Chicano Moratorium

The National Chicano Moratorium in East Los Angeles, California, on August 29, 1970, was one of the largest anti–Vietnam War protests in the United States and the largest held by Chicanos. By the late 1960s, ethnic and working-class groups questioned their participation rates in the war, resisted the draft, and protested. One of the most significant legacies of the demonstration that day was the riot and the subsequent death of Los Angeles Times reporter and KMEX-TV news director Ruben Salazar. The Chicano Moratorium was part of the broader Chicano Movement challenging inequality and promoting civil rights, ethnic nationalism, economic and political self-determination, and artistic revolution.

Student and community activists Rosalio Munoz, Ernesto Vigil, Manuel Gomez, Lorenzo Campbell, and David Sanchez planned a series of actions against the war in Vietnam. Organizations such as the Crusade for Justice and the Brown Berets played central roles in August 29 and the execution of two earlier protests on December 20, 1969, and February 28, 1970, in Los Angeles.

Between 20,000 and 30,000 people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds marched and gathered in Laguna Park to enjoy performances and lunch on August 29. A theft at a local liquor store caused police to rush into the park in pursuit of the accused, using tear gas, clubs, and arrests to disperse the thousands in attendance. Marchers fled and sought refuge in local homes and businesses, while some tried to defend themselves or threw things at the police who charged into the park. The resulting stampede and panic hurt 61 people, destroyed and damaged 162 buildings worth over $1 million, and caused the arrest of over 400 people. Most tragic was the death and martyring of two: Ruben Salazar and 15-year-old Brown Berets member Mark Ward.

After covering the day's events, Salazar relaxed at the nearby Silver Dollar Bar with two colleagues from KMEX-TV. Police who claimed a suspect was hiding in the bar fired a 10-inch tear gas projectile inside through the head of Salazar, killing him. Chicanos found the death of Salazar suspicious given his positive coverage of the February 1970 protest and his work on a series titled “What Progress in Thirty Years of Police [Page 475]Community Relations?” This series followed his stories on the suspicious deaths of two Mexican nationals by Los Angeles and San Leandro police. The police had previously threatened Salazar for inciting the community with his coverage and he believed he was under their surveillance.

Salazar's death and the acquittal of those responsible for it outraged the community. While some viewed this as the “death of the Chicano Movement,” others saw it as a call to action and memorialized Salazar in art and film. Moctesuma Esparza and David Garcia produced and directed Requiem 29 about the event and won a bronze medal at the Atlanta International Film Festival in 1971. He was honored by the renaming of Laguna Park to Ruben F. Salazar Park. The U.S. Postal Service later recognized his contributions with a stamp in a series devoted to journalists in 2008. On August 29, 2010, a 40th Anniversary Chicano Moratorium event was held in Belvedere Park in East Los Angeles. It featured popular Chicana/o bands, a photo exhibit, and a nearby performance of a play about Salazar's death.

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