The Chicano moratorium

On August 29, 1970, over 20,000 protesters, mostly Mexican Americans or Chicanos, gathered in Laguna Park in East Los Angeles to peacefully protest the Vietnam War. By August of 1970, the mortality rate in the Vietnam War was disproportionately high within the Chicano demographic, while funding for schools, jobs, healthcare, housing, and other important areas of our daily infrastructure were grossly under-funded or non-existent. Activists, community leaders and students built a broad coalition of support and created a day of education, learning and music to help raise awareness of these discrepancies in the Chicano Community. The day would end tragically just as the rally was beginning in the park, as Los Angeles County Sheriff’s attacked the non-violent crowd with tear gas and batons. The result was four dead, including award-winning Los Angeles Times Journalist and news director of KMEX Spanish Television, Ruben Salazar. KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles covered the event, as well as a press conference held by protest organizers held on August 31, 1970. This recording includes comments from then KPFK La Raza Nueva host Moctezuma Esparza; Rosalio Munoz, event organizer and former UCLA student body President, who was the first and only speaker who spoke before the violence from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s broke out; actualities as the Los Angeles Police Department arrived; reports on the scene; reaction from attendees; Irv Sutley, state chairperson of the Peace and Freedom Party; reaction from Daniel Villanueva, station manager of KMEX TV; representatives of the Chicano Moratorium committee at a press conference held on August 31, 1970; the performance of a song seemingly called "Erasing the racists".