.679
and got everyone riled up inside the naval base. And

216
00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:50.879
this is when they armed themselves with the make sure

217
00:13:50.919 --> 00:13:54.320
the weapons and descended upon La So so that those

218
00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:58.360
are the two versions. There was either a fight or

219
00:13:58.480 --> 00:14:03.519
there was In Soul teen of the military members, one

220
00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:06.919
naval officer was quoted saying, we knew where they were going,

221
00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:10.320
and the guards looked the other way. Most thought it

222
00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:14.080
was high time something was done. It was about time

223
00:14:14.159 --> 00:14:16.840
something was done about these damn Mexicans, basically is what

224
00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:20.720
he's saying. And now this is where these two accounts

225
00:14:21.039 --> 00:14:25.639
now come together. Merge, okay, merge. These fifty went down

226
00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:30.120
Figueroa until it reached Alpine Street. They looked in cafes,

227
00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:34.639
bars and restaurants looking for zoot suitors. They were unsuccessful

228
00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:39.480
at first until they entered Carmen Theater. Carmen. I was

229
00:14:39.480 --> 00:14:43.879
waiting for you to say, Carmen, Yes, Carmen Theater. They

230
00:14:43.919 --> 00:14:47.559
turned on the lights to the movie theater and roamed

231
00:14:47.559 --> 00:14:50.679
the aisles in search of zoot suitors and they found them.

232
00:14:51.120 --> 00:14:54.000
Can't even watch a movie in piece. No, And really

233
00:14:54.039 --> 00:14:56.759
what they found was twelve and thirteen year old boys,

234
00:14:56.919 --> 00:15:00.759
Mexican boys. Come on, leave the boys alone. Yeah, these

235
00:15:00.759 --> 00:15:03.360
were their first victims who some of them were there

236
00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:06.759
with their parents. Wow, I think I did remember hearing

237
00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:11.279
about this another podcasts. The US servicemen clubbed any adults

238
00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:13.799
who tried to stop them beating on the twelve and

239
00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:18.480
thirteen year olds. God, they tore zoot suits off their victims,

240
00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:21.840
put them in a pile, and burned their clothes. And

241
00:15:22.080 --> 00:15:25.720
luckily this night for the community, the streets were empty.

242
00:15:25.919 --> 00:15:28.639
Aside from that theater or the sailors would have found

243
00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:31.519
more victims. It so happened that at the same time

244
00:15:31.519 --> 00:15:34.840
that the service members were attacking mostly preteens in that theater.

245
00:15:35.440 --> 00:15:38.799
Older Mexican teens weren't a meeting because for a while,

246
00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:41.159
there was a growing affort to keep Mexican youth off

247
00:15:41.240 --> 00:15:44.159
the streets. And this meeting was to discuss the formal

248
00:15:44.200 --> 00:15:49.200
association for a neighborhood club in collaboration with LAPD. Oh

249
00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:52.320
Wow Club. Yeah, the club would be sponsored by LAPD.

250
00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:55.240
And so these teens were out here doing something good.

251
00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:58.720
When they left the meeting, they saw the aftermath of

252
00:15:59.240 --> 00:16:02.600
Carmen Theater and would had just taken place, And of

253
00:16:02.600 --> 00:16:06.480
course they were angry. Yeah, and so they armed themselves

254
00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:12.879
in defense. Rudy Sanchez, who was in the meeting, later wrote, quote,

255
00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:15.200
this is supposed to be a free country. We don't

256
00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:17.639
go around beating people up just because we don't like

257
00:16:17.759 --> 00:16:20.919
the clothes they wear on Whose side is navy anyway,

258
00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:27.360
Uncle Sam or Hitler end quote. I mean he called

259
00:16:27.399 --> 00:16:30.399
them like he sees them, Yep, and he's not wrong.

260
00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:34.320
Another thing the community noted was the lack of police

261
00:16:34.360 --> 00:16:37.960
response to the mom of servicemen, something that would go

262
00:16:38.039 --> 00:16:41.720
on to repeat itself throughout the following ten days of

263
00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:49.759
the Zuzu riots. In one of the documentaries, I watched.

264
00:16:49.799 --> 00:16:52.679
It's linked in the show notes. A former also shout

265
00:16:52.679 --> 00:16:54.600
out to my local library because that is how I

266
00:16:54.679 --> 00:16:59.320
access this video. Noise. Yes. But in one of the

267
00:16:59.320 --> 00:17:03.759
documentaries that watched, a former sailor Reno Sennetti was interviewed

268
00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:06.000
and he said, quote, I know a lot of them

269
00:17:06.039 --> 00:17:08.400
came back happy. A lot of the guys Americans came

270
00:17:08.440 --> 00:17:13.319
back happy end quote. They were happy. They just attacked

271
00:17:13.319 --> 00:17:17.759
a bunch of Mexican preteens watching movies with their parents. Ridiculous.

272
00:17:19.599 --> 00:17:22.279
When they returned to the naval base, they were priorily

273
00:17:22.359 --> 00:17:27.400
exchanging stories of settling scores, rehashing pass encounters with Mexican youth.

274
00:17:27.880 --> 00:17:30.720
In the middle of all this talk, they had to

275
00:17:30.759 --> 00:17:35.440
plan to quote get even with zoot suitors, as if

276
00:17:35.480 --> 00:17:38.559
what they had already done that evening was getting even. Yeah,

277
00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:43.119
it wasn't enough for them. The group that attacked the

278
00:17:43.119 --> 00:17:47.039
theater had returned, and throughout that night until almost one am,

279
00:17:47.160 --> 00:17:52.039
there were sporadic attacks. Lieutenant Charles Bacon noticed that after

280
00:17:52.680 --> 00:17:55.400
liberty expired, so liberty is like the time you're supposed

281
00:17:55.400 --> 00:17:57.240
to be back, or liberty is the time you were

282
00:17:57.240 --> 00:18:00.519
allowed to be out of space. That expires supposed to

283
00:18:00.519 --> 00:18:03.279
be back on base, so liberty expired at eleven PM,

284
00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:06.880
and there were an unusual number of sailors not back yet,

285
00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:09.960
so he went out to investigate. He drove to Alpinea

286
00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:13.640
Figueroa but found out everything was quiet here. As he

287
00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:18.319
drove along heading back to base, he saw that the

288
00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:21.920
short patrol and military police had rounded up some military

289
00:18:21.960 --> 00:18:25.960
men on Maine and Second and they were being marched

290
00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:28.000
to the central police station. It was a group of

291
00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:32.000
about six of about sixty sailors, and the lieutenant requested

292
00:18:32.039 --> 00:18:36.240
that these sixty sailors be released into his custody. They

293
00:18:36.920 --> 00:18:41.279
were released to him, no charges, nothing, and he returned

294
00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:44.160
to the armory with these men around one am. It

295
00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:47.240
was almost one am, and he had heard rumors of

296
00:18:47.279 --> 00:18:50.720
military men and zoot suitors fighting before he came across

297
00:18:50.799 --> 00:18:53.799
all this group of arrested sailors, and yet he still

298
00:18:53.880 --> 00:18:56.519
chose to not investigate the matter. After these men were

299
00:18:56.920 --> 00:19:00.839
relinquished to his custody, he felt that the situation was

300
00:19:00.920 --> 00:19:04.680
under control and he didn't need to do anything else wrong,

301
00:19:05.640 --> 00:19:07.960
and so the police didn't do anything and the military

302
00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:12.359
didn't do anything. For a while. The following day, the

303
00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:16.440
service members continued their attack, but this time on Friday,

304
00:19:16.519 --> 00:19:19.839
June fourth, nineteen forty three, instead of going to Downtown La,

305
00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:25.480
they went to East La. Okay, Yes, and this time

306
00:19:25.559 --> 00:19:27.920
it wasn't just Zoo suitors. Now at this point any

307
00:19:27.960 --> 00:19:31.039
Mexican was fair game to the sailors because as you know,

308
00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:36.119
East LA, that's Mexico, that's largely Mexican. And so yeah,

309
00:19:36.160 --> 00:19:40.160
everyone was like, yeah, we can attack everyone here. And

310
00:19:40.200 --> 00:19:43.519
so this even bigger group split up. Half of them

311
00:19:43.559 --> 00:19:46.519
went to Boyle Heights, the other half went to Lincoln Heights,

312
00:19:47.160 --> 00:19:51.880
again Mexican neighborhoods. Yeah, there was another large group that

313
00:19:51.960 --> 00:19:54.440
halted traffic that they did go to downtown and they

314
00:19:54.519 --> 00:19:57.240
halted traffic on Main Street. They stopped the streetcar and

315
00:19:57.279 --> 00:19:59.720
nobody could go anywhere. They were taking up the entire

316
00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:06.160
street rioting. Despite hundreds and hundreds of servicemen that showed

317
00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:09.160
up on the second night, writing, only twenty six servicemen

318
00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:12.720
were arrested, but none of them received formal charges. They

319
00:20:12.799 --> 00:20:15.160
just called the military base like, hey, we've got your guys,

320
00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:17.920
come get them. They went to get them. Nobody received

321
00:20:17.960 --> 00:20:22.160
any charges, No one got in trouble, nothing, and from

322
00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:27.400
that night at least five Mexicans were hospitalized. In the meantime,

323
00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:32.200
the mainstream media was celebrating the attacks. One LA Times

324
00:20:32.200 --> 00:20:36.240
headline wrote, quote, sooothshooters learned lesson and fight with servicemen

325
00:20:36.400 --> 00:20:42.400
end quote. Learned lesson talk about a bias. Yeah, for sure.

326
00:20:43.200 --> 00:20:46.279
On the second day of riots, marines and soldiers joined

327
00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:48.119
the sailors. So now there was even more of them.

328
00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:50.960
Like of course they fucking did, right, Like yeah, because

329
00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:54.599
they don't have brains for themselves. No, and they're like

330
00:20:54.640 --> 00:20:59.839
blood thirsty for this shit. Yeah. Other headlines read quote

331
00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:06.240
angry semen sorry sorry sorry, real mature sorry not sorry,

332
00:21:06.920 --> 00:21:11.200
angry seamen pound Southland rowdies in street fights end quote.

333
00:21:12.279 --> 00:21:14.960
That same newspaper wrote the following about the second day

334
00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:19.240
of riots. Quote bands of angry US sailors ranged the

335
00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:23.119
city's East side late last night. The Sheriff's office reports

336
00:21:23.160 --> 00:21:27.759
today applying fists and rope ends to suited outs who

337
00:21:27.799 --> 00:21:31.400
have been blamed for widespread rowdyism. Some of the words

338
00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:33.480
they use are not the same. It's the words we

339
00:21:33.559 --> 00:21:36.319
use now by bounces like some people people on the outside,

340
00:21:36.359 --> 00:21:42.160
I think, yeah, rowdyism and gangsterism of recent months, Sheriffs

341
00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:46.000
Lieutenant Ambrose Stewart reported nine seamen were picked up and

342
00:21:46.119 --> 00:21:50.759
ruined over the shore patrol. He made no estimate of

343
00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:53.880
the number of sailors involved, but by Sanders said there

344
00:21:53.920 --> 00:21:59.279
appeared to lie about twenty automobile loads participating in the

345
00:21:59.319 --> 00:22:03.559
forays at one time during the night. The cars concentrated

346
00:22:03.720 --> 00:22:07.839
at an inception where a sailor, Joe Coleman, was knife

347
00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:13.480
Sunday night, assertedly by youth's clad in zoot suits. No

348
00:22:13.480 --> 00:22:17.200
one was seriously hit in last night melees, although five

349
00:22:17.319 --> 00:22:21.279
of the weirdly clad youths were treated clad youths, Oh

350
00:22:21.319 --> 00:22:26.200
my god, ridiculous. We're treated at hospitals for minor injuries

351
00:22:26.279 --> 00:22:35.200
and quote, so like, yeah, the bias it pretty evident. Yeah.

352
00:22:35.440 --> 00:22:39.039
Back at the naval base, one sailor exclaimed, quote, we're

353
00:22:39.079 --> 00:22:40.759
out to do what the police have failed to do.

354
00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:43.440
We're going to clean up the situation to the satisfaction

355
00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:46.720
of ourselves in the public. Tonight. The sailors may have

356
00:22:46.759 --> 00:22:50.720
the marines along end quote yeah, we can only roller

357
00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:54.319
eyes at that. And of course the Mexican youth weren't

358
00:22:54.359 --> 00:22:57.359
just sitting there taking it. They had to defend themselves too,

359
00:22:57.960 --> 00:23:00.200
And so one of the ways they did this is again,

360
00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:03.240
like the quote just mentioned, they were rolling twenty cars

361
00:23:03.240 --> 00:23:06.920
deep in some instances, and so in this convoy of cars,

362
00:23:07.720 --> 00:23:11.079
the Mexican youth would run up to service members cars

363
00:23:11.240 --> 00:23:14.359
at red lights, pull out the driver through the window,

364
00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:16.279
beat the hell out of them, and they'd run off

365
00:23:16.319 --> 00:23:19.799
before the others could even exit the car. Oh my god. Efficient,

366
00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:23.960
And that's a good tactic. Yeah, but they were fighting back.

367
00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:25.920
They woudn't have been doing that if they hadn't been

368
00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:28.880
attacked first. No, no, they weren't, and even on the

369
00:23:28.960 --> 00:23:32.359
first night, because they were like, oh, someone was knifed.

370
00:23:32.720 --> 00:23:35.839
No one was stabbed, No service members were stabbed randomly

371
00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:40.000
without it having been a fight to begin with. Yeah,

372
00:23:40.039 --> 00:23:42.559
on the first night, there was an incident where two

373
00:23:42.599 --> 00:23:44.759
of them followed a sailor and they pinned up against

374
00:23:44.799 --> 00:23:47.160
a wall and they held a knife up to his

375
00:23:47.240 --> 00:23:49.960
throat and they were like, leave us alone. They could

376
00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:55.960
have killed him, they didn't. They just let him go. So, yeah,

377
00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:59.480
there was no instance where they started anything like they

378
00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:02.920
were defending themselves. And before that they were just fights,

379
00:24:03.480 --> 00:24:06.960
fights back and forth, normal fights, but not this shit

380
00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:09.839
that these service members were doing or claiming that the

381
00:24:09.880 --> 00:24:13.160
Mexican youth were doing, because you'll see in later quotes

382
00:24:13.480 --> 00:24:17.119
the nonsense that they were accusing Mexican youth of, well,

383
00:24:17.119 --> 00:24:20.440
you've already heard some of it. So yeah, this was

384
00:24:20.480 --> 00:24:22.759
a good tactic because this is how service members were

385
00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:24.759
getting to these parts of LA from their base. They

386
00:24:24.759 --> 00:24:27.799
were rolling more than twenty cars deep in some instances,

387
00:24:28.119 --> 00:24:36.039
so yeah, use what you can to your advantage. Yeah,

388
00:24:36.079 --> 00:24:39.000
And now that they were fighting back, Mexican youth faced

389
00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:42.880
actual charges from police. That same morning, the United Press

390
00:24:42.920 --> 00:24:45.440
came out with a report dating quote A threat of

391
00:24:45.480 --> 00:24:49.480
a mass attack on police officers tonight, presumably organized by

392
00:24:49.599 --> 00:24:53.079
zoos shooters, was received at police headquarters today in the

393
00:24:53.119 --> 00:24:56.920
form of an anonymous telephone call. Quote we're meeting five

394
00:24:56.960 --> 00:24:59.720
hund quote within the quote, we're meeting five hundred strong

395
00:24:59.759 --> 00:25:02.200
to and we're going to kill every cop we see,

396
00:25:03.039 --> 00:25:05.920
declared a voice on the phone. Police said a direct

397
00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:09.400
action campaign by servicemen to stop molestation of themselves and

398
00:25:09.480 --> 00:25:14.119
girlfriends by the juvenile bands resulted in placing six more

399
00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:18.960
of the fantastically clad youths on the casualty on the

400
00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:23.039
casualty list today more than a score were jailed out today,

401
00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:27.359
Police reported just as of the Peace Meyer B. Marion

402
00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:32.359
in the east side Belvedere Township meeted out penalties ranging

403
00:25:32.400 --> 00:25:34.279
as high as two hundred and fifty dollars fines and

404
00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:38.200
fifty dollars jail sentences to several who were taken into

405
00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:41.680
custody Saturday night. Four were found guilty of vagrancy and

406
00:25:41.799 --> 00:25:45.279
a of writing end quote. So now that they were

407
00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:48.200
finding back to defend themselves, they were being arrested and

408
00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:51.960
facing natural charges while the service members got away with

409
00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:56.400
everything sounds about white m hm. That same newspaper also

410
00:25:56.440 --> 00:25:59.599
wrote quote teenage dougs who have been carrying out mass

411
00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:03.720
attack on seamen were south by police today after a

412
00:26:03.799 --> 00:26:08.279
series of pitched battles between suits and bands of sailors

413
00:26:08.319 --> 00:26:12.720
seeking revenge for earlier assaults. Police arrested twenty youths during

414
00:26:12.759 --> 00:26:15.839
the weekend, and we're tracking down another hundred who fled

415
00:26:15.880 --> 00:26:19.319
when officers came into eight those held by authorities were

416
00:26:19.400 --> 00:26:23.240
armed with steel bars, broken bottlenecks, hammers and tire irons.

417
00:26:23.519 --> 00:26:27.119
Police said, end quote. This is just unfuriating because they're

418
00:26:27.160 --> 00:26:31.640
acting like this is like one equal group against another

419
00:26:31.720 --> 00:26:34.440
equal group. And it's like, no, when is the state?

420
00:26:34.640 --> 00:26:39.920
When is you know, government, when is representing the state power?

421
00:26:40.079 --> 00:26:44.079
The power of the state. One is citizens minding their

422
00:26:44.119 --> 00:26:50.000
business being attacked by the military for no goddamn reason. Yep,

423
00:26:50.079 --> 00:26:54.359
exactly exactly, and they're the ones being arrested. Word word

424
00:26:54.440 --> 00:26:59.920
to everything you just said. On Sunday night, the third

425
00:27:00.119 --> 00:27:03.960
night of riots, as soldiers marched arm in arm through

426
00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:07.920
the streets of downtown, police actually responded, showing up in

427
00:27:07.960 --> 00:27:16.759
full force finally, but they joined them. That would be

428
00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:19.759
like the last round. No, they did nothing, They're nothing.

429
00:27:19.759 --> 00:27:25.480
They were just touching, yeah, basically. Instead, well, no, they

430
00:27:25.519 --> 00:27:28.680
actually they did do something. They arrested the civilian boys,

431
00:27:28.759 --> 00:27:33.400
the Mexican youth, supposedly for their own protection. However, this

432
00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:37.319
protection came with charges, So, oh my god, what kind

433
00:27:37.400 --> 00:27:40.480
of protection is that. Also, most of the arrested boys

434
00:27:40.559 --> 00:27:43.039
at some in some instances, they were not even fighting

435
00:27:43.079 --> 00:27:46.319
back at the time of their arrests. Wow. Most of

436
00:27:46.319 --> 00:27:49.839
the Mexican community thought that finally Sunday came to an end,

437
00:27:49.880 --> 00:27:53.559
the attacks would be over, but they got even worse. Wow.

438
00:27:54.400 --> 00:27:58.279
The most dangerous night was the final night of the riots.

439
00:27:59.000 --> 00:28:03.880
On this day on top sailors, marines, and soldiers. In additional,

440
00:28:04.039 --> 00:28:09.240
five thousand civilians showed up to assist the sailors. This

441
00:28:09.319 --> 00:28:13.640
is ridiculous. A lot of them were off duty cops.

442
00:28:13.480 --> 00:28:15.279
Was I was gonna say, I feel like some of

443
00:28:15.359 --> 00:28:18.680
them were off duty cops. When you're right and you're right,

444
00:28:18.880 --> 00:28:21.400
which is probably a surprise to no one. Can I

445
00:28:21.480 --> 00:28:23.599
just cut in really quick? So I seen a lot

446
00:28:23.640 --> 00:28:27.960
of people right because we're seeing especially in Minneapolis right now,

447
00:28:29.319 --> 00:28:36.799
Ice basically terrorizing the community, going to schools, taking teenagers

448
00:28:36.839 --> 00:28:41.119
from their employment at Target, beating their ass and then

449
00:28:41.200 --> 00:28:45.480
dumping them at Walmart. Yeah, taking moms dropping their kids

450
00:28:45.480 --> 00:28:49.200
off at school, going door to door, knocking doors down,

451
00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:54.160
all illegal, you know, all unwarranted, all violent. And I

452
00:28:54.279 --> 00:28:57.039
seen a lot of like comments being like, oh, get

453
00:28:57.079 --> 00:28:59.480
the police to file charges, and it's like the police

454
00:28:59.759 --> 00:29:03.319
are supporting them, and yeah, the police chief whatever the

455
00:29:03.319 --> 00:29:05.240
hell she is, was like we're going to arrest them.

456
00:29:05.400 --> 00:29:08.200
They're not listening to her. They support this. These are

457
00:29:08.240 --> 00:29:13.319
their friends, these are their their brothers, in ORMs fucking idiots. Yeah,

458
00:29:13.440 --> 00:29:17.680
you might get like a rare one, yeah might actually

459
00:29:17.680 --> 00:29:19.759
do it. But again that's when they turn on him

460
00:29:19.759 --> 00:29:21.599
and kick his ass, you know what I mean, that's

461
00:29:21.599 --> 00:29:25.400
how it works. Yeah, the overall sentiment, the overall culture

462
00:29:25.640 --> 00:29:30.480
in these organizations is in support of what's happening. Yeah,

463
00:29:30.519 --> 00:29:33.640
like please don't don't. Just like it was back then

464
00:29:33.799 --> 00:29:38.200
with these riots that were violent, unwarranted, it is now

465
00:29:39.000 --> 00:29:45.680
terrorizing innocent community members. Yeah. Yeah, this is how it's

466
00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:51.160
always been exactly. The attacks continued, and by June seventh,

467
00:29:51.480 --> 00:29:55.000
they spread to Watts and then more attacks were reported

468
00:29:55.119 --> 00:30:00.279
outside so in Edmonte, in Southgate and Compton, and in

469
00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:04.519
the inland Wood. At this point, thousands more service members

470
00:30:04.599 --> 00:30:07.920
had to ride from both San Diego and Vegas. I

471
00:30:07.960 --> 00:30:12.240
was gonna say, I remember from all over they went, Yeah, yeah, Vegas.

472
00:30:12.279 --> 00:30:14.799
They came from Vegas. I mean it's only a ten

473
00:30:14.839 --> 00:30:17.160
hour drive from there. No even at home, to ten

474
00:30:17.240 --> 00:30:19.440
hours drive from like here, I think, no, yeah, it's

475
00:30:19.480 --> 00:30:23.599
not I mean, but still like yeah, So, by now

476
00:30:23.920 --> 00:30:27.720
Mexicans were not the only targets. Filipino and black people

477
00:30:27.880 --> 00:30:32.559
were also being attacked in large numbers. And it feels

478
00:30:32.559 --> 00:30:35.400
like this doesn't need to be said, but this wasn't

479
00:30:35.480 --> 00:30:39.440
just fighting. This was extreme. These were extremely violent attacks

480
00:30:39.480 --> 00:30:44.440
on Mexican black people and Filipinos. Yeah. Several reports out

481
00:30:44.480 --> 00:30:47.720
of Watts stated that a black defense plant worker like

482
00:30:47.960 --> 00:30:51.960
working in supportive you could say, in support of the war, right,

483
00:30:52.039 --> 00:30:55.119
the war effort, Like he was working at a defense plant. Yeah.

484
00:30:55.200 --> 00:30:58.000
So this black man working at a defense plan wearing

485
00:30:58.000 --> 00:31:00.240
his defense plan id badge, was a yank out of

486
00:31:00.240 --> 00:31:04.759
a streetcar by service members. And I'm sorry for like this,

487
00:31:04.960 --> 00:31:09.039
but his eye, one of his eyes was gouged out.

488
00:31:09.640 --> 00:31:11.480
That's terrible. But tell me why I was about to

489
00:31:11.519 --> 00:31:14.160
guess that very same sentence. I think I was reading

490
00:31:14.200 --> 00:31:16.920
your mind. I think you were. And also it's just

491
00:31:16.920 --> 00:31:19.559
like one of the worst things that that's terrible you

492
00:31:19.599 --> 00:31:21.480
can do. So, yeah, these were in little fights. These

493
00:31:21.480 --> 00:31:25.920
were very violent attacks. They were extremely violent. Yeah m hm.

494
00:31:27.599 --> 00:31:30.880
Throughout the riots, Mexican youth were constantly trying to justify

495
00:31:30.920 --> 00:31:35.359
their existence, Mexican American youth specifically, you know, trying to

496
00:31:35.400 --> 00:31:39.759
say like and again, I mean to me personally, these

497
00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:45.680
types of appeals will never work. Well, we're not all

498
00:31:45.799 --> 00:31:48.880
like that. Oh, I see what you mean. Now, yeah,

499
00:31:49.559 --> 00:31:52.880
we're and I I have an actual quote in a second, Okay,

500
00:31:54.000 --> 00:31:56.599
because in the midst of like mainstream media calling zoot

501
00:31:56.599 --> 00:32:01.839
suitors agents of Hitler's right more foreign an American. There

502
00:32:01.880 --> 00:32:06.920
were groups of Mexican Americans, specifically Mexican American women, trying

503
00:32:06.960 --> 00:32:10.400
to like rectify the image of all Mexican Americans. But

504
00:32:10.480 --> 00:32:14.799
it doesn't work. It's the same argument today twenty years

505
00:32:14.799 --> 00:32:19.160
ago with let's say the dreamers, right. Yes, it was, yes,

506
00:32:19.240 --> 00:32:23.440
exactly an amazing thing, right the level of I don't

507
00:32:23.480 --> 00:32:27.400
know sort of documentation they were able to get because

508
00:32:27.440 --> 00:32:31.640
everything was temporary, right, But it was pushing an image

509
00:32:31.640 --> 00:32:35.039
of oh, we were brought here against our will. We

510
00:32:35.079 --> 00:32:37.480
are trying to go to college and improve ourselves. We're

511
00:32:37.519 --> 00:32:40.720
not like those immigrants, those immigrants that came into this

512
00:32:40.839 --> 00:32:47.400
country illegally and or committing crimes. We're not the bad ones.

513
00:32:48.359 --> 00:32:50.839
That kind of messaging never works because we're all the

514
00:32:50.880 --> 00:32:54.880
same to them, exactly. But this is what they were

515
00:32:54.960 --> 00:32:57.720
trying to do, and so they were writing to newspapers

516
00:32:57.720 --> 00:33:00.480
trying to get their side of things. Hurt basically, and

517
00:33:00.559 --> 00:33:03.200
the Eastside Journal published a statement by a group of

518
00:33:03.240 --> 00:33:06.880
Mexican American women that read, quote, thousands of girls in

519
00:33:06.920 --> 00:33:10.240
Los Angeles County whose characters had had been defined by

520
00:33:10.240 --> 00:33:13.279
the interferences in the daily newspapers. That was like the

521
00:33:13.319 --> 00:33:18.000
headline above, and then it was a printed picture of

522
00:33:18.039 --> 00:33:19.680
the girls. And actually I should just said it to you.

523
00:33:20.759 --> 00:33:23.240
You want to see it, Yeah, I'll try to remember

524
00:33:23.279 --> 00:33:26.160
to post it as well. To begin with, it was

525
00:33:26.400 --> 00:33:30.680
pretty blurry looking. But they're in like nicely looking clothes

526
00:33:30.720 --> 00:33:35.119
in the quote unquote zod arenas, like long skirts. Oh

527
00:33:35.160 --> 00:33:38.799
I see, yeah, not the same style. Yeah, we're one

528
00:33:38.799 --> 00:33:45.079
of the good ones. Fair, Yeah, basically, and so yeah,

529
00:33:45.079 --> 00:33:47.759
it said Mexican American girls meet and protests, and they

530
00:33:47.759 --> 00:33:52.279
were protessing articles being printed in the daily newspapers. They

531
00:33:52.279 --> 00:33:54.400
wrote that they were they had never been in trouble

532
00:33:54.400 --> 00:33:56.920
with the law. Not one of them had record a

533
00:33:57.000 --> 00:34:01.240
record with authorities. They had brothers, cousins, relatives and sweethearts

534
00:34:01.240 --> 00:34:04.680
and all branches of the American Armed forces, and that

535
00:34:04.799 --> 00:34:10.800
they were American Girls of Mexican extraction. Wait what Mexican extraction?

536
00:34:11.599 --> 00:34:16.800
They call themselves American girls of Mexican extraction. Oh I

537
00:34:16.840 --> 00:34:20.079
hate that, Yeah, I don't. I don't like it. I

538
00:34:20.159 --> 00:34:22.599
don't like that. I'm sorry. I don't support I don't

539
00:34:22.639 --> 00:34:25.000
support all you, all of you women, some of you

540
00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:31.559
are dumb bitches. One group even tried to donate blood

541
00:34:31.760 --> 00:34:34.800
to prove how American they were and how they supported

542
00:34:34.800 --> 00:34:40.199
the troops, and then their blood got rejected. But the

543
00:34:40.280 --> 00:34:43.360
American Cross did not let them because they were a Mexican.

544
00:34:43.800 --> 00:34:48.000
Oh my god, that's what happens when you want to

545
00:34:48.159 --> 00:34:52.320
appeal to whiteness. Yeah, they weren't allowed because they were Mexican.

546
00:34:57.360 --> 00:35:01.039
On the final day of Ryot's Monday, June seventh, journalist

547
00:35:01.320 --> 00:35:04.719
Al Waxman with The Eastside Journal was talking to two

548
00:35:04.800 --> 00:35:08.000
hundred and fifty young men about the recent attacks. While

549
00:35:08.039 --> 00:35:10.119
he tried to get them to compromise to look the

550
00:35:10.119 --> 00:35:13.840
other way, some of the young men replied, quote, isn't

551
00:35:13.840 --> 00:35:15.719
this a free country. Can't we wear the kind of

552
00:35:15.760 --> 00:35:18.639
clothes that we like, Must we be just robed at

553
00:35:18.679 --> 00:35:24.800
the order of other men? End quote? I mean yeah,

554
00:35:25.199 --> 00:35:27.920
And Al heard them. He let them speak out their frustrations.

555
00:35:27.920 --> 00:35:31.440
He didn't try to, like to invalidate them. Yeah, but

556
00:35:31.519 --> 00:35:34.840
he did want them to like let go of like

557
00:35:35.119 --> 00:35:38.079
the need to fight back and like let this be

558
00:35:38.239 --> 00:35:41.079
done basically, So actually he kind of didn't validate them.

559
00:35:41.119 --> 00:35:43.199
Now that I'm saying this kind of it does sound

560
00:35:43.239 --> 00:35:46.920
like a validation. But in the middle of this conversation

561
00:35:47.000 --> 00:35:50.159
that he was having with them, someone interrupted the meeting

562
00:35:50.159 --> 00:35:53.719
to inform them that soldiers and sailors were at that

563
00:35:53.840 --> 00:35:56.960
very moment quote, beating us up on Central Avenue on

564
00:35:57.000 --> 00:36:02.000
Main Street. And so the boy made plans for retaliation,

565
00:36:02.280 --> 00:36:04.519
and I'll reminded them of their promise to set aside

566
00:36:04.519 --> 00:36:07.800
their differences, and most of the group agreed to go

567
00:36:07.920 --> 00:36:12.119
home and let the situation fix itself. Okay, but about

568
00:36:12.119 --> 00:36:14.639
fifty of them went down to Central Avany to protect

569
00:36:14.679 --> 00:36:19.840
their friends and relatives, which of course is understandable, of course,

570
00:36:20.960 --> 00:36:23.480
and Al followed them. He went with them, and then

571
00:36:23.800 --> 00:36:26.519
what he the scene that he came upon. He could

572
00:36:26.559 --> 00:36:29.760
not believe. Police were making dozens of arrests, but not

573
00:36:30.159 --> 00:36:34.199
of the rioting, violent servicemen. Uh huh, No, the suit

574
00:36:34.199 --> 00:36:38.440
wearing civilian youth were being arrested. Al watched as one

575
00:36:38.480 --> 00:36:44.360
young man asked repeatedly why am I being arrested as

576
00:36:44.400 --> 00:36:48.280
an officer clubbed him with the seight stick. Oh my god.

577
00:36:48.960 --> 00:36:51.239
Then he turned around. Al turned around and saw a

578
00:36:51.280 --> 00:36:53.920
service member kick an unconscious boy in the face as

579
00:36:53.920 --> 00:36:58.239
the boy lady sprawled in his own blood. Wow. Then

580
00:36:58.320 --> 00:37:00.639
Al again in shock, like every think he was saying.

581
00:37:00.880 --> 00:37:04.039
He turned around again, and then I watched. I can

582
00:37:04.079 --> 00:37:06.679
just picture this. This is like a moment of awakening

583
00:37:06.760 --> 00:37:09.760
for Al here. Yeah, who before was trying to get

584
00:37:09.760 --> 00:37:12.800
the boys to reason. He's like fuck, yeah, he's like

585
00:37:12.840 --> 00:37:16.440
no and everything he said. Yeah, And so he turned

586
00:37:16.440 --> 00:37:19.159
around again yet again, And now he watched as a

587
00:37:19.199 --> 00:37:21.880
mother held on to her fifteen year old son and yell,

588
00:37:21.960 --> 00:37:24.440
don't take my boy. He did nothing, he's only fifteen,

589
00:37:24.519 --> 00:37:28.039
don't take him. An officer turned around and clubbed her

590
00:37:28.280 --> 00:37:35.840
across the jaw with his nightstick. The mother oh wow, yeah,

591
00:37:37.079 --> 00:37:41.000
and she fell backward, obviously from being hit this hard.

592
00:37:41.960 --> 00:37:45.679
Then then this isn't over for Ol. He turned around again.

593
00:37:47.159 --> 00:37:49.679
He just kept turning the circles and just being met

594
00:37:49.719 --> 00:37:56.280
with like the ramp yes, turning from one horrible thing

595
00:37:56.320 --> 00:37:59.480
to another. Yeah, because he turned around yet again and

596
00:37:59.519 --> 00:38:03.519
he saw two other servicemen addressing two boys. These were

597
00:38:03.559 --> 00:38:06.880
all boys, they were like young and he saw them

598
00:38:06.960 --> 00:38:10.119
undress them and burn their clothes. So then all ran

599
00:38:10.280 --> 00:38:13.119
back to the East Side headquarters. But on his way back,

600
00:38:13.360 --> 00:38:16.519
he found a second mob of military men breaking into

601
00:38:16.599 --> 00:38:20.320
bars shops, and penny arcades, all while the police did

602
00:38:20.400 --> 00:38:26.599
absolutely nothing. Yeah, and this went on till midnight. Finally,

603
00:38:26.719 --> 00:38:30.239
on the morning of Tuesday the eighth, the riots officially

604
00:38:30.360 --> 00:38:35.760
ended only because all branches of the military made they

605
00:38:35.800 --> 00:38:38.880
had to call back their people, right, they made Los

606
00:38:38.920 --> 00:38:42.039
Angeles out of bounds for service members. They were not

607
00:38:42.079 --> 00:38:45.679
allowed to go there anymore. And it was making national

608
00:38:45.719 --> 00:38:49.199
headlines at this point, and it was going up to

609
00:38:49.239 --> 00:38:53.159
the top. Why they did not then it was a

610
00:38:53.159 --> 00:38:57.119
bad look. It was an extremely bad look everywhere else. Yeah,

611
00:38:57.159 --> 00:38:59.239
and so yeah, they were not allowed to go into

612
00:38:59.239 --> 00:39:01.679
Los Angeles any more, and that's really the only reason

613
00:39:01.719 --> 00:39:06.000
it stopped. By the end of all, is estimated that

614
00:39:06.159 --> 00:39:09.719
ninety four were seriously sorry, that there were ninety four

615
00:39:09.760 --> 00:39:16.519
seriously injured civilians and eighteen seriously injured servicemen. You see

616
00:39:16.559 --> 00:39:22.480
that ratio difference, ninety four to eighteen. You said, m hmm, yeah, wow. Yeah.

617
00:39:22.519 --> 00:39:25.280
And it's probably because there were no deaths that this

618
00:39:25.400 --> 00:39:29.679
event isn't known as like something like the Tulsa race massacre.

619
00:39:30.599 --> 00:39:34.119
Otherwise it's not that well known. No, actually, in terms

620
00:39:34.119 --> 00:39:38.000
of like history, like let's say, like the Kent State shooting.

621
00:39:38.159 --> 00:39:42.199
You know, yeah, let me rephrase, it's not called that.

622
00:39:42.199 --> 00:39:44.320
That's what it meant. It's there's a reason it's not

623
00:39:44.400 --> 00:39:46.599
called it doesn't have a similar name to the Tulsa

624
00:39:46.679 --> 00:39:48.840
race massacre. It's because there were no deaths, but they

625
00:39:48.840 --> 00:39:52.880
were extremely violent attacks on top of making LA out

626
00:39:52.920 --> 00:39:56.719
of bounds for service members. On June tenth, nineteen thirty three,

627
00:39:56.880 --> 00:40:00.280
the LA Council City Council made it illegal. Were the

628
00:40:00.320 --> 00:40:07.199
zoos suit in LA and have the little ordinance they wrote, quote, Now,

629
00:40:07.280 --> 00:40:11.079
therefore be it resolved that the City Council, by resolution,

630
00:40:11.480 --> 00:40:15.400
find that the wearing of zo suits constitutes a public nuisance,

631
00:40:15.480 --> 00:40:19.159
and does hereby instruct the City Attorney to prepare ordinance

632
00:40:19.280 --> 00:40:23.239
declaring same a nuisance and prohibit the wearing of zoot

633
00:40:23.280 --> 00:40:27.159
suits with repleats within the city limits of Los Angeles.

634
00:40:27.880 --> 00:40:33.199
Anyone found wearing this was subject to jail time. Stupid. Yeah,

635
00:40:33.320 --> 00:40:38.039
So that was their solution, was to make this unlawful,

636
00:40:41.519 --> 00:40:45.079
punish the victims of this attack, the victims of the

637
00:40:45.159 --> 00:40:49.559
violence at the hands of the military exactly. There was

638
00:40:49.599 --> 00:40:51.920
also a committee for him to figure out why the

639
00:40:52.000 --> 00:40:59.079
riots occurred. Is a racism? They answered, well, we'll get

640
00:40:59.280 --> 00:41:01.880
I'm interested to know what they came up with, and

641
00:41:01.960 --> 00:41:05.920
I have a feeling it wasn't racism. You'll see. You'll

642
00:41:05.960 --> 00:41:10.000
see while service members did not at all seem to

643
00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:13.679
regret their attacks, which can be evidenced by the following

644
00:41:13.760 --> 00:41:16.480
letter written by a service member stationed at the Victorville

645
00:41:16.719 --> 00:41:20.400
Army Flying School. I will share his letter. It's pretty terrible.

646
00:41:20.519 --> 00:41:27.519
So quote say say what the hell is being done about? Nut?

647
00:41:28.559 --> 00:41:30.840
So go ahead, basically like that, but I'm going to

648
00:41:30.920 --> 00:41:34.000
read it normal. Now, say what the hell is being

649
00:41:34.039 --> 00:41:37.800
done about these goddamn Mexican punks? I think the city

650
00:41:37.840 --> 00:41:40.559
officials and police are scared of them. They are certainly

651
00:41:40.639 --> 00:41:44.599
raising hell in La, raping women and knifing lone soldiers.

652
00:41:45.320 --> 00:41:48.440
One of our men came back to the outfit all

653
00:41:48.440 --> 00:41:51.119
cut up, and it's really getting us hot, and it's

654
00:41:51.280 --> 00:41:54.159
making them mad. It's not that Yeah, that's okay, Yeah

655
00:41:54.199 --> 00:41:57.000
they have a credit change from back then. Yes, okay,

656
00:41:57.280 --> 00:42:01.480
it was kod It's real hot. This will naturally lead

657
00:42:01.519 --> 00:42:03.559
to a bunch of our men going into La and

658
00:42:03.599 --> 00:42:06.239
there will be a lot of sorry Mexicans. I for

659
00:42:06.320 --> 00:42:08.559
one would kill any of them that hurt anybody I

660
00:42:08.599 --> 00:42:11.400
know in La. I don't see why the army doesn't

661
00:42:11.440 --> 00:42:14.239
just go in and take the situation over because the

662
00:42:14.280 --> 00:42:17.440
police can't handle it. We have wives and sweethearts and

663
00:42:17.440 --> 00:42:20.960
sweethearts there, and the soldiers won't stand for much more

664
00:42:21.039 --> 00:42:25.920
of this shit. End quote. I'm sorry, I'm I don't

665
00:42:25.960 --> 00:42:30.840
even this sounds like today, Like, no, they talk about

666
00:42:30.880 --> 00:42:34.159
the cities, inner cities. Yeah, oh, was full of shit,

667
00:42:34.280 --> 00:42:37.920
which you need to bomb it, like, shut the fuck up.

668
00:42:38.239 --> 00:42:44.920
It's there, fucking rural, fucking little town, fucking middle of nowhere,

669
00:42:45.199 --> 00:42:49.000
you know what I mean, And live our goddamn cities alone.

670
00:42:49.679 --> 00:42:55.280
Julie knows alone. No, for real, Oh my god, that

671
00:42:55.320 --> 00:43:00.239
pissed me off someone, But it's entitlement. It's literally, these

672
00:43:00.239 --> 00:43:03.119
attitudes never went a way. This is literally what Trump

673
00:43:03.280 --> 00:43:11.400
said about he attacked. He's been attacking La Yeah, Minneapolis, Chicago,

674
00:43:11.679 --> 00:43:16.039
you just you we replaced at with today's lingo. It

675
00:43:16.119 --> 00:43:18.920
mages literally yeah, and this was one letter, but this

676
00:43:19.159 --> 00:43:22.360
was the common view of the military. Yeah, they felt

677
00:43:22.360 --> 00:43:26.360
that they were restoring order in Los Angeles with their attacks.

678
00:43:26.440 --> 00:43:28.760
Oh my god, oh my god, it never ends. I'm

679
00:43:28.840 --> 00:43:33.440
literally like shaking like today. Yeah, Yeah, I'm hot, I'm

680
00:43:33.440 --> 00:43:41.199
real hot. Sorry, shut the fuck up. I had to

681
00:43:41.320 --> 00:43:48.679
laugh to not cry. No same even first Lady Roosevelt

682
00:43:49.000 --> 00:43:53.480
held a news conference to Illinois's concerns. Yes, Eleanor Roosevelt

683
00:43:53.880 --> 00:43:56.639
held a news conference to express concerns about the riots.

684
00:43:56.760 --> 00:43:59.239
She said, quote for a long time, I've worried about

685
00:43:59.239 --> 00:44:02.760
the attitude to Mexicans in California and the states along

686
00:44:02.800 --> 00:44:06.719
the border. End quote. Okay, Eleanor, Okay, she stood up

687
00:44:06.719 --> 00:44:08.639
for the Meskay. I was ready to see what the

688
00:44:08.719 --> 00:44:11.480
quote was. She stated the riots could be traced to

689
00:44:11.679 --> 00:44:16.280
long standing discrimination against Mexicans. Yeah, and she was wrong.

690
00:44:16.800 --> 00:44:18.840
But she was a tracked for what she said. I mean,

691
00:44:18.880 --> 00:44:21.320
of course she was. Yeah, she was called the communists

692
00:44:21.480 --> 00:44:27.719
and accused of stirring race discord. She was just calling

693
00:44:27.800 --> 00:44:31.599
it like it was m M. The Times wrote, quote,

694
00:44:31.679 --> 00:44:36.920
Missus Roosevelt, with characteristic lack of understanding, has added nasty

695
00:44:36.960 --> 00:44:39.880
fuel to a propaganda fire, into a scene that zoo

696
00:44:39.960 --> 00:44:43.800
trouble into something it isn't a race hatred problem, Like

697
00:44:43.920 --> 00:44:50.000
I'm sorry the reason? What is the reason? Then? This

698
00:44:50.119 --> 00:44:54.039
is ridiculous? Like if it wasn't that, then well was it?

699
00:44:54.280 --> 00:44:58.000
And to only when when when people you know which

700
00:44:58.079 --> 00:45:00.440
kind of people when they get me out of being

701
00:45:00.440 --> 00:45:02.599
called racist, and they're like, oh dah, you called me that.

702
00:45:02.679 --> 00:45:05.800
Instead of stop being being racist, to own it, just

703
00:45:05.840 --> 00:45:07.920
to own it. It's like they think being called racist

704
00:45:08.079 --> 00:45:12.519
is worse than actually being racist, right right, And so

705
00:45:12.679 --> 00:45:15.199
let's go to that committee now that I mentioned earlier.

706
00:45:15.639 --> 00:45:21.159
The committee actually came to the same conclusion as eleanor Rose. Okay, sorry,

707
00:45:21.199 --> 00:45:24.239
started choking, got excited. You're shocked. You're so shocked that

708
00:45:24.280 --> 00:45:27.800
you started cho I almost died of shock. Yeah. The

709
00:45:27.840 --> 00:45:30.199
committee came to the same conclusion that race played a

710
00:45:30.239 --> 00:45:33.800
significant role in the riots, but the mayor of LA

711
00:45:33.880 --> 00:45:38.199
at the time disagreed. Fletcher Bowron Bowron, Fletcher, fuck you

712
00:45:38.239 --> 00:45:42.280
and your stupid goddamn name. He decided to Fletcher's out there.

713
00:45:43.320 --> 00:45:46.280
If anyone is it, it's out there. Yeah name, I

714
00:45:46.280 --> 00:45:51.840
don't think so. Anyway, he stated the riots happened because

715
00:45:51.880 --> 00:45:56.000
of violent, thuggish, zoot suit wearing hooligans. Oh my god,

716
00:45:57.800 --> 00:46:03.599
I cannot yeah, yeah, yeah, and yeah, that was the

717
00:46:03.719 --> 00:46:08.599
zootsuit riots. So then no servicemen were ever held accountable

718
00:46:08.760 --> 00:46:12.039
for their violence. No, but a bunch of Mexican youth

719
00:46:12.159 --> 00:46:16.519
were jailed and fined. So oh my god, that's that. Wow.

720
00:46:17.119 --> 00:46:20.360
But yeah, no, this paired with the Sleepy Lagoon was

721
00:46:20.400 --> 00:46:23.480
like my, uh, what do they call it? White whale?

722
00:46:23.519 --> 00:46:28.039
Like when it's something that's like like daunting. M That

723
00:46:28.199 --> 00:46:30.639
was this for me. It had been ever since we

724
00:46:30.639 --> 00:46:33.119
were like, well, let's make this a history podcast instead

725
00:46:33.119 --> 00:46:35.199
of whatever we said. I had been wanting to cover this.

726
00:46:35.320 --> 00:46:37.039
I had been This was on my list for a

727
00:46:37.079 --> 00:46:40.400
long long time. We finally tackled it. I hope I

728
00:46:40.440 --> 00:46:43.199
did a justice. I tried to find information that again

729
00:46:43.559 --> 00:46:46.119
is missing and from other episodes covering this, and I

730
00:46:46.159 --> 00:46:49.840
feel that I did do that. I read four books

731
00:46:49.840 --> 00:46:52.440
for this series, so wow, I can't believe you read

732
00:46:52.519 --> 00:46:56.559
four books for this. Yes, I did one of them.

733
00:46:56.599 --> 00:46:59.360
It's been I sped read it because it was a

734
00:46:59.400 --> 00:47:02.960
library bar right out of time. Yeah. Yeah. I took

735
00:47:03.000 --> 00:47:05.280
pictures of what I didn't get to read so I

736
00:47:05.320 --> 00:47:06.880
could look back at it. I've been there. I used

737
00:47:06.920 --> 00:47:09.639
to do that with books when I was in school too. Yeah.

738
00:47:10.400 --> 00:47:15.440
And yeah, four books later, sure we are at the culmination. Okay, Yeah,

739
00:47:15.519 --> 00:47:18.400
any final thoughts anything to add I just like what

740
00:47:18.440 --> 00:47:21.920
I was saying throughout, especially during this episode. It just

741
00:47:23.360 --> 00:47:28.679
it's just so reminiscent of today, and I don't know,

742
00:47:28.760 --> 00:47:32.400
I guess to me, it goes to show what happened

743
00:47:32.760 --> 00:47:36.920
when the state, as in the military, any enforcement agency,

744
00:47:36.960 --> 00:47:43.239
right the military, the police, ies, board patrol, when they

745
00:47:43.320 --> 00:47:50.400
are allowed to be without impunity, and when these levels

746
00:47:50.400 --> 00:47:53.559
of violence are accepted over and over again, Like it

747
00:47:53.599 --> 00:47:56.679
doesn't surprise me that we are where we are. But no, yeah,

748
00:47:56.800 --> 00:47:59.320
I completely agree. And yeah, women, we've been training our

749
00:47:59.320 --> 00:48:03.280
thoughts throughout. But yeah, like I think history is so

750
00:48:03.320 --> 00:48:08.639
important in short, Yeah, in short, it's so important. Maybe

751
00:48:08.719 --> 00:48:11.400
if we had been taught about this in school, maybe

752
00:48:11.760 --> 00:48:16.760
maybe there would be less Mexicans Latinos inclined to join

753
00:48:17.079 --> 00:48:20.920
things like Borbia joran Ice. Maybe maybe it's possible. It's

754
00:48:20.960 --> 00:48:28.239
possible because education is power. Knowing our history is also power.

755
00:48:29.639 --> 00:48:31.599
So I couldn't think of a smart way to say that.

756
00:48:31.639 --> 00:48:33.239
But you know what I mean, Like, I know what

757
00:48:33.280 --> 00:48:35.039
you mean. I know what you mean. And it's the

758
00:48:35.079 --> 00:48:37.199
same thing. It's not only here in the United States

759
00:48:37.239 --> 00:48:41.440
with our history here, you know, But that's why all

760
00:48:41.480 --> 00:48:45.400
over like in these countries where genocide has happened, civil

761
00:48:45.400 --> 00:48:48.960
wars have happened, like they always like harp on you

762
00:48:49.000 --> 00:48:55.400
know memoria, right, yes, the collective memory. Yeah, and there's

763
00:48:55.440 --> 00:48:59.920
a reason that, you know, the established government and power

764
00:49:00.159 --> 00:49:03.760
or the people in you know, position of powers, they

765
00:49:03.760 --> 00:49:08.639
are trying to erase or rewrite history. So yeah, there

766
00:49:08.639 --> 00:49:10.920
are reasons for this. I just learned today. I just

767
00:49:10.960 --> 00:49:13.400
seen on I think I was talking democracy now that

768
00:49:13.840 --> 00:49:18.599
there's an exhibit about all the presidents at the Smithsonian

769
00:49:19.199 --> 00:49:23.599
and Trump had all the words and sentences about his

770
00:49:23.679 --> 00:49:27.320
impeachments taken out of his stupid fucking little portrait of

771
00:49:27.360 --> 00:49:33.280
course a rasure, yeah, erasure, yes. Yeah. So we hope

772
00:49:33.320 --> 00:49:37.280
you enjoyed this episode the series if you will on

773
00:49:37.320 --> 00:49:40.320
the zoo too, riot and maybe you learned something new

774
00:49:41.079 --> 00:49:44.440
and uh yeah, we hope this was one less Estordia

775
00:49:44.480 --> 00:49:51.400
Unknown for you. Bye bye. Astoria's Unknown is produced by

776
00:49:51.480 --> 00:49:55.199
Carmen and Christina, researched by Carmen and Christina, edited by Christina.

777
00:49:55.519 --> 00:49:58.159
You can find sources for every episode at Historia's Unknown

778
00:49:58.159 --> 00:50:01.199
dot com and in our show notes. Creating the podcast

779
00:50:01.239 --> 00:50:02.320
has a lot of work, so if you want to

780
00:50:02.360 --> 00:50:04.920
help us out financially, you can do so by supporting

781
00:50:05.039 --> 00:50:08.679
us on Patreon at Patreon dot com Slash Studios and

782
00:50:08.719 --> 00:50:09.280
Own podcast