Pachuca's Impact On African Americans

In 1940, the American economy was beginning to stabilize from the previous decade of “Great Depression”, in which home foreclosures, unemployment, and hunger was rampant among families across the United States. The continuous Anti-Mexican sentiment was still a popular theme in the United States as noted by the exclusion from President’s Roosevelt’s “New Deal”, repatriation (arbitrary deportation), and propagated segregation. Housing segregation of Mexican-Americans led to the formation of “Barrio’s” and tight knit communities, as housing options were unavailable in many areas. In various instances, home owners stipulated that homes in a particular zip code not be leased to Mexicans; properties for sale also had similar and lengthy stipulations
On the rise in this decade were a modern society of young, second generation Mexican-Americans who were not a confirming lot by any means. These young individuals provided a counter-culture clash that had been a long time coming from decades of repressive expression and oppression. These young individuals adopted aspects of other cultures, such as African American jazz and also incorporated the Mexican love of costume and dancing. Zoot Suiters rose to the forefront of the public eye in a negative way because of their non-conformist views and confrontational methods. The terms “Pachuca” and “Pachuco” were also bandied around to describe these individuals, who were no longer content to stand in the shadows and live harmoniously with oppression. Local law enforcement considered these young men and women to be hoodlums and thugs, often accusing them of brandishing their shoes as handy
Jose Diaz, the murdered Mexican-American youth had just finished his last day of work as a civilian because he was about to ship out as a service member to fight in WWII. After having fun at a party, the inebriated young man walked home and was assaulted on his way there; this became the mystery murder of “Sleepy Lagoon”. The local prejudiced law enforcement began rounding up all Mexican-American men and women in the area and subsequently arrested several youths. Twenty-two Mexican-Americans were railroaded, indicted, put on trial, and sentenced in short order for this murder using circumstantial evidence and conjecture. The case was appealed and overturned two years later after several organizations and celebrities became involved in the judicial mishap (other happenings such as the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943 probably played a role in the