Zoot Suit 3

Valdez’s Zoot Suit is an informed retelling of Henry Reyna’s unjustified arrest and framing during the Sleepy Lagoon Trial. It is loyal to historical accounts while embellishing to create a greater understanding of the ridiculous abuse of justice. August 1, 1942, Henry and Dora were attacked by a "rival gang" while swimming in a reservoir known as Sleepy Lagoon. It's important to know that a "rival gang" just meant a group of friends. When the group fled Henry and Dora tried to find them, but when they couldn't they went to a party at the Delgadillo house. When a fight broke out at the party Henry and his friends left. The dead body of José Díaz was found the next morning and the sleepy lagoon trial began. The police gathered 600 Mexican American youth citywide to find who killed Jose Diaz. 22 members of the 38th street gang (Henry's gang) were accused of the murder. October 13 People v. Zamora became the largest mass trial in California. The trial was extremely racially charged with the prosecutor using the clothing and hairstyles of those on trial to prove their guilt. All of the women of the 38th street gang who refused to testify or give information were sent to a women's reformatory without trial. January 12, 1943, Judge Charles Frickle found 5 of the 17 defendants in the case guilty of assault, getting 6 months to 1 year in jail. 9 were sentenced to 5 years to life for second-degree murder. Henry Leyvas, Jose Ruiz, and Robert Telles were found guilty of first-degree murder and life in prison. After the trials, the Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee was formed to raise awareness and get the sentences repealed. Through community outreach, they got all members of the 38th street gang by October of 1944 While The members of the 38th gang were in prison, what was known as the Zoot Suit Riots broke out in Los Angeles. Starting in June of 1943, called the zoot suit riots after the loose style of suits worn by many young men in minority groups. The very existence of the suits during war times upset patriots as they were seen as a waste of materials that should be rationed to soldiers. When you mix white sailors, soldiers, and marines with zoot suit-wearing minorities it turns ugly. On March 31 a U.S sailor clashes with a few Mexican American youths and ends up being beaten. Three days later 50 sailors from the Naval Reserve Armory march the streets of Los Angeles beating everyone wearing a zoot suit and any person of color they come across. This continued for days to follow with no assistance from local police. The police instead of stopping the bloody beatings of innocent people would arrest those who were left half-naked and bleeding in the street. By the end of the week, this grew to thousands of men, servicemen police and civilians not only from Los Angeles but all southern California set on a path of mass lynching. It got so horrific the council for Latin America Youth asked President Roosevelt to intervene. There was no help to be received. The attacks only stopped on June 8th when soldiers were kept from leaving the barracks. The media framed the violence as vigilante justice in response to the immigrant crime wave. The police only ever arrested Latino men seen fighting back. Zoot suits were banned the next day. Why did Valdez feel 1978 was a time in need of Zoot Suit. Maybe it was from seeing the other Chicano works being published at the time. Maybe it was in reference to the women's rights and gay rights movements. A decade before writing Zoot Suit Valdez wrote two short plays, Las Dos Caras del Patroncito and Quinta Temporada, encouraging workers to leave the fields and join the UFW. He was involved with Cesar Chavez and the early Chicano movement. All of these things could have influenced his choice to bring attention to a devastating part of Chicano and LA history