Zoot Suit Riots
I was moved by the emotional Column One stories by Janet Clayton, George Ramos, Patt Morrison, and Elaine Woo (May 4-5) recalling their years in Los Angeles in relation to the recent urban unrest.
They bring to mind a memory of my youth in this city that was ignored by the media--the Zoot Suit riots of 1943 when military men on leave in the city brutalized young Mexicans wearing zoot suits.
The police as well as military police ignored this vigilante action, which saw young men and boys pulled from streetcars (sound familiar?) and beaten, their clothing stripped and hair cut--and then the police moved in.
It was an emotional, disgraceful incident in Los Angeles. Although not in the same category with 1965 and 1992, this was another bitter milestone in bad race relations in this city.
I have not forgotten, but have we?
CLIFF DEKTAR, North Hollywood
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