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Brown Power! By Dr. David Sanchez
Email= DAVIDSANCHEZPHD@webtv.net
Former Prime Minister of the Brown Berets
Ph.D. Research and Development MAU
Mexican-American University
Website= http://www.mexicanamericanuniversity.com/
(parts one to seven)
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[Aztlannet_News] Brown Power (part one)
During the mid 60's, the nation was in turmoil after the assassination of Kennedy and Martin Luther King. There were protests in the south for civil rights and largely, the Black civil rights movement was taking to stage as riots were also occurring in Black ghettoes. At this time the Black movement for rights was at full bloom. Meanwhile, Mexican Americans were largely being ignored by government and by the schools. At this time, there was a void that needed to be fulfilled in the Mexican American community.
In 1965, as a high school student, I was elected to President of the Mayors Youth Advisory Council for the City of Los Angeles, Then, a group of 150 Whites protested outside the city hall to request that a new vote be made to remove me from office. The new vote did not take place. During this time, a police officer back-handed me on a routine stop. The mayor’s office ignored my request to look into the matter.
Phil Montes from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights had a hearing on the school problems, and there, I was able to state that Justice or Just-Us in the schools was for the anglo students and that Mexican American needs were being ignored. Phil Montez took me to Washington D.C. to speak on this matter.
In the community, several youth began working for a community service program, which was sponsored by the County of Los Angeles. In 1966, we called ourselves, YCCA, Young Citizens for Community Action. We were able to develop a survey and distributed this material through the high schools to find out the feelings of the students. It was this survey that would lead up to the school walkouts. Inside YCCA, there was resistance to take up a more militant position. But by many confrontations, several of us were able to change the name YCCA to Young Chicanos for Community Action.
During this time, I was able to write proposals and received funds to open a coffee house in East L.A called the "Piranya". The Coffee house would be the location for organizing the first pickets against police stations for police brutality, but it was also the location where the 1968 school Walk-Outs were organized and implemented.
At the coffee house, I began to wear a Brown Beret and in November 1967, I ordered 12 Brown Berets for people to wear at the first pickets at the Holenbeck Police station in Boyle Heights to oppose police harassment. At this time the name of the group changed again from Young Chicanos for Community Action to the Brown Berets.
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[Aztlannet_News] Brown Power (part 2)
The psychology during late 60's was an interesting one. Most people who had gotten involved in social change had been a victim or a witness to much of the human suffering that was going on in the barrios at the time. The other problem was that more than ever, funerals were being held for fallen Chicanos who died in Vietnam. Altogether, around 6 to 7 Thousand Chicanos had given their lives in the Vietnam War and many were from East L. A. At the time, East Los Angeles was around 75% Chicano, and it was this national identity which brought the people together as a group.
People from all over the southwest came to the Piranya coffee house to learn how to organize, and for many, the fastest way -- was to organize Brown Beret units like the welknown East L.A. Chapter of the Brown Berets.
More than ever, I had to take an administrative position to organize a national organization and to fundraise money. Small donations came in from Jewish and Japanese business in East L.A. and it was enough to pay for expenses, which was around five hundred dollars a month. It was the ability to reach out to 60 Barrios via Brown Beret units in many states that enhanced and increased the number of participants on a national scale.
The Chicano identity was re-developing as it was already in the minds of many of our fathers. In World War II, most Mexican American soldiers identified with this word, and had invested their identity into their children. Some of the first people who came from Mexico after the Mexican Revolution of 1910 had called themselves Chicanos. Also, during the Zoot Suit Riots in East L.A. and in Downtown L.A., the ‘Pachucos’ called themselves Chicanos. And the word Chicano became the unifying glue.
The ideology that developed was made up of other social movements that had been going on in other parts of the country. The Brown Berets were not like the Black Panthers. Instead, the Brown Berets spent their time organizing large events. Chicanos in general were learning the need for land, human rights, cultural education, real political representation, and self-determination. Basically, most Chicanos were reading from the same page. The Chcanos were tired of being oppressed by dominate society, "Ya Basta" was the cry for justice.
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Brown Power (part 3)
December 1967. The Piranya Coffee house. The sound of a small mimeograph machine was printing the first small activist news paper in East L.A. It was called the Organizer. The paper itself was going out to high schools.
Meanwhile, meetings were held at the coffee house with United Mexican American Students from East L.A. College (UMAS) Sal Castro, high school students, and Brown Berets. Discussions were being held to implement future plans for a walkout. Also, demands were prepared. Finally, in January 68, It was discussed and finalized that the1968 School Walk Outs would take place at the end of the semester in June.
As head of the Berets at the time, I objected this date and stated that the students were ready to walkout much sooner and that we had to go with the flow. My concern was that things would be sabotaged if we did not walkout sooner. Then, I was out-voted by UMAS who stated that the
walkouts had to take place in June.
Meanwhile, in March1968, a play that was anticipated was cancelled at Wilson High School. Then suddenly, students walked out at Wilson, which was widely covered by the news. From this, I saw that the spontaneity had to be played out. I talked to Joe Raza MA who was also a Beret, and he agreed with me that this was time to move.
The Brown Beret jumped the June date and went ahead and walked out Roosevelt and Garfield High Schools. Teacher Sal Castro then walked out at Lincoln High School. Later, Pat Sanchez, an old activist from MAPA, walked out Belmont High School with the help of the Brown Berets. This was an Historical event that would forever change some of the racist practices of the school systems throughout the nation.
Then, came the Grand Jury Indictments. Nine Brown Berets and five others were arrested for Conspiracy to Disrupt the Schools. We all spent three days in jail and decided to go on a hunger strike. The police put out a news black-out. The press did not find out about the arrest until they saw five-hundred people protesting at the central police station for the release of the L.A. 13. Finally after two years in court, the case was dropped on the constitutional right to assemble, and integration laws.
In the documentary "Chicano", and in the segment Taking Back the Schools, ironically, the producers never even talked to me about this. Why would they not want to talk to the former leader of the Brown Berets?
In retrospect, "the community can learn something from history or to better understand the procedures which develop events".
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Brown Power (part 4)
Summer 1968. The news of the walkouts gave the police an all-go-signal to go after the Brown Berets. Nonetheless, a few years later it was investigated by the police that the Brown Berets were not a violent organization.
Meanwhile, the Piranya coffee had to close down resulting from on-going police harassment of customers and guest who frequented the old building on the corner of Goodrich and Olympic Blvd. (now Tomayos Restaurant). For the following months, this was the most dangerous time period with heavy police infiltration and arrest. At the time, most of the Brown Berets were being arrested on fake charges, which were designed to slow the group down and to keep the Brown Berets in court.
Personally, I was arrested many times and later the charges were dropped. Except on one Sunday, the Brown Berets would routinely picket the police on Whittier Blvd. for harassing cruisers who just enjoyed the drive on the Bully. While protesting at a picket on the Boulevard. I was arrested for calling a sheriff a name and ended up serving 60 days for disturbing the peace. Again, I was arrested for AWOL from the Army in which someone signed me up for the military and did not show up, and ended up in jail for another two weeks until the charges were cleared.
Then, there was the case for the 1968 School Walkouts for which nine Berets were still facing charges. All over, the police were abusing and arresting Brown Berets for almost anything. The Berets headquarters in Boyle Heights was attacked by the LAPD, which turned into a physical fight inside the office. Two Berets in Tucson had their wrist broken by Police.
Berets in El Monte came under attack in which police crashed down the door at the home of Brown Beret, Macy Enciso, and shot him. And as Macy was wounded, he shot back at the officer. Both Macy and one officer were paralyzed for life. Two years later, Macy Enciso's nephew Lyn Ward died at the East L.A. Riot.
Many people wanted me to come out with a hard line, but I told the Berets that most of us were purposely being tied up in court, and to find alternative means to protest, and to keep a low profile. Also Brown Beret Bertha Grijalva who was one of the Sleeping Lagoon Case two females, who were arrested in 1943, and unexpectedly, her son by the name of Farmer was also shot and killed by the police in a shoot-out.
Personally, I could not condone the use of violence because the idea was creating huge police reaction and an escalation that was too costly as we were running out of attorneys and resources.
Then in March 1969, Roosevelt High School students walked out a second time with new demands, and more Brown Berets being arrested again. Then, at a demonstration while Governor Ronald Reagan spoke at the Biltmore Hotel, holy havoc broke out, and several Brown Berets and many others were arrested for disrupting the Governors Speech.
Despite all of these problems, myself and Dr. Rona Fields (a psychologist and friend) were able to attain resources to open up the Brown Beret Free Clinic in Eat Los Angeles. The clinic gave the Brown Berets credibility, as they were able to offer the community Free Medical and Clinical Services. To recover from all of the arrests, it was important to organize an event that would reduce the pattern of arrests by creating a new direction.
While at the Clinic, I saw a news report on television which showed thousands of Anglos protesting the Vietnam War at the L.A. Colosseum.The news report called it, a Moratorium against the war. Then, I got the idea, why not have a Chicano Moratorium?
Subsequently, male and female officers in the Brown Berets were asked to organize a Chicano Moratorium group. They unselfishly went out into the community and recruited people to join.
We organized the first Chicano Moratorium at Obregon Park in December of 1969 with 2000 people. It was the first large protest in Chicano History. After this point, Rosalio Munoz was asked to be the Co-chairman with myself as the other Co-chairmen of the Chicano Moratorium Committee.
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[Aztlannet_News] Brown Power (part 5)
February 1970: The rain was heavy and the clouds made the day seem very gray. People were asking me to cancel the second Chicano Moratorium because of the rain. As I stood at the doorway in front of the Brown Beret Free Clinic, I said, “How many Brown Berets are here?“
Then, my assistant commander said, “Well they're in the cars because of the rain.”
I then asked, “How many?”
And the assistant said, “Two hundred.”
I responded, “I want to see them.”
And a few minutes later, there they were, 200 Brown Berets standing in front of me in the rain. I then said, “I will not cancel the event.”
When people see the Berets, they will stay and march, rain or shine! And the people came and marched in the rain.
Over 5000 people marched to Laguna Park to protest against the war in Vietnam and against the mistreatment and injustice against Chicanos. August 29, 1970. People sensed that a major conflict was going to occur and around 35,000 people showed up at the third Chicano Moratorium, which was held at Laguna Park (now Salazar Park).
The police came and around two thousand men, woman, and children started fighting with five hundred policemen at the center of the park and more fighting down Whittier Blvd. It was like a battle zone. Hours later, as the day ended, Ruben Salazar, Angel Diaz, and Lyn Ward were killed during the riot which lasted all day.
That afternoon, I talked to Ruben Salazar and to 14-year old, Brown Beret, Lyn Ward. Both of them were in a courageous spirit, and they knew that so many years of injustice had finally arrived to this day.
On January 31, 1971 was the fourth Chicano Moratorium. Thirty-five thousand people left the protest area and took to the streets, and on their own they walked into a police firing squad that was waiting for them on the corner of Arizona Ave. and Whittier Blvd. The police open-fired into the crowd, killing one (Gustav Montag) and forty more suffered from gun shot wounds.
At this time, something was telling me to change the course away from mass protest. After several meetings with Rosalio and with the Chicano Moratorium Committee, it was decided that the Brown Berets and the Moratorium would develop a march in May 1971 to march from Calexico to Sacramento to protest against injustice and unfair government services.
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[Aztlannet_News] Brown Power (part 6)
Summer 1971: I remember the march entering the empty quarter east of the Salten Sea. The desert sun made all of us very thirsty as it was around 100 degrees. The march "La Marcha de La Reconquesta", was a one-thousand mile march from Calexico to Sacramento, which first started off with 300 hundred people which winded up and down roads in a north direction. Most
of the people came to march on the weekends.
While marching through a desert storm and being pelted by sand, I then looked around, and saw only 18 Brown Berets who were left to continue the march. This told me about the committed and the committed but. Any way, we finally made it to Mecca, and there was fresh water and food.
A month later, the march stopped to rest in Fresno, California. Suddenly, the West Fresno gang of around thirty attacked the march because we refused to join them to confront the police with violence. Then, they struck, and attacked the march, and everyone was fighting. Sticks, bottles, and fist were flying everywhere!
Luckily, I called for fire, and my assistant fired gunshots into the air, and the gang ran away and down the street much faster than they arrived. Some of us had to clean and bandage our wounds.
Finally, the march arrived in Sacramento with over 5,000 people who went there to protest for better government services in education, health, welfare, and for prison reform. After this point, most marchers were tired and went home to rest and to get back to their lives. Nonetheless, the Brown Berets converted the energies of the march and went on a car caravan across the southwest to recruit fresh troops to continue on the movement.
This caravan was called "La Caravana de la Reconquesta" which traveled to 80 Barrios all over the U.S. organizing rallies, protest, and school walk-outs.
Then in August 1972, the caravana took to boats and arrived on Catalina Island to protest injustices, to hold land, and to bring attention to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
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Brown Power (part 7.)
We went to Catalina to claim land on the fact that the Channel Islands were not included in the Treaty of Peace To Stop the Mexican American War in 1948. The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo stated the new boundaries of the U.S. only went up to the coast at San Pedro, California.
At the time, the Brown Berets mobil group (La Caravana de La Reconquista) was under my direct command and was the only organization that had the know-how and movement technology to complete such a large task. We had 26 full-time Brown Berets with us, mostly seasoned soldiers of peace. Then, after we landed and established our encampment, Bertha Grijalva brought up the Brown Berets females from Mara Villa. The Brown Berets went to Catalina Island to protest and to hold land. We did not know that a Coast Guard destroyer would chase us. Suddenly, the big ship at 400 yards faced our camp with big guns that could easily take us out. Nonetheless, we held the Island for 30 Days.
Consequently, all of our supplies were being cut mostly by sleeper agents who were in the Brown Beret organization. Jessie Cevallos was one of them who turned out to be a police informant. Then, Albert, a leader from the San Bernardino Berets came to the Island with another suspected agent. Albert was arrested as he returned to San Pedro for having a Marijuana joint in his pocket. This is when -- all of the problems began. And then a collusion of illegal activities began to break up Brown Berets.
The police had super infiltrated the Brown Berets who were acting on orders to break it up. Albert called for a meeting of the Brown Berets central committee by forging my name on a letter. The people who were on Albert’s side never participated in any of the major Brown Beret events yet they wanted to take over the organization after I had spent five years to build it.
They also began a campaign of slander. The Berets became completely divided and to avoid physical fighting and possible deaths. Subsequently, for my safety, and for the safety of the membership, I broke up the organization. I did this also with the idea that the group could submerge and remerge at another time.
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Afterward: On Brown Power (part one to part six}
Primarily, the first movement took place from 1966 to 1973. Profoundly, the Brown Berets won victory after victory because they worked together under the National Organization. Not independently. They found that being a Brown Beret was a specialization. And it took years of development for the Berets to practice effective non violence strategies.
Then from 1992 to 1998, a second movement developed as the Brown Berets were re-commissioned to stop the violence which rose to 1500 Chicanos and Latinos being killed per year in California. The Brown Beret National Organization should be congratulated for reducing the violence by 50%. Nonetheless, some people say that things should be different.
In retrospect, "why try to re-invent the wheel" when the Brown Beret National Organization tested and proved that the movement can work for all of us.
~David Sanchez, Former National Prime Minister of the Brown Beret National Organization
Ph.D. Research and Development MAU. www.mexicanamericanuniversity.com
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Edited and Blogged by PSL
Update: 10-29-2006
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