Zoot Suitors Summary
Throughout this story I feel like the theme that is stressed the most would be how Latin Americans had to deal with being discriminated against. Riots broke out between the Zoot Suiters and the public around the L.A. area during the WWII. Latinos were discriminated and accused of being criminals because of their skin and wild style of dressing They were known as the "Zoot Suitors". The suits that they wore had long, broad shouldered coats. Extra baggy pants that fit tight at the ankles. They wore a long chain pocket watch and a broad brimmed hat with a feather in it. This was how Pachucos dressed in their early years. This was how they felt they were able to express themselves but the public and the press tried to use their tradition against
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If they had anything that could’ve been considered a weapon they were being handcuffed. Around six hundred people were arrested, with a quarter of them being charged with something. These arrests were solely focused on Hispanic Americans. This just shows how bad police brutality was during that time.
Racism really played a role in this story and how Henry and his gang were treated unfairly and poorly. Although their were no witnesses to the scene and no weapon found, they were still treated like criminals because of their skin color. During this time, it seemed like everyone were against the pachucos and latinos. The media used the arrests to their advantage to bash on the Mexican Americans. They would use derogatory and racists terms to tear them down and shine light only on negative attention and news. The press had a target for zoot suitors and tried their hardest to give them a bad name.
It’s a shame as Henry and his fellow buddies were at the wrong place at the wrong time. The public saw Henry as just a gang leader with a criminal record. At least that’s how the press tried to describe him. To me it seemed as if the police were just looking to put the blame on someone and the 38 street gang were there to take the fall. It’s crazy to think that none of that would’ve happened if Henry and the boys weren’t there that
If they had anything that could’ve been considered a weapon they were being handcuffed. Around six hundred people were arrested, with a quarter of them being charged with something. These arrests were solely focused on Hispanic Americans. This just shows how bad police brutality was during that time.
Racism really played a role in this story and how Henry and his gang were treated unfairly and poorly. Although their were no witnesses to the scene and no weapon found, they were still treated like criminals because of their skin color. During this time, it seemed like everyone were against the pachucos and latinos. The media used the arrests to their advantage to bash on the Mexican Americans. They would use derogatory and racists terms to tear them down and shine light only on negative attention and news. The press had a target for zoot suitors and tried their hardest to give them a bad name.
It’s a shame as Henry and his fellow buddies were at the wrong place at the wrong time. The public saw Henry as just a gang leader with a criminal record. At least that’s how the press tried to describe him. To me it seemed as if the police were just looking to put the blame on someone and the 38 street gang were there to take the fall. It’s crazy to think that none of that would’ve happened if Henry and the boys weren’t there that