The Chicano Moratorium Throughout the 1970s, Chicanas/os in San Diego also protested the Vietnam War, an action rooted in part on government data that Chicanos were dying at disproportionate rates. Whether they were drafted or enlisted, few qualified for educational deferments since higher education was out of reach for many whose families were low-income wage earners. The National Archives of Military Records cited more than 58,000 deaths in Vietnam, among them Mexican Americans and Latinos. It is estimated they made up 10% of all combatants, yet were 20% of total casualties. On August 29, 1970, more than 20,000 Chicanos—families, students and veterans—gathered in East Los Angeles for the National Chicano Moratorium against the Vietnam War. It was the largest national protest in the history of the nation’s Chicano movement. Unfortunately, the peaceful rally ended in violence with the death of three attendees, including Ruben Salazar, the Los Angeles Times’ first Latino columnist/reporter, who was covering the rally. A Los Angeles deputy sheriff fired a tear gas cannister into the bar where Salazar was taking cover from the violence outdoors. The cannister hit him in the head and killed him.
Chicano Moratorium Committee antiwar demonstrators, East Los Angeles – August 30, 1970 (Photo courtesy Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.)
The experience proved to be traumatic and memorable for those who attended. National City resident Herman Baca was one of the many attendees. He later recalled in a 2020 commentary to La Prensa newspaper, “As the police advanced, I witnessed scenes I will never forget. Before my eyes, hundreds of our people —children, women, youth and old persons—were beaten, tear-gassed, maimed and arrested.”
U.S. Army Sgt. Albert A. Banuelos, Jr. Killed in combat September 19, 1968 (Photo courtesy Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund)
U.S. Army PFC Eugene Gastelum Killed in combat May 2, 1969 (Photo courtesy Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund)
Chicano Moratorium Sheriff Deputies – August 29, 1970 (Photo courtesy Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.)
U.S. Army Sgt. Albert A. Banuelos, Jr. Killed in combat Sept 19, 1968
U.S. Army PFC Eugene Gastelum Killed in combat May 2, 1969
92
San Diego Latino Legacy – Timeline • Milestones • Stories
Chapter 4 – The Rise & Legacy of the Chicano Movement
93
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator