Our Stories
Self-Determination, Chicano Park By Josephine S. Talamantez President Chicano Park Museum & Cultural Center My great-grandmother relocated to Logan Heights from Baja California, Sur with a brief stopover in Ensenada, in 1906. My mom was born here, making me a second- generation resident of Logan Heights. My family has strong community roots and a passion for keeping our history alive.
Enough is Enough Then in 1969, the Coronado Bay Bridge was completed. Concrete pillars replaced residential housing, leaving eyesores for us to look at every day. The promise of a park for our neighborhood never materialized. And then, on April 22, 1970, things changed. I was in my Chicano studies class at San Diego City College when Mario Solis, a fellow student, came into the classroom and said, “They’re not going to build us a park. They’re going to put a California Highway patrol sub-station on the site where we wanted a park.” Most of my classmates, also from Logan Heights and/or returning Viet Nam Vets, were shocked. We stood up and started to walk out of class. Professor Gil Robledo gave us homework, “Your assignment is to report back to class on what activities you plan to use as you go forward.”
Great Grandmother,Nana Cancho
Mother Sue Talamantez
Josephine S. Talamantez
(Photos courtesty Josie Talamantez Family Archives)
At one time, there were more than 20,000 residents in Logan Heights renamed by the City of San Diego to Barrio Logan in 1963. During my lifetime, that number had dropped to less than 5,000; today, I would estimate we’re down to about 4,000. First came Interstate 5 in 1963, that divided the Logan Heights neighborhood into three distinct areas—East Village, Barrio Logan and Southeast San Diego. Eminent domain allowed local governments to take people’s homes—with less than market value compensation—to make way for Interstate 5 and Ca. 75 San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge.
Chicano Park Takeover – April 22, 1970 (Photo courtesy Photograph©Robert Burroughs)
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San Diego Latino Legacy – Timeline • Milestones • Stories
Chapter 4 – The Rise & Legacy of the Chicano Movement
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