Popular Chicano Musician : He Touched Many Lives Before Killer Took His

The “senseless” shooting death of a young Chicano musician earlier this month in front of his El Monte home went nearly unnoticed by the media, but his passing has elicited a remarkable outpouring of community response from those who viewed him as one of the brightest lights in Los Angeles’ Chicano community.

As a musician, artist and social activist, raised in the farm workers’ movement for union representation, Carlos Vazquez touched the lives of many.

Family and friends, who maintain he had no enemies, are at a loss to explain the mystery of his violent death. Police say they have found no motive, or suspect, in the Jan. 2 slaying.

Vazquez, 25, whose family was among the first to join Cesar Chavez’ fledgling farm workers movement during the 1960s, continued the family tradition of social involvement through his music, participation in numerous Chicano street theater groups and other community activities, which included a stint as student body president at California State University, Los Angeles.

With his older brother, Miguel, Vazquez led the musical group Los Perros del Pueblo, which is regarded as the most community-oriented group of Chicano musicians in East Los Angeles. With its mix of Mexican folk music and Chicano protest songs, the group is known for its support of community causes, ranging from political fund-raisers to benefits for abused children.

“He was always full of positive energy and held high principles,” his 38-year-old brother said. “He wanted to make life better by helping people organize themselves and protect their rights.

“He was forever bringing up worthwhile causes that we could play for,” he added. “The group’s goal was to use music as a vehicle to educate the community. The world has lost a very loving, a very giving and positive role model.”

And there were many who agreed.

About 1,000 attended a funeral Mass for Vazquez last week at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church, where less than a year ago many of the mourners had attended his wedding. The funeral procession to the cemetery in Montebello stretched for more than a mile, participants said.

“It was one of the most moving experiences of my life, seeing the love that people expressed for this man,” said Father Brian Culley, who presided at the services. “It was a tremendous testament to a man of love and faith and to the vibrancy of the Chicano community.”

The gathering included a mix of Chicano artists and social activists that included members of more than half a dozen musical groups, as well as such activists as Dolores Huerta of the United Farm Workers.

Several funds for Vazquez’ young wife, Dolores, and their 5-month-old daughter, Florita, are being organized by friends. These include a benefit to be staged by various musical groups in the community next month to establish a trust for Florita’s education.

His co-workers at the Los Angeles County Department of Social Services in El Monte, where Vazquez began working as an eligibility worker only about four months ago, raised about $700 within three hours after they learned of his death and donations are still coming in, Deputy District Director Nancy Diaz said.

“Normally we’d send flowers to the family,” she said, “but because of the kind of person he was, everybody felt compelled to give everything they could.

“He was very special. He was full of spirit and always tried to help anyway he could,” she added. “People loved him. I think because he loved life so much.”

At Cal State Los Angeles, where Vazquez is remembered as an ambitious young Chicano committed to strengthening the role of students on campus, others have said they plan to set up a trust fund for the family and are looking toward establishing a scholarship in his name.

Vasquez, who began attending the university in the late 1970s, majoring in theater arts and music, left before completing his term as student body president in 1982 after winning a court battle with university administrators over his tenure.

“The administration apparently didn’t like the fact that he was taking political positions on El Salvador and on the refugee issue,” said Mario Vazquez (no relation), a Los Angeles lawyer who represented Vazquez.

A recall campaign against Vazquez was initiated and the administration froze all student body funds until a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ordered the funds released, the lawyer recalled.

The attorney described Vazquez as “a very intelligent young man in the process of maturing” who took on a battle that would have been “burdensome to the most well-seasoned adult . . . He had tremendous faith and a commitment to issues he believed in.”

The mortally wounded Vasquez was found lying in the driveway. He died a short time later at a nearby hospital of a gunshot wound to the chest. El Monte police say they have no witnesses to the attack.

While many among Vazquez’ friends talked of Vazquez’ death as a “waste” of great potential, his sister, Lucia, 27, refuses to view the tragedy in such terms.

“Carlos never wasted anything,” she said. “We were lucky to have him for 25 years . . . He did plenty in the short time he was here.”

“No one is perfect,” Vazquez’ widow, Dolores, said, adding simply, “but he really tried a lot harder than a lot of us.”