Ruben Salazar : BORDER CORRESPONDENT
Selected Writings, 1955-1970
Professor Mario T. Garcia
University of California at Santa Barbara
with introduction by
Luis Zaragoza
La Voz de Aztlan
January 23, 2005
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BORN - March 3, 1928 in Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua ASSASSINATED - August 29, 1970 in East Los Angeles, Alta California |
We are now approaching the 35th Anniversary of the assassination, by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's, of Mexican-American Journalist Ruben Salazar in East Los Angeles. A primary reason for his murder were his articulate reports and columns, in the Los Angeles Times, concerning the endemic police brutality incidents in Mexican-American communities perpetrated by both the Los Angeles County Sheriff's and the Los Angeles Police Departments. Another reason was his criticism, in his writings, of the Vietnam War and of the disproportionate number of casualties of soldiers of Mexican descent. Ruben Salazar was shot in the head, during the commotion of an anti-war demonstration, by L.A. County Sheriff Thomas Wilson. Journalist Ruben Salazar had been followed and cornered inside the Silver Dollar Cafe by units of the sheriff's. Deputy Wilson was never charged.
Today, with the Iraq War, history seems to be repeating itself. Though, the Mexican-American community today lacks journalists of the courage and ability of Ruben Salazar, there was one incident that occurred in Ceres, California earlier this month that may be a sign of things to come. Whereas during the Vietnam War there were massive and well organized demonstrations and marches against the war in East Los Angeles and other major cities and towns throughout the southwest, the incident in Ceres involved one lone US Marine of Mexican descent.
Some of the elements, however, that produced The East Los Angeles Rebellion of 1970 and the assassination of Journalist Ruben Salazar are also present in The US Marine-Ceres Police Shootout of 2005. One element that is similar is the continuing and escalating police brutality incidents against Mexican-Americans. Some of the worse incidents were committed recently by the Los Angeles Police Department Rampart Division. One other case which in part motivated US Marine Andres Raya to wage a 3 hour battle against the Ceres Police SWAT Team was the senseless killing of an 11 year old Mexican boy during a early morning raid of his parent's home on September 2000. The child, Alberto Sepulveda, was shot point blank in the back as he laid face down on the floor by Modesto cop David Hawn. Like in Ruben Salazar's assassination, Hawn was never charged.
Due to the increasing number of casualties of soldiers of Mexican descent in Iraq at a time when our community is still suffering an increasing number of hate crimes not only by white vigilantes and militants but by rogue white cops as well, La Voz de Aztlan is making the following scholarly work by Dr. Mario T. Garcia available to our readership. We are also hoping that soldiers of Mexican descent fighting in Iraq read the following work on Ruben Salazar's life:
