Juan "Freddie Freak" Trujillo

The Occupation of Temporary Building 1

In May 1974, Trujillo took part in the temporary seizure of the building housing the UMAS offices on the CU-Boulder campus. The purpose of the sit in was to draw attention to the financial aid crisis facing the Chicano population at the university. The students were put in a tough situation when CU chose to take away money and programs for students in financial dire.

The occupation of Temporary Building 1 on the University of Colorado campus ended in tragedy when six people were killed in two different explosions in late May of 1974. Killed in the first explosion was Neva Romero, Una Jaakola, and Reyes Martinez. The second explosion two days later killed Florencio Granados, Heriberto Teran, and Francisco Dougherty. Only one person survived, but was seriously maimed. Five of the people killed had been students at CU Boulder. All had ties to UMAS. The Boulder bombings and the deaths that resulted from them marked a climatic point in the Chicano movement in Colorado. 

This tragic moment in the Chicano civil rights movement was a contributing factor to why Juan Trujillo decided to leave UMAS in 1978.

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