Murder at the Sleepy Lagoon: Zoot Suits, Race, and Riot in Wartime L.A. - Softcover

Eduardo Obregon Pagan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0807854948 ISBN 13: 9780807854945

Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press, 2003

Synopsis

The notorious 1942 "Sleepy Lagoon" murder trial in Los Angeles concluded with the conviction of seventeen young Mexican American men for the alleged gang slaying of fellow youth Jose Diaz. Just five months later, the so-called Zoot Suit Riot erupted, as white soldiers in the city attacked minority youths and burned their distinctive zoot suits. Eduardo Obregon Pagan here provides the first comprehensive social history of both the trial and the riot and argues that they resulted from a volatile mix of racial and social tensions that had long been simmering.

In reconstructing the lives of the murder victim and those accused of the crime, Pagan contends that neither the convictions (which were based on little hard evidence) nor the ensuing riot arose simply from anti-Mexican sentiment. He demonstrates instead that a variety of pre-existing stresses, including demographic pressures, anxiety about nascent youth culture, and the war effort all contributed to the social tension and the eruption of violence. Moreover, he recovers a multidimensional picture of Los Angeles during World War II that incorporates the complex intersections of music, fashion, violence, race relations, and neighborhood activism.

Drawing upon overlooked evidence, Pagan concludes by reconstructing the murder scene and proposes a compelling theory about what really happened the night of the murder.

About this title

Book Description:

" Murder at Sleepy Lagoon does more than sharpen the edges of a well-worn story. . . . It also serves as a superb case study of the myriad factors that have influenced the course of race relations in the United States. . . . Pagan has constructed an impressive study of modern American race relations that should resonate beyond the fields of Los Angeles and Mexican American history."-- Pacific Historical Review

About the Author:

Eduardo Obregon Pagan is associate professor and chair of the Department of American Studies at Arizona State University West.

About this edition

• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0807854948
• ISBN 13: 9780807854945
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 328