Network Aztlan Latino Chicano Comunidades Transnacionales

Brown Berets National Organization

David Sanchez

August 29, 1970 was a a day of celebration and protest against the Vietnam War which turned into a battle zone, all in a few hours. At the time, I was head of the Brown Berets National Organization, a civil rights group which consisted of sixty chapters. Some people say that the Brown Berets started the Chicano Moratorium Committee, but they never said that I was the one who implemented the committee. This was speculated because during the early months of 1969, the Anglos had successful Moratoriums against the war. To fill this void, a Chicano Moratorium was needed. So then, I requested that Brown Beret Officers begin to recruit outside of the organization to bring in the larger community. At the time I had so much work on my hands just maintaining the administration of the Brown Berets, I sought out Rosalio Munoz to become the other Co chair on the Moratorium Committee.This was after we had completed the first Chicano Moratorium Rally in December of 1969 with 2000 participants. The second Rally was in February 1970 with 5000 participants, and the third Rally was on August 29, 1970 with around 30,000 participants which turned into a riot and battle. On August the 29, 1970, the Chicano community was tired of lies and false promises. The community was tired of being oppressed by white dominate society. The community was tired of police brutality and no longer saw the glory in coffins returning back to the barrio from Vietnam. There was no plan to riot and no plan to engage with the police. It was just there in the air, and everyone knew that a fight was about to take place. The police came and all hell broke loose. Around 2000 people began fighting with around 500 policemen in the park and down the street, and two blocksdown, the gangs had there own battle line drawn. After two hours into the fighting, I talked to Ruben Salazar on the corner of Whittier Boulevard and Ditmen. I told Ruben to be real careful. He said that he was not worried that he had been in Vietnam. I then told Ruben that this was worse than Vietnam. A few hours later, he was shot in the head. The riot continued to move south on Whitter Blvd. One of the Brown Berets was killed by an explosion, 15 years old, Lyn Ward had died. Just before that Angel Diaz was also killed. As the day began to darken, I requested that all Brown Berets be pulled out. I was then interviewed by KRLA Radio, who asked me to please tell the public to go home and stop protesting, instead I said, " that we will never surrender". At the time, I was not old enough to drink yet old enough to recognize thehuman suffering that was around me.

Fighting Injusice

Mike Tigar

In the Vietnam war, people of color were being called to serve and were dying in battle all out of proportion to their numbers in the population. The war itself was an effort to prevent self-determination by a colonial people. The United States had simply taken over the role of the colonial French in Indochina.

The local draft boards were hostile to those who opposed the Vietnam War, and doubly hostile to Chicanos and African-Americans. Rosalio Muñoz was a leader who recognized the special situation of the Chicano people in that period. In acquitting him of draft refusal, Judge Ferguson remarked on the statistics that showed a pattern of discrimination against Chicanos in the administration of the draft.

Rosalio was one of two Chicano defendants I represented in draft cases. The other was Fernando Chavez, Cesar Chavez's son. Both were acquitted.

Today we are seeing a national strategy similar to that of the Vietnam war period. National leaders beat the drum for war, while ignoring the social problems at home. They call dissenters disloyal, and they seek to repress dissenting voices.

I discuss these themes at greater length in my new book Fighting Injustice, which you can get on Amazon.com.