Los Angeles, America’s second largest city, has a horrible secret. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department – the fourth largest police department in the country – harbors dozens of criminal gangs within its ranks. These LASD gangs have been involved in assaults, the creation of false evidence, and even murder. A Gravel Institute documentary.

Returning to Salazar Park, which was named after the reporter and hero Ruben Salazar, who was killed by LAPD while covering the Moratorium, Carlos Montes denounces US imperialism and NATO wars.

The Chicano Moratorium was a mass movement of Chicanos who organized against the Vietnam War, since Chicano soldiers accounted for around 20% of casualties in the war, despite comprising only 10% of the total US population. Meanwhile, Chicanos were also facing oppression in many forms here at home, from police brutality to exclusion from higher education. Dozens of marches were held around the country, including San Francisco and Oakland. The largest march, made up of 30,000 protestors, took place in East Los Angeles on August 29, 1970. The protestors were violently attacked by the L.A. police and sheriffs, resulting in three deaths, including the assassination of Ruben Salazar, an acclaimed Chicano journalist, by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

In 1968, East LA students staged walkouts to challenge racial discrimination in schools. Between March 1 and March 8, an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 students from seven high schools participated. But why does this history continue to spark controversy today?

"Carlos Montes, co-founder of the Brown Berets, I had the pleasure of re-interviewing him... Last year, in the spring semester when I was an undergrad we did a group project for my CLS class where we had to do a podcast and have a community leader, activist, organizer, whoever to be on our podcast. We chose Carlos because I was already in contact with him because he was helping me with something for another class and I was taking his daughter's CLS class, so we already had somewhat of a rapport or back and forth if you will.

I asked him other questions but this is the portion that I like most and was excited about because it's the music portion of the 14 minute interview. And as you know I love music so this was a special thing for me."

Chicano Moratorium rally against war & racism! La lucha sigue, join the movement!