On August 29 1970 the event now known as the Chicano Moratorium took place, while this protest was supposed to be peaceful in response to the latino deaths in the Vietnam War it quickly changed. This protest also led to the death of Ruben Salazar and an estimated 200 people arrested. The protest began at 9 AM near Belvedere Park, the protesters then walked along 3rd Street, to Atlantic Boulevard eventually ending up on Whittier Boulevard which led them to Laguna Park. An area for the protesters to wait for a rally with Cesar Chavez being the most notable speaker.
Separately at 1:30 PM the police were called to a crowded Green Mill Liquor Store where they were told that a theft had occurred. Their presence was not something that many people present wanted, as they threw objects at the police. This situation then escalated even further as police armed with riot batons forced their way through the crowd and police pushed back eventually causing more police arrived. With more police arriving they also started to use tear gas which created chaos.
This chaos increased causing Sheriffs to issue an urgent call for all the available units in the area to assist the police already on site. By 3:30 PM they had created roadblocks surrounding a three mile radius, these police that were now present were riot control with very little patience or compassion they clubbed and trampled people trying to control the environment. Around this time Brown Berets started shouting “Pull Out”, this was then followed by Molotovs. This started to create fires and more confusion among those who had come for a simple protest.
At 4 PM Firefighters arrive to try and put out these fires that are now spreading and even more police arrive. At this time police were ordering people to leave the area but due to the confusion, chaos that was happening everywhere, and the amount of people that were from outside of LA it made it near impossible. People began to just try and survive.
At 4:20 PM the chaos was at its peak. According to the LA Times there was an account of a 35 year old man named Angel Diaz who got in his car and then proceeded to break through two of the road blocks near him. While the streets were still full he did aim for police nearby, eventually he was shot in the neck and crashed, he eventually died.
4:55 PM Police are called to the Silver Dollar Bar and Cafe to about two allegedly armed men with Salazar being one of them. Eventually Salazar was killed after being struck in the head with a tear gas projectile that was fired by Sargent Deputy Thomas Wilson. While Salazar was killed instantly it took them a while 2 hours to remove his body from the bar.
Around 8 PM the chaos had finally settled down. Leaving behind chaos, damage, a martyr in Ruben Salazar, and a monumental moment in latino and american history. This became a spark that led to the mural movement in LA during the 1970’s including the black and white mural. This also shined light on just how bad the injustice was, creating more support and attention helping the Chicano Movement gain more power and influence.
Works Cited: Sahagun, Louis. “Know Your East L.A. History. A Day of Rage and Racist Neglect.” Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2020, www.latimes.com/projects/chicano-moratorium/east-la-protest-gave-voice-chicano-movement/.