The Zoot Suit Riots
The Zoot Suit riots were a series of riots that broke out in Los Angeles, California during WWII. The riots happened between American Sailors, Marines and Mexican Americans. The riots were in part of the effect of the Sleepy Lagoon Murder trial. After the Sleepy Lagoon case, a series of violent incidents erupted between Mexicans wearing Zoot suits and U.S. service personnel in San Jose, Oakland, San Diego, Delano, Los Angeles, and cities and towns of California. The most serious of the break outs in Los Angeles. The first in the series of riots accured on May 30 1943, the altercation involved a dozen sailors and soilders. The second of the series took place four days later on the night of June 3 1943, about eleven sailors got off a bus and started walking along Main Street in Downtown Los Angeles, ast some point they ran into a group of young mexicans dressed in Zoot Suits and got into a verbal agument.
The riots ecalated over the ensuing days, thousands of white service men joined the attacks marching down streets, entering bars and movie theaters and assaulting any young latino males the encountered. In one incident sailors dragged two Zoot Suits on stage while the movie was being played, stripped there clothes off in front of the audience and procceded to urinate on the suits. Although police accompaniend the rioting servicemen, they had orders not to arrest any of them. After several days of rioting more than 150 people had been injured and police arrested more than 500 Latinos on charges ranging from rioting to vangrancy. Journalist Carey McWilliams Wrote, "Marching through the streets of downtown Los Angeles, a mob of several
thousand soldiers, sailors, and civilians, proceeded to beat up every
zoot suiter they could find. Pushing its way into the important motion
picture theaters, the mob ordered the management to turn on the house
lights and then ran up and down the aisles dragging Mexicans out of
their seats. Streetcars were halted while Mexicans, and some Filipinos
and Negroes, were jerked from their seats, pushed into the streets and
beaten with a sadistic frenzy." The Zoot Suits riots was caused by racism and hatred.
Sorces: www.pbs.org
www.wikipedia.com
The Zoot Suit riots were a series of riots that broke out in Los Angeles, California during WWII. The riots happened between American Sailors, Marines and Mexican Americans. The riots were in part of the effect of the Sleepy Lagoon Murder trial. After the Sleepy Lagoon case, a series of violent incidents erupted between Mexicans wearing Zoot suits and U.S. service personnel in San Jose, Oakland, San Diego, Delano, Los Angeles, and cities and towns of California. The most serious of the break outs in Los Angeles. The first in the series of riots accured on May 30 1943, the altercation involved a dozen sailors and soilders. The second of the series took place four days later on the night of June 3 1943, about eleven sailors got off a bus and started walking along Main Street in Downtown Los Angeles, ast some point they ran into a group of young mexicans dressed in Zoot Suits and got into a verbal agument.
Sorces: www.pbs.org
www.wikipedia.com
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