Comments on: The Lesser-Known Race Riots of Los Angeles

By: chrystani

chrystani — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:35:22 +0000

@MattG,
You just gave me my fact of the day. Thanks.

By: Sam

Sam — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 14:20:05 +0000

You might do a story on the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921. 39 deaths, plus this (from Wikipedia): “The Tulsa race riot was a large scale racially-motivated conflict between the white and black communities of Tulsa, Oklahoma, including aerial attack, beginning May 31, 1921. During the 16 hours of the assault, over 800 people were admitted to local hospitals with injuries, an estimated 10,000 were left homeless, and 35 city blocks composed of 1,256 residences were destroyed by fire caused by bombing.

By: MattG

MattG — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 05:41:31 +0000

With the entry of the US into the war in December 1941, the nation had restrictions of rationing and the prospects of conscription. In March 1942, the War Production Board’s first rationing act had a direct effect on the manufacture of suits and all clothing containing wool. Attempting to institute a 26% cut-back in the use of fabrics, the War Production Board drew up regulations for the wartime manufacture of what Esquire magazine called, “streamlined suits by Uncle Sam.” The regulations effectively forbade the manufacture of zoot-suits and most legitimate tailoring companies ceased to manufacture or advertise any suits that fell outside the guide lines. However, the demand for zoot-suits did not decline and a network of bootleg tailors based in Los Angeles and New York continued to manufacture the garments. Thus the polarization between servicemen and pachucos was immediately visible: the chino shirt and battledress were evident uniforms of patriotism, whereas wearing a zoot-suit was a deliberate and public way of flouting the regulations of rationing. The sailors also beat up the latinos because the sailors felt the folks who were not enlisted were not serving their country. On the other hand, the zoot suiters who couldn’t serve the US forces couldn’t enlist, so they stayed home and some worked hard to support the war effort. The fabric they used was from “underground” sources, and among their community, it became a status symbol to see who could sew the most fabric into their zoot trousers.

By: Peter H.

Peter H. — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:55:37 +0000

I was just a pup and lived 2 blocks away from the Watts riot zone. We fled along with other whites, the following summer, out of the city. This movie LOOKS loke a “riot”!! Thanks.