THE ZOOT SUIT YEARS Chapter six 1 Mexicans

THE ZOOT SUIT YEARS Chapter six

1. Mexicans Return to Aztlan Mexico Revolution => 10% pop. migrate to the US. * Next generation would be the young Mexican Americans who would become known as the “pachucos” and wore “zoot suits”

2. Essential Vocabulary Racism: feeling of a racial hatred or superiority toward others Prejudice: to practice ethnic or racial prejudice is to prejudge those of different colors or nationalities than ourselves Discrimination: often results from racism or prejudice. Means to treat someone differently or unfairly. Segregate: to separate ( color or other such factors) Stereotype: to generalize about a certain group of people in ways that are unfair

3. World War II Mexican situation worse => Americans saw foreigners as not “patriotic Americans” War => opportunity for Mexicans to prove their loyalty & bravery * Draft – Many Mexican Americans Served

4. Setting the Stage 2 months after Pearl Harbor attack = Japanese submarines surfaced off the coast of Santa Barbara * Sub fired shots on oil field then left 3 days later = “ Great Los Angeles Air Raid” took place * US Army at San Pedro announced sighting of incoming enemy aircrafts = approx. 1500 rounds of ammunition were fired at mysterious planes. Next day Secretary of Navy announced there had been no enemy planes. All Japanese & Japanese Americans were imprisoned = “relocation centers” away from the coast.

5. “Pachuquismo” 1940’s: Mexican & Mexican American pop. lived in “barrios or “colonias” = where most services where inferior Real estate - difficult for Mexicans to purchase outside of barrios “East Side” Los Angeles= Mexican pop. rapidly growing Segregation: theaters, restaurants, public parks, schools, swimming pools = SIGNS Schools: Signs = “English Only” Names = Anglo versions Employment : paid lower wages, not allowed in labor unions, usually harder labor positions Young Mexican American Generation = taught English only & US history only mattered => turned them away from their own families * thus seen their parents as “squares” “ out of it” = ashamed * Zoot suit = origins movie “ Gone With the Wind” = trying to look American = DID NOT GAIN APPROVAL

Mexican American youth - youthful rebellion = but came to be known as a symbol of criminal / unpatriotic behavior = “gangs” began to appear seen in other minority groups ex) Italian Americans, Russian Americans LA newspapers: “Mexican crime wave” = a rising tide of Mexican juvenile delinquency (pachucos or zoot-suiters) Newspapers = Pachuco gang violence organized by Fascist = no actual connections ever found LA County Sheriff Dept = E. Duran Ayres investigate Mexican crime/juvenile delinquency *testified = discrimination against “Mexican element” = “biological factors” explained Mexican’s inborn love of violence = inherited violent tendencies (bloodthirsty Aztecs) = newspapers published this = it damaged the Mexican community War-time Fear & paranoia = Mexicans “enemy from within”

7. Henry Leyvas - Killer or Victim? Leyvas - beaten ( by “Downey Boys”) on a night out with his girlfriend at the Lagoon near Williams Ranch, to get even, he returned to lagoon with friends, did not find anyone, heard a party nearby went to see if he could find the attackers. Those in the party attacked Leyvas friends, believing they were a group that earlier crashed the party, now believed to be the same who attacked Leyvas. Newspapers called Leyvas and his friends as the “ 38 th Street gang. ” Jose Diaz: found next morning unconscious on the road near the Lagoon, he died later in hospital. When Newspapers learned of his death = came to be considered a brutal senseless murder. 24 members of the “ 38 th Street gang” arrested /charged with murder of Jose Diaz.

8. The Sleepy Lagoon Trial August 10/11 1942: LA Police Dept. blocked Mexican neighborhood streets in East LA. All cars were stopped anyone who had any sort of tools were arrested = > over 600 people were arrested = charged with various crimes Newspapers : Use this and the murder trial of Jose Diaz to run reports of “ vicious young killers” Trial: defense for Leyvas and others very unorganized, boys not allowed to change their clothes (2 weeks), boys forced to stand throughout trial. Ayres called to stand to explain the Mexican theory of violence. * NO murder weapon found * NO proof * NO real witnesses 5 months of trial 9 boys found guilty

9. The Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee - goal to secure release of the 9 boys * publish the injustice After 2 years in jail: guilty verdict reversed * evidence presented in trial declared totally insufficient

10. The Riots 5 months after trial: 11 sailors walking down the street in one of the worse parts of LA, were suddenly attacked by a gang. * Before police could do anything, a group of about 200 sailors hit the streets of LA = looking for anyone wearing a zoot suit. Next day more armed forces joined in. Anyone wearing a zoot suit was beaten and there clothes torn off. Riots - 5 days

11. Blood on the Streets Newspapers: reported Mexican zootsuiters planning counterattacks = causing thousands of LA residents to join the servicemen in the riots 5 th day of riots June 7 th Navy declared LA off limits to the sailors. Violence stopped. Mexicans and Mexican Americans of LA ? ? ? what they had done to deserve such treatment.

13. End of a War - End of an Era Mexican American soldiers were the most decorated of all minority groups. Chicano Veterans come homebecame activist for social change. * did not want to return as 2 nd class citizens - sellers no longer could deny Mexican American veterans the right to buy homes/property => GI Bill => govt. loans used to buy homes outside of traditional Mexican colonies/barrios = Chicano Movement