This year marks the 41st Anniversary of the first Chicano Moratorium Against the Vietnam War. The first Chicano Moratorium was a march that took place on August 29, 1970 where people gathered to protest the disproportionate number of Raza deaths during the Vietnam War. An estimated 30,000 people gathered and protested in a call for peace. It was a peaceful gathering until the East Los Angeles police escalated the alleged theft of six pack of beer to an all out police riot against innocent community members. As a result three young people died, many were injured, families were greatly affected and countless Americans were shocked by the brutal measures that the law enforcement acted upon that day.
The three people who were killed due to police violence were: Angel Diaz, Lynn Ward, a teen Brown Beret and Rubén Salazar. Rubén Salazar, an outspoken journalist, was killed by being struck in the head by a tear gas canister shot at short range. Many people still believe that Salazar’s death was a murder executed by an L.A. County Sherriff and that the intention was to silence “La Voz de la Raza”, as Salazar was affectionaly known as, and the light he shed in the political, economic and social struggles of Chicana/os in Los Angeles and the U.S. Many of the Chicano Moratorium participants were brutalized by police including being tear gassed, and beaten with batons by LAPD.
On August 28th we will continue the tradition of peacefully gathering to reflect on the on going struggles our communities face including violence, poverty, the attack on migrants, domestic wars and U.S. occupations.
When: Sunday, August 28th from 12-5pm
Where: San Antonio Park in Oakland, On Foothill Blvd between 16th and 18th.