Zoot Suit Riots Essay -- American History Sleepy Lagoon Affair

Zoot suits, associated with the Mexican race, consisted of a long jacket that reached almost to the knees, pants with a tight choke up cuff, a wide, flat hat, and Dutch-toe shoes (Berger 193). These zoot suits were worn by the Mexican youth who were accused of murder on August 2, 1942. People claimed that Jose Diaz was slay by a gang that had broken up a companionship at Sleepy lagoon ranch located close to Los Angeles. However, all the same though the lower court did convict them of murder, two years afterward the district court of appeals took that decision back by stating that there was not enough good evidence and that most of that decision was made found on prejudice issues. This incident became known as the Sleepy lagune Affair and was made an international topic, especially when it was made to look handle Americans were making it a point to harm Latin-American citizens. Afterwards, the Sleepy Lagoon Affair opened the doorway to much more discrimination against Mexican s and brought umpteen more riots to Los Angeles between Mexicans and Americans (Gorn 183).Mexican-Americans were highly offended when American citizens, mostly the marines and soldiers, attacked each Mexican they saw on the street wearing a zoot suit. close to of the time these Mexicans were not part of a gang, but were attacked as penalize from that August night in 1942. Police officials were watching servicemen beat the Mexicans on the street then arresting the victims, saying that they provoked the riot (La Op...