Technically, the city of Los Angeles is the largest municipality in the entire state of California and at the second position of the biggest cities in the whole United States of America. Moreover, the Los Angeles city or better known as L.A. on its abbreviation L.A. carries a godly municipality nickname the “City of Angels”. (Maps of World)
In a sense, the city of Los Angeles is not just one of the largest municipalities in the entire state of California; it is also included in the list of the most populous city in its state and all over the entire American nation with an estimated 3.8 million population in the early years of the 20th century. Furthermore, the huge city of Los Angeles holds a 469.1 square miles land area in the Southern California. (Maps of World)
At present time, Los Angeles is one the most famous city to be accounted as the worlds centers of technology, business, culture, media, , and international trade. Nonetheless, the entire city of Los Angeles is known to hold a bunch of cultural and professional field, which is considerably the main reason that Los Angeles had been significant to be one of the primary economic engines of the entire United States of America. (City – Data)
Apart from these facts, Los Angeles is also known to be the entertainment capital of the country, which leads to produce motion picture, record music, comprehensive television program internet content and even the well famous video games. (City – Data)
Moreover, the urban area of Los Angeles serves as a home for about 12.9 million people that originated from different places and countries around the globe. In a more in-depth review of the city, the Los Angeles is not just one of the most populous municipalities in California; it is as well one of the most diverse city in the entire United States, which hold a bunch of different people with dissimilar races, culture and language. (Info Please)
According to the record of census population, the Los Angeles city is at the second rank in terms of population count, which has the record and consisted with a bunch of people from different country and origin. (Info Please)
’2000 census population (rank): 3,694,820 (2); % change: 6.0; Male: 1,841,805 (49.8%); Female: 1,853,015 (50.2%); White: 1,734,036 (46.9%); Black: 415,195 (11.2%); American Indian and Alaska Native: 29,412 (0.8%); Asian: 369,254 (10.0%); Other race: 949,720 (25.7%); Two or more races: 191,288 (5.2%); Hispanic/Latino: 1,719,073 (46.5%). 2000 percent population 18 and over: 73.4%; 65 and over: 9.7%; Median age: 31.6” (Info Please)
With these facts, it is fair enough to say that Los Angeles is indeed a diverse city, which is composed of different ethnicity of its people that have been one of the main reasons for the Los Angeles history of the largest riots between gangs from different race and ethnicity in Los Angeles. This is Nonetheless the “Los Angeles Zoot Suit Riots”.
The Zoot Suit Riots were a chain of riots that had started in the city Los Angeles, California during the prime of World War II era. This epic riot that had been part of the history of the city is battle between sailors, soldiers that are positioned in the city at that time and Hispanic youths, who were dressed up and distinguishable with their Zoot Suit. At that time, the Mexican – American youth were beaten most the time together with African – Americans and the Filipino – Americans.
In a sense, that Los Angeles Zoot Suit Riot
“By the beginning of 1943, America was deeply engaged with World War II. In Los Angeles, the city had already been emptied of its residents of Japanese ancestry. Young Latinos, unlike their elders, were not content to stay within their barrios, but were spilling into downtown dance halls, movie houses, pool halls and clubs. As young men are prone to do many young Latino males distinguished themselves with distinctive hairdos (“duck tails”) and apparel (“drape shapes” or “zoot suits” – wide-brimmed hats, broad-shouldered long coats, high-waisted peg-legged trousers and long dangling chains). They called themselves pachucos. They came into contact with swarms of other young” men who wore another type of uniform, military men” (Given Place Media”)
Pachuco is a word referred to a group of Mexican-American teenagers, who dressed in gaudy attire, and were considered to be members of the neighborhood gang that have been one of the vital stakeholder during the 1940’s Los Angeles Zoot Suit Riot that had occurred in the city. (Farlex, Inc.)
Zoot Suits, on the other hand, is a man’s suit that is popular way back in the year 1940’s that is characterized as the official suit of the young Mexican – American gang, which is more popular with the moniker the “Pachucos”. (Answers Corporation)
Zoot Riots soon became visible in Los Angeles During the prime of World War II. This was in contrast with the increasing tension that perplexed between the people, especially the Chicano community of Los Angeles and the Americans who were situated in the Southern part of California. There were numerous tensions that existed between the sailors and the Chicano community at that time. (Suavecito Apparel Co.)
This may be attributed to the fact that many of the servicemen passes through the neighborhood of the Chicanos every night. Alcohol intake of these people may also be considered, for people tend to be hasty with their words after much drinking. Discrimination of the servicemen with the Mexican – American community became more evident as time passed by. (Suavecito Apparel Co.)
At that moment Mexican – American were bullied, and treated harshly by the servicemen. There were times when these men were actually associated with robberies and other criminal offenses. Unfortunately, the Mexican – Americans were not treated as men of equal stature, for they were always associated as the ghastly people, who knew nothing except drink and cause brawls among people. (Suavecito Apparel Co.)
In a deeper review of the issue, the Los Angeles Zoot Suit riot may have been just the result of the long time racial discrimination between the Mexican – American youth and society and the uniformed service men.
In support of this argument, the uniformed service is on the widespread campaign to maintain peace and order in the entire city of Los Angeles by capturing the people and mostly youths that causes and initiates violence in the street. In the year 1942, there are group of Hispanic youth had fought back in opposition to the forces of police men who stab to shut down a side street gambling game.
October of the same the year, there are over 600 Mexican – American youth who have been captured and arrested with a dozen of them are charged to commit the killing of Jose Diaz in an incident of gang brawl between 38th street gang and the Downey Neighborhoods gang near at the Williams Ranch that is better known as the Sleepy Lagoon, which have been become one of the largest court trial convictions in the entire history of California. In here, the scenario is clear that the uniformed service have acted discriminately to capture 600 young Mexican – American and assumed that most of Chicano youth are just doing nothing but violence and disturbance in the city. (History is for Elementary)
In the end, the epic tale of Los Angeles Zoot suit riot that had happened in the early 1940 is a clear citation of racial discrimination in the city of Los Angeles and in the entire American nation. Moreover, the Zoot Suit riot in L.A. is one of the most consistent and largest racial protests that had happened in the United States due to visible discrimination in the country.
With the fact that the United States is in deed a diverse country, which is composed of different races and ethnicity to equally treat each and every people residing in the state is essential to maintain peace and prevent any other identical incident like the Los Angeles Zoot Suit riot. Nonetheless, the Zoot Suit riots in Los Angeles should always be commemorated with its legacy that human equality is a key for peace and harmony.
References
Info Please (2005), Los Angeles, California: Retrieved July 2, 2008 from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108549.html
Maps of World (2008), Los Angeles City Guide: Retrieved July 2, 2008 from http://www.mapsofworld.com/cities/usa/los-angeles/index.html
City Data (2008), Los Angeles: Economy: Retrieved July 2, 2008 from http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-West/Los-Angeles-Economy.html
L.A. Avenue (2008), The History of Los Angeles County: Retrieved July 2, 2008 from http://www.laavenue.com/LAHistory.htm
Farlex, Inc (2008), Pachuco: Retrieved July 2, 2008 from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pachucos
Answers Corporation (2008), Zoot Suit: Retrieved July 2, 2008 from http://www.answers.com/topic/zoot-suit
Given Place Media (2008), Los Angeles Zoot Suit Riots: Retrieved July 2, 2008 from http://www.laalmanac.com/history/hi07t.htm
(Suavecito Apparel Co. (2008), History: Retrieved July 2, 2008 from http://www.suavecito.com/history.htm
History is for Elementary (2008), 13 Things About the Zoot Suit Riots: Retrieved July 2, 2008 from http://historyiselementary.blogspot.com/2008/05/13-things-about-zoot-suit-riots.html
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