News and Views from the People's Struggle
Fullerton, CA – On April 27, over 30 family members, Orange County residents and activists gathered at Lemon Park to grieve for Jose Naranjo-Cortez, who was killed by Fullerton Police Department on April 20.
The vigil was organized by Jose Naranjo-Cortez’s family and Community Service Organization, Orange County (CSO OC) a grassroots, working-class group that fights for community control of the police.
Napa, CA – Napa Valley protesters lined Soscol Avenue in the hundreds as they came out for an April 19 day of action against Trump. Many held signs denouncing Trump and his racist agenda, others held flags of solidarity with Palestine.
Carlos Montes es un líder reconocido a nivel nacional en el movimiento chicano, de derechos de los migrantes y en la lucha contra la guerra. Fue cofundador de los Boinas Cafés (Brown Berets), una organización chicana de la clase trabajadora en Estados Unidos a finales de los años 1960 y 1970. Los Boinas Cafés se inspiraron y a menudo fueron comparados con el Partido de las Panteras Negras (Black Panther Party).
Carlos Montes is a nationally respected leader in the Chicano, immigrant rights and anti-war movements. He was a co-founder of the Brown Berets, a Chicano working-class organization in the United States in the late 1960s and 1970s. The Brown Berets were inspired by and often compared to the Black Panther Party.
Montes was one of the leaders of the 1968 ELA Chicano Blowouts, a series of walkouts of East Los Angeles high schools. He is portrayed by Fidel Gomez in the 2006 HBO movie Walkout. Montes is one of the ELA 13 indicted by a grand jury for conspiracy to disrupt the Los Angeles school district. With the Brown Berets, Montes organized the first Chicano Moratorium protest against the Vietnam war in East LA, which took place December 20, 1969.
St Paul, MN – On Sunday, March 30, about 100 people rallied on a snowy day to commemorate César Chávez Day. Speakers called for immigrant rights, an end to mass deportations, and for legalization for all.
The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) partnered with community organizations to honor César Chávez with a march on his namesake street on the West Side of Saint Paul. Organizers sought to cultivate solidarity that draws connections between immigrant and workers’ rights.
Los Angeles, CA – In East Los Angeles, the grassroots organization Centro CSO has been fighting to ban the Fort Apache logo that East Los Angeles Sheriff's deputies proudly wear on the front right pocket of their uniform. The logo is disrespectful to Chicanos, as it was created by deputy gang members from the Little Red Devils gang out of the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (ELASD) station to glorify their attacks on Raza.
The logo depicts a riot helmet on top of a combat boot with the words “Low Profile” and “Siempre Una Patada En Los Pantalones (Always A Kick In The Pants).” The East Los Angeles Sheriff's Deputies created this logo after beating and killing Chicanos during the Chicano Moratorium on August 29, 1970, in East Los Angeles. The Chicano Moratorium was a large Chicano march, and protest against police brutality as well as the Vietnam War, where countless Chicanos were being sent to the front lines to die in the name of U.S. imperialism. Chicanos demanded an end to the draft and the presence of military recruiters in schools.
Dallas, TX – On Saturday, February 8, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression NAARPR-Dallas hosted its Black and Brown Unity: History of DFW Struggle for Liberation Town Hall at the Pan-African Connection in Dallas.
Santa Ana, CA – On February 3, roughly 1000 people took to the streets to fight Trump’s racist agenda, gathering in front of the Ronald Reagan Federal Building. Immigrant families and their allies marched around the city from morning to night, demanding an end to deportations, waving Mexican and other Latin American flags, and sending Santa Ana police scrambling to redirect traffic.
Denver CO – On February 5, Denver students walked out in protest of the mass deportations. Hundreds of Chicano and Latino students marched to the Colorado State Capitol and rallied on the west steps, chanting “El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido!” and demanding an end to the terror being unleashed on immigrants. This terror has taken the form of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, many of which were taking place simultaneously in Aurora and around Denver.
Santa Ana, CA – On December 1, two officers from Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) shot and killed a man in downtown Santa Ana near Broadway and 2nd Street. SAPD stated that people called about a man loading a rifle. Nearly 30 bullet holes scar the wall where he was shot for holding what turned out to be a non-lethal airsoft gun.
Fullerton, CA – On Friday, September 6, over 30 family members, community members and activists joined a vigil to demand justice for Alejandro Campos Rios. The vigil was held outside of a McDonald’s restaurant where Rios was murdered by Fullerton Police Department on March 6 while experiencing a mental health crisis.
Connor Atwood with Dare to Struggle kicked off the vigil by stating, “For six months the killer cops have gotten away with it. For six months, they have not released the names of the officers that pulled the triggers. For six months they have not been fired from FPD. And for six months, while we should have been getting justice ,these killer cops have continued to walk the streets. We’re here to say no, we’re here to demand justice for Alejandro!”
San José, CA – On August 31, Silicon Valley Immigration Committee held San José’s 54th Chicano Moratorium commemoration at the San José Peace and Justice Center.
Around 50 people heard speakers on the August 29, 1970 Chicano Moratorium and other issues related to the Chicano liberation and anti-war movements. The keynote speaker was Carlos Montes, co-founder of the Brown Berets, Freedom Road Socialist Organization Central Committee member, and co-chair of the FRSO Chicano, Latino and Other Oppressed Nationalities Commission.
East Los Angeles, CA – On Saturday, August 24, around 200 Chicano activists and community members came out to Rúben Salazar Park to commemorate the 54th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium.
Tacoma, WA – On Friday, August 30, about 20 people gathered in person and online to celebrate the 54th anniversary of the historic Chicano Moratorium, at an event hosted by Freedom Road Socialist Organization. The commemoration was held in a community organizing space shared by the Black Panther Party of Washington, 350 Tacoma, La Resistencia and other local groups.
The event kicked off with a presentation by local organizer Jami Cortez. During the presentation, the history of the events that led up to the moratorium where highlighted.
Santa Ana, CA – On August 10, nearly 40 people packed into the Studio of El Centro Cultural de México to hear five panelists speak on a wide range of topics affecting Chicanos. This event, commemorating the 54th Chicano Moratorium, was organized by Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC).
Before the panel began, Diana Terreros, a founding member of CSO OC, led a chant to honor and remember the name of Abigail Lopez, who was tragically murdered at the hands of Anaheim Police Department in 2023.
Los Angeles, CA – Immigrant rights activists with Centro CSO held a press conference July 9 calling for a protest on opening day of the Republican National Convention (RNC). The LA activists are sending a delegation and will travel and join a march and protest on July 15 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Los Angeles, CA – Over 40 people gathered at a local bar, Distrito Catorce, to raise funds for organizers traveling to march on the Republican and Democratic National Conventions (RNC and DNC) taking place in Milwaukee and Chicago, respectively. Those traveling include members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization and both the LA and Orange County chapters of Community Service Organization (CSO).
Los Angeles, CA – On June 16, in the heart of Boyle Heights, a neighborhood known for its Chicano culture and activism, hundreds gathered for Orgullo Fest. The yearly festival brings together different communities and allows participants to celebrate both their Chicano and LGBTQ identities in an important cultural and social celebration.
Orgullo Fest was born out of a grassroots effort by local activists and leaders who recognized the need for an inclusive space. Juarez, an events organizer from the neighborhood, managed this year’s celebration.
Los Angeles, CA – On June 2, Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights was alive with vibrant culture and history as hundreds of Chicanos gathered for the Zoot Suit Cruise, an event commemorating the infamous Zoot Suit Riots of June 1943. Over 100 classic cars, affectionately known as “Bombas,” lined the streets, their glossy, bright paint jobs reflecting the pride and resilience of the Chicano community.
Chicanos, dressed in their finest zoot suits, danced the night away to the energetic rhythms of Pachuco Jose Y Los Diamantés, a band known for their Chicano rock. The atmosphere was electric with celebration, yet charged with a somber remembrance of the violent history that necessitates such gatherings.
The Zoot Suit Riots were a dark chapter in Los Angeles' history, marked by a week-long series of brutal attacks. On June 3,1943, mobs of U.S. servicemen, off-duty police officers and civilians targeted young Chicanos and other oppressed nationality youth. These violent assaults, which eyewitnesses described as mass lynchings, were sparked by racial tensions, targeting those wearing the distinctive zoot suit popular among many young Chicanos.
For a week, U.S. Navy sailors, police officers and other white men roamed the barrios, attacking indiscriminately based on clothing and skin color. Chicana women were beaten and some raped by servicemen, while Chicano men faced beatings and imprisonment. The violence, which spread from downtown Los Angeles to East Los Angeles and Watts, was only quelled when military personnel were confined to their barracks. By then, the attacks had wrongfully imprisoned many and left an indelible scar on the community.
Decades later, the City of Los Angeles issued a formal apology, acknowledging the horrific events and the city's role in them. However, the apology was seen by many as half-hearted. For Chato Ranflas, one of the cruise's organizers, events like the Zoot Suit Cruise are crucial for cultural remembrance and community strength. “It's very important to have these types of cultural Chicano events in the neighborhood. Aquí estamos y no nos vamos,” Ranflas declared, emphasizing the enduring presence and resilience of the Chicano community.
Centro CSO members were present at the event, enjoying the festivities and documenting the community's vibrant celebration of culture and history. The Zoot Suit Cruise stands as a testament to the strength and unity of the Chicano community, a poignant reminder of their enduring spirit.
#LosAngelesCA #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #Zoot #CentroCSO
Dallas, TX – La Frontera Nos Cruzo held a vigil, May 10, at the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge to honor mothers who have lost their lives at the border. The event's host, Lesly Torres Guerrero, began the night by singing a rendition of Cielito Lindo before leading a moment of silent prayer for those affected by border violence. An altar of names and faces was decorated with flowers and candles, which passersby stopped to give their respects to.
A guest speaker from the Eagle Pass Border coalition, Amerika Grewal, spoke on the topic, “There is a time for mourning, then there is action!”