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Essay On The Zoot Suiters

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The history of gang violence has a similar pattern that minorities whom are discriminated and outcaste deal with their oppressors by grouping up with others in the same situation. The Zoot suiters or Pachuccos, were a Mexican- American gang prevalent in Southern California during the 1940s. They are significant to Mexican-American history because of their discriminatory background growing up an immigrant or native to the United States both seen as outsiders in Mexican and American communities. The Zoot Suiters challenged segregation and discrimination through their clothing and actions to find pride within their Mexican-American culture. However, society marginalized the Zoot suiters through media producing the clash between zoot suiters and military during WWII putting into question the character those on either side. Mexican-Americans, whether they were immigrants to the United States or native born were discriminated within their communities. Mexican-Americans who were native born weren’t accepted in Mexico because they were seen as outsiders, those native to California were seen as outsiders because they were seen as Mexican. …show more content…

It is fair to put into question whether or not The Zoot suiters formulated out of retaliation because of living conditions or to have their own identity as a Mexican-American in the United States challenging segregation and discrimination. “Depending on who is writing the history, the week of June 3, 1943, is referred to as either the beginning of Los Angeles' Zoot Suit Riots or the time of its Sailor Riots”, stated in the article Zoot Suit Riots: Remembering the WWII era Los Angeles by Ben Baeder. Zoot suiters were portrayed as thugs and their long suits seen “as a slap in the face against those fighting in, and supporting World War II and the ban on excessive clothing garments”.(56) However, to the community of the Zoot suiters were symbolic in different

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The “Zoot Suit Riots” were a series of events linked to the Sleepy Lagoon murder case, that took place in Los Angeles California in June 1943. Despite the fact that zoot suits were not only worn by mexican americans during this time, and they were referred to the zoot gangsters. Often throughout this period of time as the city of LA began to grow, Mexican Americans were looked as outsiders in a city that was once built by their ancestors. Although zoot suits were not limited to only a single race I think the name of the event give it a false single sided outlook on the story. Ultimately singling out Mexican Americans during this time, even though the sailors had just as much or even more involvement during the riots.

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Racial tensions in Los Angeles came into the public eye when a gang of sailors beat up a group of Mexican-Americans wearing “zoot suits” in June of 1943. This led to the mass incarceration of these individuals known as “pachucos”. This initial incident was followed by days of violence in which servicemen roamed the Los Angeles area and physically assaulted any Mexican American they found in zoot suit apparel. The following two nights, the attacks progressed and though a few sailors were arrested while others were warned not to proceed in further assaults, word of the rioting spread and more military personnel from other areas of the city joined in as well. These events were preceded by increased racial tension between Mexican-Americans and Anglo Saxons.

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