16. The Fashion That Caused Widespread Rioting and Civil Unrest
During WWII, Los Angeles became a major military hub, as hundreds of thousands of servicemen were stationed there or passed through en route to other postings. To many white military personnel, the wearing of zoot suits was viewed as a public flouting of the war effort. Mexican-Americans came to be seen as unpatriotic – even though they were actually overrepresented in America’s armed forces and served at a higher rate than whites. Mexican-Americans also had one of the highest percentages of Medal of Honor recipients.
Rioting erupted in June of 1943, when mobs of white soldiers and sailors roamed LA, and beat up allegedly “unpatriotic” Mexican-American’s wearing zoot suits. While the rioters focused on Latino youths, young African-Americans and Filipinos were also targeted. Copycat riots by whites against Latinos spread throughout California to San Diego and Oakland, then across the country to Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York City. It was the first time in American history that fashion caused literal rioting and widespread civil unrest.
