Walkouts and Protests in Los Angeles
Throughout Los Angeles' entire history, peaceful protests have taken place in the form of strikes, walkouts, marches, rallies, and more. Activism is seen across all kinds of people, and is often highlight by youth in the community. This is why peaceful protests are often taking place at schools and universities, where young people are learning how to advocate for themselves and for others. Los Angeles has a long history of protests and riots, including the famous LA riots of 1992, Vietnam War protests in the 1970s, and George Floyd protests in 2020. These protests often take place when marginalized groups are being abused, taken advantage of, or they are not receiving the same rights as other groups. Here, we will highlight protests that took place on three separate occasions in LA to show how people in the community fought against adversity and how they were often met with much resistance.
The 1968 Walkout at Roosevelt High School
In 1968, Roosevelt High School became one of five centers for Chicanx demonstration. It is estimated that in total, around 20,000 community members, teachers, and students walked out of their classrooms during the first week of March of 1968. Schools serving predominantly Chicanx populations in East LA had been neglected by the school district. Chicanx students at these schools lacked access to college preparatory classes, inclusive curriculums, and they suffered the effects of racist staff and faculty. These issues, after being ignored by the school's board of directors, served as the foundation for the demonstrations at across five high schools of East LA. In an analysis of protestors’ signs and testimonies from the day, it is clear that those involved understood that this movement for equality and representation in the school system was integral in the broader movement for Chicanx liberation.
The Watts Riots of 1965
In the Watts community in 1965, riots erupted after a black man, Marquette Frye, was arrested for drunk driving. A crowd had formed and they began to fight back against the police because they believed they were assaulting Marquette and treating him unfairly. This caused a riot to form, which led to more police officers and members of the community to gather and riot. The Watts Riots lasted 6 days, and in total, 34,000 people joined. The riot resulted in 600 damaged buildings, 200 destroyed buildings, 3,500 people arrested, it caused 34 deaths, 1,032 injuries, and about $40 million in damages. The Watts Rebellion happened because the Black community had faced a lot of discrimination by police and they lived in segregated areas that had unfair living and working conditions. Tensions had been high and the arrest of Marquette Frye was the last straw for them. The riots led to some changes in the community, such as creating better relationships with police, improved housing, created higher-paying jobs, and improved education. The community became more united, which improved their relationships with each other. These changes were not easy, but they happened, and have improved the Watts community.
The 1993 UCLA Hunger Strike
After Chancellor Charles E. Young denied requests for Chicano/a Studies to receive its own departmental status at UCLA, students expressed their anger by participating in a hunger strike. A total of 9 students and one professor took place in the strike by consuming only water for a total of two weeks. Other students showed their support by participating in on campus rallies as well. While Chancellor Young continued to stand his ground on his decision, the Chicano/a Studies program eventually did receive its own department in 2005. It was appropriately named after César E. Chávez, who was known for using hunger strikes as a form of peaceful protest on multiple occasions throughout his life.
Many patterns presented themselves as we analyzed these three specific Los Angeles Protests. One of these being how young people learned to advocate for their rights in their communities. While Latinx, Chicanx, and Black groups were the ones who were specifically being targeted, we found that people of all backgrounds were supportive of these people in their communities and were willing to help them fight for justice. Another pattern across all of these protests was unnecessarily aggressive reactions from the police. In fact, some of the protests were sparked by police brutality. Most movements begin with peaceful protests, but they are met with violence from police officers who bring gear and weapons with them to deal with unarmed citizens. This is why protests can often result in riots that are more out of control. Overall, we have learned that protests have been a part of LA's culture of activism for a long time and have succeeded in enacting change in the past, but there is still much to be done to achieve more justice in the future.
