CHICANO MORATORIUM PHOTO #2

by Mark Vallen - ART FOR A CHANGE Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2002 at 3:16 AM
vallen@art-for-a-change.com

A Poster of Ruben Salazar carried through the streets of Highland Park during the Chicano Moratorium 2002 Protest.

CHICANO MORATORIUM P...
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During the August 29th, 1970 Chicano Moratorium that protested the Vietnam War, three Chicanos were shot and killed by the LAPD and L.A. Sheriffs. The three were Angel Diaz, Lynn Ward, and Ruben Salazar. Mr. Salazar was the first Chicano reporter for the Los Angeles Times. He was an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War and also the Police brutality that the
Chicano/Mexicano people suffered at the hands of the LAPD (which was almost all White during 1970).

During the Moratorium, Mr. Salazar stopped into the "Silver Dollar Cafe" on Whittier Blvd. The Police arrived on the scene and fired a Tear Gas Canister into the Cafe. The 9 inch long Canister, which was designed to penetrate walls, passed through Salazar's head, killing him instantly. Many activists in the community saw the killing as a deliberate Police murder. A state investigation later found the killing to be an "accident." To this day Ruben Salazar is regarded as a hero in the Chicano/Mexicano community. In my photograph, a marcher is carrying a Portrait Poster of Salazar created by the famous Chicano Artist, Rupert Garcia.

CHICANO MORATORIUM 2002 will have an important closing Panel Discussion on Friday, August 30th. Veterans of the original moratorium will be on hand to
interact with the community on issues of war and peace. The event will take place from 7:30 - 10 pm at the Latino Museum in downtown L.A. (201 N. Los
Angeles Street. For info call: 323-261-2286). The event is free and open to the entire community.

To see other Artworks that are devoted to social change, visit my ART FOR A CHANGE" Website, at:
www.art-for-a-change.com