Hunting On The Zoot Suit - Mexican American Community

The Zoot Suit riots were probably one of the most appalling 10 days in US history. With racism being the center of the whole event it's easy to see how. With the Mexican American community being the victim and servicemen being the aggressors. Some of the things that happened were just straight up disturbing. The media sure didn't help protect the Mexican Americans the kid's parents obviously did but failed for the most part. The start is possibly the most unagreeable part about the riots.How the riots started still remains a mystery to this day. The riots started on the 4th of June 1943. As the Los Angeles Times says 'Some say it was sparked by Mexican American gang members called pachucos who attacked servicemen. Others say that servicemen were trying to distract from a trial for a fellow officer. Some people also blame the newspaper for painting all Mexican Americans as gang members or thugs.There are some things everyone can agree on about the riots, the atrocities that occurred during it. On the first day June 4th, 1943 about 200 servicemen stormed the Mexican American neighborhoods beating any people wearing zoot suits they could find. It eventually turned into where they beat any Mexican Americans they could find. On June 7th some of the city's press said that the Mexican American community would soon rebel. The very next day thousands of civilians joined the servicemen in their rampage. They say they were 'hunting down zoot suiters'.Some of the stories people have are just saddening. On June 7th 4 boys came out of a pool hall. They were wearing zoot suits at the time a symbol of Mexican American gang members. A brave soul refused and asked, 'why am I being arrested'? In a cruel response, he was hit 3 times on the head as he fell he was kicked in the face.

Police had trouble getting him into the cruiser because he only had one leg and had a wooden one to replace for the one he was missing. The same day a Mexican mother sobbed and cried out, 'Don't take my boy, he did nothing. He's only fifteen years old. Don't take him'. In another needless response of violence, she was struck in the jaw with a nightstick. She almost dropped a 2 and a half-year-old baby she was holding in her arms. Close by a group of servicemen was taking a tour through the neighborhood 3 police cars with policemen in them pulled up but the servicemen were not questioned. A little bit after the servicemen stopped a streetcar. Forcing the driver out the door and took a look at the passengers clothing they said, 'we're looking for zoot suits to burn'. The police still nearby did not intervene. This all happened on the same day you can only imagine what happened during the entire 10 days of riots. The zoot suit riots are another example of how much racism can destroy an entire community. The riots helped with one thing though they caused the Mexican American community to band together to dismantle racist housing agreements. These agreements stopped minorities from living in certain neighborhoods. They also won a lawsuit against the Westminster school district. This was one of the things that dismantled the laws on segregation in schools.