FARMER2
"In the summer of 1943, tensions ran high between zoot-suiters
and the large contingent of white sailors, soldiers and Marines
stationed in and around Los Angeles. Mexican Americans were serving
in the military in high numbers, but many servicemen viewed the
zoot-suit wearers as World War II draft dodgers (though many were in fact
too young to serve in the military). On May 31, a clash between uniformed
servicemen and Mexican American youths resulted in the beating of a U.S. sailor.
Partly in retaliation, on the evening of June 3, about 50 sailors from the local U.S.
Naval Reserve Armory marched through downtown Los Angeles carrying clubs and other crude weapons,
attacking anyone seen wearing a zoot suit or other racially identified clothing. In the days that
followed, the racially charged atmosphere in Los Angeles exploded in a number of full-scale riots.
Mobs of U.S. servicemen took to the streets and began attacking Latinos and stripping them of their
suits, leaving them bloodied and half-naked on the sidewalk. Local police officers often watched
from the sidelines, then arrested the victims of the beatings. Thousands more servicemen,
off-duty police officers and civilians joined the fray over the next several days, marching
into cafes and movie theaters and beating anyone wearing zoot-suit clothing or hairstyles
(duck-tail haircuts were a favorite target and were often cut off). Blacks and Filipinos—even
those not clad in zoot suits—were also attacked and bloodied."
“Zoot Suit Riots: Causes, Facts & Photos - History.”
History.Com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com
/topics/world-war-ii/zoot-suit-riots. Accessed 7 May 2024.