On August 1, 1942, a 22-year-old Mexican American man was stabbed to death at a party. To white Los Angelenos, the murder was just more proof that Mexican American crime was spiraling out of control. The police fanned out across LA, netting 600 young Mexican American suspects. Almost all those taken into custody were wearing the distinctive uniform of their generation: Zoot Suits. The tragic murder and the injustice of the trial that followed, coupled with sensational news coverage of both, fanned the flames of the racial hostility that was already running rife in the city. Within months of the verdict, Los Angeles was in the grip of some of the worst violence in its history.
Genre: History, Documentary
Stars: Hector Elizondo
Crew: Joseph Tovares (Writer), Joseph Tovares (Director), Claudio Ragazzi (Music), Jill Tufts (Assistant Camera), James Rutenbeck (Editor), Michael Chin (Cinematography)
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Studio: PBS, GBH
Runtime: 53 minutes
Quality: HD
Released: Mar 01, 2002
IMDb: 10
Keywords:police brutality, riot, los angeles, california, mexican american, lapd, 1940s, zoot suit, police violence
