In August 1942, a 22-year-old Mexican American man was fatally stabbed at a party, sparking widespread fear among white Angelenos that Mexican American crime was spiraling out of control. The police arrested 600 young Mexican Americans, many of whom were wearing zoot-suits, a distinctive uniform of the time. The tragic event and the subsequent trial, coupled with sensational news coverage, fueled racial tensions in the city, ultimately leading to some of the worst violence in Los Angeles' history within months of the verdict.
American Experience
The brutal murder of a 22-year-old Mexican American man at a Los Angeles party on August 1, 1942, sparked racial tensions, with many white residents viewing it as evidence of Mexican American criminality.
