I recently discovered this footnote in swing era history:. After a concert by the celebrated orchestra of drummer Gene Krupa, two of the band members, a pianist and sax player, were assaulted by sailors, apparently inspired by the events in Los Angeles. The band members were attired in band uniforms of blue gabardine jackets, dark trousers, and bow ties.
One of the victims of the beating remembered being cursed by the servicemen as a Zoot suiter. Now, If this happened today, it would shake the community. You would read about it on social media, it would make the news, and locally it would bring neighborhoods together. The reason why is because this event came a few days after the start of a massive campaign of terror in which U. Navy sailors, backed by local policemen and inflated by various civilians, canvassed across Los Angeles, California singling out and beating young latinos.
This was the Zoot Suit Riots. The U. War Production Board stipulated that the suits used too much fabric, saying the fabric should be going towards the war effort. Most zoot suit tailors stopped production, but while some were made through the black market, most that existed by were suits that had previously been made.
He passed within hours of being discovered, and Los Angeles police rushed to arrest 17 Mexican-American youths. Despite a lack of evidence, they were held in prison and eventually convicted, some of murder. Tension built in the area over the next year, sometimes escalating into violence. One instance, on June 3, , involved sailors getting into an argument with some Mexican American youth in zoot suits. Nothing happened, but the sailors told the police they were ambushed and beaten by the youths.
Finally, the riots moved to the main segment, as thousands of enlisted military members and civilians marched in formation through the streets of LA, beating every young Mexican American they could find. They burst into bars, clubs, movie theaters and dance halls to drag youths into the streets to be beaten. In one incident, sailors dragged two zoot suiters on-stage as a film was being screened, stripped them in front of the audience, and then urinated on their suits.
Marching through the streets of downtown Los Angeles, a mob of several thousand soldiers, sailors, and civilians, proceeded to beat up every zoot suiter they could find. Pushing its way into the important motion picture theaters, the mob ordered the management to turn on the house lights and then ran up and down the aisles dragging Mexicans out of their seats.
Streetcars were halted while Mexicans, and some Filipinos and Negroes, were jerked from their seats, pushed into the streets and beaten with a sadistic frenzy. In their minds, they were simply gifting proper manhood, or, fixing improper manhood. So, if you are thinking that the language used by the press lauding the Zoot Suit Riots sounded a bit Nazi-ish, your instincts were correct.
At no point did local papers mention the all-white mobs marauding through the streets, instead choosing to paint the victims as members of violent bloodthirsty gangs. The LA City Council passed a law making the donning of a zoot suit a criminal act.
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Also we collected some tips and tricks for you:. OK, got it! Who's that whisperin' in the trees It's two sailors and they're on leave Pipes and chains and swingin' hands Who's your daddy?
Add song structure elements. Midnight Sky. Therefore I Am. Christmas Saves The Year. In the era of ww2 wearing a zoot suit was considered a contributing factor in lowering the age of the draft, which also was symbolic of rebellion, lawlessness; which at those times was the beginning for the "bad boy" fetish for many women. The more material, the higher the cost, which was seen as having the loot to throw about; which caused some 40's women to stray from their men abroad in the frontlines for a more luxurious lifestyle.
Zoot suits and the lifestyle may have inspired many "dear john" letters, but it marked the birth of the greaser lifestyle which brought the us rock. Add your reply. The zoot suit riots were a series of riots in during world war ii that exploded in los angeles, california between white sailors and marines stationed throughout the city and latino youths, who were recognizable by the zoot suits they favored.
The zoot suit riots were in part the effect of the infamous sleepy lagoon murder which involved the death of a young latino man in a barrio near los angeles. Write about your feelings and thoughts about Zoot Suit Riot Know what this song is about?
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