The origin of Los Angeles as a New World settlement was ethnic and racist in conception and execution due to the fact that the Spanish Empire, under the direction of explorers commissioned by Spain and abetted by the Roman Catholic Church, formally claimed California as Spanish territory in the 18th century, in the process subduing the indigenous population with varying degrees of force. That distant fact is relevant to the present research because it set a tone that, as an abundance of evidence demonstrates, has not changed appreciably over the centuries.
The autobiography of a Mexican-American, Dionicio Morales, born in this country to a migrant farm worker in the early 20th century, vividly illustrates the legacy of unequal social standing between ethnic groups in Los Angeles. As a boy, Morales had a growing consciousness of the "silent rules about being an American that had nothing to do with being born in this country" (Morales 56). He was ignored by some teachers, despised by others, but in 1937, he was class valedictorian. When he was ejected from a movie house for sitting in the Anglo section (126-7), the "them" against "us" mentality transformed his life toward social activism. An organized attempt to desegregate the El Rancho Theatre ended in success, and Morales became involved as a Dept. of Labor employee in improving working conditions for braceros, then in attempting to redress conditions producing gangs in East Los Angeles.
Although such successes of activism suggest the potential for cultural maturation, Los Angeles in the first half of the 20th century was raciallly charged. In August 1942, teenager Hank Leyvas, of the 38th Street Neighborhood, and his girlfriend were parked near the Sleepy Lagoon reservoir in East Los Angeles. They were attacked and beaten by teenage boys from a rival neighborhood. The victim and his friends later drove to the site, bent on revenge. Mistaking the sounds of ...